Hello permies,
I'm looking for some thoughts and feedback on an idea I've been mulling over that would allow my family to make a short-term move while keeping our rural property going strong in the long run.
Here's the situation: We currently live on a rural property in Northernish Ontario. 100 acres mix of
trees and open
land, backing onto a lake with a second lake just down the road. New
pond recently dug just behind the house. It's a lovely property and a pretty decent location for building long-term resilience against economic instability, climate change, and all that fun stuff. I’ve put in some work following
permaculture and regenerative principles to make the land resilient for the coming decades. My husband, however, isn’t as keen on staying out here since it’s far from his family and a bit too isolated for his liking. Fine for me though, the nearby towns have pretty much everything I need.
So, we’re considering moving to a semi-rural spot closer to his family, but I’m not ready to give up on this place. I still see it as the long-term
answer to all the uncertainty that’s coming down the line.
Then I thought, what if we rented the property to someone like-minded—someone who’s into
permaculture, regenerative agriculture, resiliency, working with the land etc.? They’d take over the place, but we’d assist financially with larger projects to continue building resilience on the property. We’d also sever and build a second dwelling so, in 10-15 years, when my husband might be more open to returning (or, let's be real, when things start looking more dire), we could move back and share the property with the tenants.
Essentially, I’m imagining this as a partnership where we both benefit: the tenant would get the chance to live out their
permaculture dream at a lower cost, and we’d continue making the land a resilient haven.
Is this at all reasonable? Would anyone even consider this kind of arrangement? I’m open to all feedback and suggestions on how to make this work. If you were on the receiving end of this offer, what would you need to feel secure and supported? How could we structure this to make it a win-win? How does one find the right person or family?
Looking forward to your thoughts!
4
