Latest news with #ruralliving
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This couple found their forever home in abandoned 37.5-acre Kentucky farmstead — and it only cost them $390K
As home prices soar and dreams of ownership slip away for many Americans, one couple decided to stop chasing the market and a new life from the ground up. In spring 2024, Sophie Hilaire Goldie, 37, and her husband Rocky Goldie, 50, purchased a 37.5-acre fixer-upper homestead in rural Kentucky for $390,000 and began transforming it into their forever home. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) They are now dedicating their energy, time, and skills to remodeling the property into a self-sustaining lifestyle. Their plans include raising chickens, starting a dairy goat farm and launching a new skincare business. 'We are not moving,' Sophie said. 'It's weird even to think that's an option because it's not how we think. I have no interest in leaving — ever.' Sophie, an Army veteran, and Rocky, a former Marine, met on They quickly bonded over their shared love of the outdoors and their desire to embrace life. When they started dating, Sophie transformed a friend's Home Depot shed into a tiny home after spending two years living in a Sprinter van. Their second date was spent working together to build the shed. 'It was important for me while we were dating to see if we could work together on projects,' Sophie told CNBC. After she returned from a trip through Southeast Asia, Rocky suggested they find a place of their own. They turned to Zillow and searched for rural properties with at least 10 acres and a sense of history. A local photographer introduced them to a real estate agent, who showed them the abandoned property. It included two log cabins from the 1840s, a 2,200-square-foot home with four bedrooms and one bathroom, a 200-square-foot separate cabin and two barns — all on 37.5 acres. The couple secured a 30-year mortgage with minimum monthly payments of $1,790, but they plan to pay off their home within five years. Sophie recently launched her own skincare company, Seoul + Soil, inspired by their natural lifestyle on the homestead. The business is part of a larger goal to become 85% to 90% self-sufficient. 'I think it's the most excited I've ever been about anything,' Sophie said. 'There's nothing more entrepreneurial than just making up your life.' Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis For the Goldies, homesteading is more than a lifestyle — it's a financial strategy grounded in long-term resilience and freedom. According to a 2022 survey by Homesteaders of America, nearly 40% of respondents said they had adopted homesteading within the past three years. Here's how the Goldies are making it work: Reduced Housing Costs: It's rare to find a 37.5-acre property with existing infrastructure for less than $400,000. By purchasing this land, the couple is eliminating decades of future housing expenses and aiming to be mortgage-free within five years. Income Diversification: Sophie's skincare company is one source of income. Additional revenue may come from selling farm produce, hosting workshops or providing agritourism experiences such as farm stays. Asset Appreciation: Historic properties on large rural land are increasingly seen as wise investments. Renovations and the addition of sustainable infrastructure can significantly increase long-term value. Financial Resilience: A self-sufficient lifestyle that includes livestock, gardens and renewable energy systems can provide protection against inflation, food shortages and job loss. For the Goldies, this bold experiment in modern homesteading is driven by passion and purpose. 'We only have a few more decades left, but we want to do 200 years' worth of stuff,' Sophie says. 'Everything we did brought us to where we are now, but it would be nice to be 20 and starting this.' Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Popular ITV dating show set to return to screens 16 years after it was axed - and it will have a revamped format
Farmer Wants A Wife is set to return to UK screens 16 years after it was axed. The popular ITV dating show followed land-owning singletons as they welcomed women from the city to their farms in the hope of finding love. The series had viewers hooked when it was first broadcast on the station in 2001, before moving to Channel 5 eight years later, with Louise Redknapp as presenter. However, TV bosses then canned the show, which has continued going strong with an Australian version since 2007, and left it on the shelf for more than a decade. But the success of countryside-based programmes of late, including Clarkson's Farm and Yorkshire Shepherdess, has prompted its return. A TV source told The Sun: 'Farmer Wants A Wife was one of telly's earlier dating shows before the likes of Love Island and Married at First Sight came along and created a whole new genre. 'Even though it only ran for two series, the UK version spawned as many as ten international versions - it's massive in Australia, for example - and the BBC even had a go at their own version, Love In The Countryside with Sara Cox. 'But the time is thought to be right to revisit the UK farmers as interest in rural living has never been greater thanks to Jeremy Clarkson et al and after Covid many have rethought city life. 'It's early days so a channel isn't yet attached, nor a host, but everyone is very excited.' The search for eligible farmers has already begun with original distributor Fremantle Media scouring the land for participants in the romance show. A potential revamped format will see 'all genders, sexualities, ages and love interests' covered, according to insiders. MailOnline has contacted ITV and Fremantle for comment. An Australian version of Farmer Wants A Wife is still going strong Down Under and is currently three weeks into its 12th season. The show is shaking things up, introducing 12 new contestants in a surprise twist – after Farmer Jarred abruptly found love and walked off the show. The shock move left three farmers still searching for their true love, and now each of them will be introduced to four new women in the coming episodes. Channel Seven confirmed the remaining three farmers - Corey, Thomas and Tom - will each be introduced to four new ladies, in a bid to shake things up. The farmers will spend one-on-one time with each before selecting two to return to the farm and join the original contestants. 'The latecomers know they are stepping into already-formed connections, but they're not backing down,' the network teased. 'Their arrival is set to shake things up and stir emotions... after all, the road to love is never straightforward.'
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
ITV dating show set for surprise reboot 16 years after it was axed – with huge format change
RURAL dating show Farmer Wants A Wife is set for a reboot, some 16 years since it was last on air. It followed a string of unlucky-in-love landowners as they welcomed a city-living woman to their farm in the hope romance would blossom. 5 5 The first series aired on ITV in 2001, then a second was picked up by Channel 5 in 2009 - with Louise Redknapp, now 50, as host. Now a surge in interest in agriculture thanks to the success of Clarkson's Farm and the Yorkshire Shepherdess has convinced TV bosses to revive the original muddy dating show. A TV source said: 'Farmer Wants A Wife was one of telly's earlier dating shows before the likes of Love Island and Married at First Sight came along and created a whole new genre. 'Even though it only ran for two series, the UK version spawned as many as ten international versions - it's massive in Australia, for example - and the BBC even had a go at their own version, Love In The Countryside with Sara Cox. 'But the time is thought to be right to revisit the UK farmers as interest in rural living has never been greater thanks to Jeremy Clarkson et al and after Covid many have rethought city life. 'It's early days so a channel isn't yet attached, nor a host, but everyone is very excited.' Fremantle Media, which made the original two series, are exploring the reboot and have begun looking for single farmers and city-dwellers looking for rural romance. But hinting at changes to the format for a new generation of workers, bosses say they're open to 'all genders, sexualities, ages and love interests.' And they suggest applicants apply from 'a vineyard in Kent' or might fancy 'harvesting crops in the Cotswolds.' 5 5
