Setting up home in Western ghats

Serena1234

Hi,

We are an Indian-European couple, and are seriously thinking of setting up our home in one of the cool hilly places in the Western ghats. We are looking at a place little away (10 to 40 kms) from a major town/city, as that would would work out relatively cheaper. We are not fixed on the location, so it can be anywhere in the western ghats along Goa/Karnataka/Kerala/Tamil Nadu, but we would prefer the maximum temperature in summer to be not more than 25 to 30 degrees Celcius.

While we'd prefer a quiet and relatively remote place, the place must have basic infrastructure like electricity, water sources (a well?), connecting road, etc.

I have a few questions:

- How much would it cost for 2 acres of land?
- Could you recommend any places in Goa/Karnataka/Tamil Nadu/Kerala?
- With the global recession, will the prices come down in, lets say, 3 to 5 years or go up?

Any help or advice greatly appreciated.

Serena

machadinha

? I have some strong doubts if that would be realistic; the Ghats don't reach a very high altitude, and while relatively pleasant, you can expect them to get hot in summer. As in many other places, people were (rightly or not -- I personally don't think so, but it hardly matters) complaining about the temperatures going up when I recently visited btw.

(According to http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/... elect=WEATHER , this week's temps would hover between the 34C and 21 by night, with some showers around apparently. There used to be a weather history overview there but I can't find it in a jiffy, maybe you can, or other sites will provide it.)

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Cosmic Sprite

Hi just noticed your post about wanting to buy property and settle in the Western Ghats/Tamil Nadu/....

Yercaud, about 35-40 km from Salem in Tamil Nadu comes to my mind. But it's in the Eastern Ghats.

sieaus

hi serena1234,

i too am interested in buying small piece of land in western ghat or coastal karnataka regions for personal use (home) or setting up a guest house/cafe. if u can share the information you have gathered, i would be thankful. i too will let you know whatever i come to know.

sieaus

jyotipg

You might get 2 acres of land in a coffee estate in Coorg for around 10 lacs.

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York_Katni

Without an iota of doubt it would be the Munnar area and even higher where it can get quite cold amidst the company of tea plantations. It is a nice blend of the raj and the present and the areas near it.

Nick-H

Ooty, from Google, I see max 25, but it goes down to 5 and 10.

Mach , remember that when summer 'hits' Ooty, so does the monsoon. Those parts get a lot of rain, one would have to be sure one could stand it. Cold, wet July days... just like London!

Prashant.M

You can check out Coonoor also. It's near Ooty. It was supposed to be a very nice place to retire to but tourism has changed that. I think you should look for a place near the town but not in the town itself because these hill stations can get pretty crowded during tourist season.

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Nick-H

I liked Coonor (as a tourist!) but not Ooty, whose cold, wet, miserable climate seemed to reflect in the faces of the people. It really did remind me of a bad day in London!

machadinha

Yes, you're quite correct; I think in the above I was thinking (and so should have specified so) of Coorg region, placing Ooty further away in my mind. But I guess the Nilgiri Hills are technically still part of the Western Ghats yes.

nb The original poster has never been back here after that one post, so I doubt if they'll be giving much of any feedback.

sieaus

hi jyoti pg,

can u tell me how can i start if i am intersted in buying land in coorg, since you report that 2 acres coffee plantation land might be available in 10 lakh. can you tell me please if one can build houses or guest houses in coffe plantation estate.

sieaus

null

Have you explored the practical aspects of this?
- how often would you have to travel out of town (2-3 times a year? then do you know how far would your airport be?)
- how easily can you merge yourself into the local populace?
- Do you know that there is some land cieling act in coorg where the land cannot be sold (Jamma land?) - It many not be for the entire region, but majority of the land is jamma land & can only be inherited or something like that - I am not very familiar with this aspect.
- What would you like to do for a living? Retirement life? Do you realise how lonely it could become? (unless you are looking forward to such a life)
- If you plan to use the place for some farming, 2 acres is not sufficient & you wont be able to do much yourself either. So, you would need more land to be efficient & profitable. But, laborers are diffcult to come by. Its a chicken & egg situation here.
- Other aspects like emergency care? legal aspects? safety aspects? etc?

Sorry to put you off, but just wanted to remind the practical points which also should be considered here If your intention is different - build houses/guest houses & look from a commercial angle, then, my statements may not hold good

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sieaus

thanks null. but i have thaught of all these. i am ready to take on all these. my only requirement is that everything should be possible legally. i mean i do not want any hassles in buying, consytructing and creating minimum amenities. of course, i want it for personal as well as small commercial needs. can you further suggest me how to go about.

null

Well, I am a novice when ti comes to land dealings. Even I dream of something like you, but havent progressed ahead because of my other compulsions. Other possible place you can consider would be Chikmagalur. I dont think you would have Jamma land like restirctions there. Out of karnataka, it would be coonuur for me or somewhere near kodai.

Commercial ventures would be a different ballgame all together. Just 2 acres may not be sufficient as people hwo come to stay would need some additional attractions there & hence more land would be needed (larger coffee plantation, large lake or some hill or sme beauty etc). This is my opinion. send me a pvt msg if you have any additional thoughts.

sieaus

you are right null. but i am not looking for anything large for great businesses. i am just looking for small stuff for my personal use. and of cource if i can generate some mode of earning, even little, well and good. this would be my additional. i am already having a primary profession. i agree with you for coonoor. chikmanglur, i am not much aware of. but of cource coorg would be a better place for its excellant connectivity.

if you come to know about anything and if you are about to finalise something, please let me know. i can join you.

thanks. sieaus