A Panoramic View of Realizing the Rural Dream: A Letter to Those Who Yearn for a Farmhouse
As locals of Yilan, we have seen far too many cases of people whose pastoral dreams shattered and who left in dismay. After all, rural life is vastly different from city life. Many people harbor subjective romantic imaginings, and with the enticing advertisements of builders and real estate agents, they impulsively buy property and build houses. Only after moving in do they discover various incompatibilities with the rainy climate and the insect-filled rural environment, or they cannot integrate into the local social network, and ultimately cannot stay long-term. Even for occasional vacations, the holiday becomes endless cleaning... In the end, they can only sell and let the next group of people test out their own beautiful dreams!
The Lanyang Plain always welcomes you with open arms. We hope you find a truly happy life here, rather than spending your life savings only to make Yilan your place of heartbreak! Therefore, we offer some important rural life experiences for your reference:
（1）First, whether you can be happy living in the countryside depends more on people than on land!From raising children, farming, running various livelihoods, to retirement and old age, this rule applies without exception. Spending time in the countryside making friends is more important than going straight to look at real estate agent advertisements! Please remember: when an agent is nice to you, it is for the money; when villagers are not warm toward strangers, that is normal; and if they can be nice to you, it is genuine acceptance, and everything in your future life will go smoothly.
（2）If you are interested in farming, it is best to have a group of partners who can help and learn from each other.Yilan has already gathered several groups of new farmers. First try renting a place to settle down, follow them to hone your skills, become familiar with everything local, and become firm enough in your own choices, then consider buying property to settle down.
（3）If you want to retire and live out your later years, or care for your parents in their old age,being able to shop, seek medical care, and maintain contact with relatives and friends within a reasonable distance is absolutely an important consideration. Therefore, a small settlement at the edge of the city is more ideal than being alone in the middle of the fields. Collective housing in rural areas mostly has front and back yards for planting flowers and vegetables; even if not, surrounding farmland is not hard to rent. The maintenance and management of a huge farmhouse and farmland in the middle of the fields is very demanding even for young people. In addition, a detached farmhouse with deep courtyards blocks the possibility of neighborly harmony and mutual watchfulness, the burglary rate is quite high, and the elderly living there become even more isolated.
（4）If your move is to accompany your children as they grow up,then accompanying your children and managing a livelihood will take up much of your time. Unless you farm full-time, otherwise 2.5 fen of farmland will keep you running ragged! Therefore, collective housing with a small courtyard and small yard may still be your most suitable choice. Letting children grow up in a community and fully gain neighborhood friends is very important nourishment during childhood. A secluded home environment is only what middle-aged and young adults desire; both the elderly and children need neighbors and yearn for human relationships. So think clearly: for whom are you building a home?
（5）If you want to run a bed-and-breakfast, what needs to be analyzed is the actual market supply and demand.From 2012 to 2013, Yilan's bed-and-breakfast growth rate reached as high as 18%. Currently there are 734 registered ones (about three thousand unregistered), and to reach competitive hardware investment standards, it takes about 40 million. Under such high competitive pressure, unless you have extraordinary management methods or strong financial resources, it is recommended not to invest with a loan - you may not be able to repay it.
（6）If your purpose is merely real estate investment speculation,then we must remind you: the current wave of real estate boom in farmland and farmhouses is like the poker game "bluffing," just waiting for the round when the bluff is called and the unlucky one takes all the bad debts. At present, the issue of fake farmhouses is rising day by day, public opinion on all sides is boiling, and amending the law is only a matter of time. Moreover, looking back at the period before and after the July 2011 amendment to the "Regulations on Agricultural Land and the Construction of Farmhouses," the farmland market instantly froze, and after the Su Jia-chyuan incident, inquiries about farmhouses and farmland also dropped sharply by 30%, clearly showing that this is an investment field tottering in the storm!
Second, once farmland is found to be used in violation of regulations, the previously reduced or exempted land value increment tax, land value tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, etc. may be levied according to law. In particular, the land value increment tax can be traced back to before Year 89 of the Republic of China, which is quite substantial, and must not be taken lightly!
（7）Living in Yilan, besides farmhouses, there are many other options.Rural Type A and Type B building land still has enough space to accommodate 220,000 people. Good friends can pool funds to buy legal building land and jointly create homes in harmony with the environment, keeping the countryside intact and making it the most beautiful scenery around the settlement. Or the renovation of old houses and old apartments in small towns and villages... all have infinite possibilities.
In short, there is a path to happiness. When moving to the countryside, do not neglect the importance of community support. The alienation directly caused by moving into a luxury farmhouse may be the beginning of a shattered pastoral dream, and its cost far exceeds our imagination.