I often see photographs of small European towns that can be seen off of popular train lines that are a strip of aesthetic, historical homes, sometimes with a well-manicured stream, creek, or river running through, often with a luscious, green field of crops and gorgeous mountains in the background. It's easy to daydream of life here and grow jealous of the folk living here.
...but then I think about how life must actually be like in these areas. I suspect that anything they may want to do has to go through a rigorous approval process. You cannot modify your home even in the slightest without approval, and that will only be granted within strict guidelines. You can't throw up a chicken coup in a bid to be self-sufficient. You can't pop into the gorgeous creek for a swim or hunt for wildlife. You better not leave your bin out for an extra day after pickup. Essentially I've concluded that living in these towns must be like living with an HoA on steroids. What is the point of living within beauty if it comes at the cost of your freedom?
My question for you guys... is this type of aesthetic town even remotely possible without heavy-handed regulation that makes it horrible to live in? Additionally, where on the spectrum of freedom to perfection would you want to live?
That's the key.
EDIT: From a quick internet search, selling property to a family or friend without listing it is OK. If it's near market value (hire an appraiser) it's not a gift. You can even go so far as to finance the property sale yourself. As long as you charge market interest rate, you are not giving them a gift.
Just don't list the property for sale or lease.
That's the way they do it down here. If I want to buy property, I have to get to know property owners because there is a lot of property that is ready to be sold but not listed and never will be listed. Without an introduction or a pre-existing relationship, I'll never know it was even for sale. Agents are rarely used for large tracts of land.