I think I have finally gotten DH on board to sell our house within the next year or two, pack up and go to VT. He shockingly said to me that if we sell both BIL and our houses, we can clear ALL debt (including mortgage debt) if we buy a house with a budget of $200k. So we're seriously considering just that. The idea that we could be in a place with no debt and then every project I take on is money in the bank.. wow.

Question is...how do I decide which of three routes to take:

#1: Small home on small piece of land (.25 to .5 acres) within 20 minutes to Burlington, more of a densely populated area but also closer to stores/amenities
#2: Bigger piece of land on one of the northern Lake Champlain islands; more remote, within an hour of Burlington.
#3: Buy land when we we see a good deal and build

You guys who have made moves recently, how did you decide where to go?? My gut tells me that I prefer being close to civilization, but I can see the value of a more remote place, too. This is definitely going to be a tough, tough decision.

Thoughts? Advice?