I moved from California to Missouri in 2002 not knowing anyone here. I remember when we crossed the state line leaving California in the rear view mirror and being so excited to have finally made it out. I had talked about leaving California for years, and it was finally happening.

The first place I bought was a cabin on 65 acres in Squires, on a county road off Highway 5 South of Ava. It was the first time I realized that what I had seen in the pictures wasn't a driveway, it was the gravel county road. The cabin was awful, I hated everything about it but the land was gorgeous. Enormous White Oaks, some Black Walnut and huge wild berry bushes grew in the ravine.

I was scared to drive my van around town with my California plates, so afraid of being unaccepted. I shouldn't have been. Turned out everyone was welcoming, and friendly, and ready to help.

I would pour a cup of coffee and stand on my ratty front porch trying to wrap my head around the beauty of this place. So quiet, the air so clean, and I would feel the tears streaming down my face in gratitude for being here.

I still live in Ava, and all these years later I still am trying to wrap my head around the beauty of this amazing mystical place. I can not imagine living anywhere else.

I know all the different areas, and they are as diverse as the people. The Ozark Mountains aren't really mountains but ridges. West of us it is gently rolling hills, lots of hobby farms, large cattle farms, a few dairies, and as you travel East the terrain changes to more mountainous like the ridges are steeper, higher, closer together. The further East you travel the ridges get farther apart, more shallow, and go back to rolling hills, and close to level. The other part that you have to pay attention to is the top soil, or lack of it. Some ground is rocky, some ridge tops you can till. You just have to go there or at the very least have me send you a soil survey. It is not uncommon to have some level hayfield, some steep hills, some rocky ground, and some glade all within a hundred acre parcel. You want character, we have it. It is reason I can't tell you "What land is going for".

We are surrounded by thousands of acres of Mark Twain National Forest, there are streams, rivers and lakes. But no ski slopes, we don't get enough snow. We have Winter, it just doesn't try to kill you. The kids get excited for snow days, and delighted if there is enough to actually play in. We get our Winter in doses. We will have 65 and 70 degree days and then it is like "We gotta get Winter in here, so get ready, tomorrow we are going to do blowing snow and 27."

There aren't a lot of jobs here, but if you have skills you will find a lot of grateful customers. You probably won't make as much as where you came from, but life isn't as expensive here either.

If you're looking for a slower pace, you will find that here. You will see friends with grocery carts parked while they catch up, and you may have to stand in line while someone visits with the bank teller. But soon you will find yourself doing the same.

You need someone who knows this area, the people, and all the ins and outs of how everything works in real estate here, because it is very different in this rural part of American than where you're coming from. You  don't want to make a mistake, and you don't want to waste time.

Until you get here to look, there are a few things that I can do for you. First I can plug your criteria into the Southern Missouri Regional Multi-Listing System. When an agent posts a new listing that meets your criteria, the system will send it to you instantly. You will be one of the first to know about it. Takes me five minutes or so to get it set up and runs automatically.

Any property you find on the internet that you want additional information on, forward to me. I will send you Aerial, Seller's Disclosures, Lead Based Paint Disclosures, and if you want I can do Google Satellite History, Soil Survey, Topographical Map. I usually can get additional pictures, video, and sometimes drone footage. If the listing agent won't do it, I fly drones, I'll go do it.

It doesn't matter to me if you want to start looking at properties now but don't plan on buying for five years, or you're coming to look next week. I'm here to help. If you are looking outside my area of Missouri, I have a network of great agents that I would be happy to refer you to.

I love showing my part of Missouri, there is nothing like it, and I love a road trip.