Private Paradise in Rush, Kentucky: A 5,632 Square Foot Custom Home on 87 Acres With Its Own Turquoise Pond

Every so often a listing comes along where the aerial photograph does all the selling. At 60 Sexton Lane in Rush, Kentucky, that photograph shows a long gray custom home tucked into a natural bowl of Appalachian hardwood forest, with a pond of startling blue green water sitting directly below the back porch. The pond is not a stock pond scraped into a field. It is deep, clear, and surrounded on every side by woods, with a gravel drive winding down through the trees to reach it.

The house is 5,632 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The land is 87 acres. And the whole thing sits close enough to an elementary school, an interstate, and healthcare that it never crosses the line from private into isolated.

One important note for anyone serious about this property: showings begin on Tuesday, September 15th, and the listing requires proof of funds or a lender preapproval letter before you can walk through it. That is not an unusual condition on a property of this size, but it means your financing homework needs to be done before you tour, not after.

The Property at a Glance

• Address: 60 Sexton Lane, Rush, Kentucky 41168
• Bedrooms: 3, with a fitness room on the lower level that could become a fourth
• Bathrooms: 3
• Living area: 5,632 square feet across two levels
• Lot: 87 acres
• County: Boyd County, Kentucky
• Key features: private pond, custom Pella windows, architectural ceilings, primary suite on the main floor, walk out lower level, covered porches front and rear
• Showing requirement: proof of funds or lender preapproval

The Pond Is the Headline

It has to be addressed first because it is what stops people scrolling. The water reads as a deep turquoise in the aerial photos, the kind of color usually associated with quarry lakes and spring fed ponds rather than ordinary farm ponds. It sits in the hollow between the house and the rising wooded slope beyond, with mowed grass banks running down to the waterline on three sides and a small dock area and gathering spot visible at the far end.

From the house, the pond is the view. The kitchen looks at it. The back porch looks at it. The primary bedroom looks at it. That is a deliberate design decision and it is the reason the floor plan is oriented the way it is.

Practically speaking, a private pond of this size on your own acreage means swimming, kayaking, fishing, and ice on the edges in January, all without a permit, a neighbor, or a public access point. It also means responsibility. Any buyer should ask about the pond’s depth, whether it is spring fed or runoff fed, when the dam or embankment was last inspected, what the spillway arrangement is, and whether it has ever been stocked or treated. A pond is an asset when it is understood and a liability when it is ignored.

The House: 5,632 Square Feet Built Around the View

The exterior is modern rural rather than traditional farmhouse. Dark charcoal vertical board siding, a wide gray shingle roof with deep gables, and a covered front entry porch supported by natural cedar posts with an exposed timber ceiling. The contrast between the dark walls and the warm raw wood ceiling is the strongest design gesture on the property, and it repeats at the entry where a natural wood surround frames the front doors.

Those front doors deserve their own mention. They are custom ornamental iron double doors with heavy scrollwork, and the listing points out something people who live in the country immediately appreciate: they have screens. So do the doors at the rear of the home. That means on a spring evening you can open the entire house front to back and let the hollow breathe through it without inviting every insect in Boyd County inside.

The windows are custom Pella units, sized for expansive views rather than for code minimums. On a property whose entire value proposition is what you see out the glass, the window package is not a detail, it is the whole point.

Main Floor

The main level carries the primary living spaces and is organized around the rear view of the pond and woods.

• Dining room with architectural ceiling detail
• Living area with a fireplace, also with architectural ceiling treatment
• Dedicated home study, which in a rural property with this kind of square footage is the difference between working from home and working from a corner of the kitchen
• Kitchen sized for a crowd, with direct access to the back porch and full views of the pond and woods
• A very large walk in pantry, described as set up to handle chores completely out of sight, which is the modern scullery concept and is enormously practical in a house built for entertaining
• Oversized laundry and mud room with exterior access, positioned so it could become the natural entry point from a future garage
• Primary suite on the main floor with extensive closet space, a private bath with a large soaking tub, and its own direct door onto the back porch

A main floor primary suite in a house this size is a significant feature. It means the home functions comfortably for a couple who never climb a stair, while still having an entire lower level available for family, guests, or recreation.

Lower Level

• Two additional large bedrooms
• Full bathroom
• A fitness room that could serve as a fourth bedroom, with one honest caveat the listing states plainly: it has no window. In most jurisdictions a legal bedroom requires an egress window, so as built this room is a bonus space, not a legal bedroom, unless an egress window is added.
• A large great room described as open to almost any recreation or entertainment use, which in a walk out lower level of this scale could mean a theater, a game room, a bar, a workshop, or all of them

The aerials show the lower level opening out at grade on the pond side beneath the main deck, which is the ideal configuration. It means the lower floor is true living space with natural light and direct outdoor access rather than a basement.

87 Acres: What You Can Actually Do With It

The land is heavily wooded Appalachian hardwood and pine with cleared areas around the house, the pond, and along the access drives. The topography shows visible rock outcropping and cut banks along the driveway, which is characteristic of eastern Kentucky terrain.

Eighty seven acres opens up uses that smaller acreage simply cannot support:

• Hunting on your own ground, with whitetail deer and turkey both abundant in this part of Kentucky
• Miles of private trails for hiking, ATV, side by side, or horseback
• Timber management, which on mature hardwood acreage can produce periodic income and may qualify for favorable tax treatment
• Homesteading on the cleared portions, with garden beds, orchard, bees, or livestock. The sellers already keep chickens, and the listing notes the chicken coop and the chickens themselves may be purchased separately.
• Additional building sites for a garage, barn, shop, guest cabin, or equipment storage, well out of sight of the main house
• Pure buffer, meaning nothing will ever be built within sight or earshot of your windows

The realistic caveat on land like this is that a large share of the 87 acres is steep and wooded. That is what creates the privacy and the enclosed valley feeling, but a buyer planning pasture, a large shop, or a second dwelling should walk the property and identify where flat ground actually exists before assuming.

Location: Private Without Being Remote

Rush sits in Boyd County in far northeastern Kentucky, in the tri state area where Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia meet. The listing makes a point that matters enormously for a property like this: an elementary school is very close, interstate access is close, and healthcare facilities are within fifteen minutes or less.

That combination is what separates this from a hunting camp. Ashland is the nearest significant city, with Huntington, West Virginia, just across the river and the broader tri state metro area providing hospitals, shopping, and employment. Interstate 64 runs through the region, putting Lexington within a manageable drive to the west and Charleston, West Virginia, to the east. Cincinnati and Columbus are both reachable in a few hours.

The area is also genuinely scenic. The Rush area sits near Greenbo Lake State Resort Park and extensive stretches of eastern Kentucky woodland, and the terrain is rolling hardwood hollow country throughout.

Financing a High Value Rural Property With Large Acreage

The showing requirement tells you that the seller expects serious buyers with financing already lined up. Here is what those paths realistically look like.

Conventional Financing

A conventional loan is the most likely route for most buyers, but a property combining 5,632 square feet with 87 acres introduces two real complications. The first is appraisal. Comparable sales for a custom home of this size on acreage of this scale in Boyd County will be very thin, and the appraiser may have to reach far afield for comps. The second is that many conventional lenders restrict how much of the total appraised value can be attributed to excess land beyond a certain acreage. Ask your loan officer specifically how they treat acreage above ten acres, and whether the loan will be sold on the secondary market or held in portfolio.

VA Loans

For eligible veterans and service members, VA is often the strongest tool on high value rural property because there is no county loan limit with full entitlement and no down payment requirement. VA requires owner occupancy and applies minimum property requirements, which on this property would focus on the well or water source, the septic system, the access road, and any outbuildings. VA appraisers in Kentucky routinely require a wood destroying insect inspection.

USDA Rural Development

Rush is squarely inside USDA eligible territory geographically, and the zero down structure is appealing. In practice USDA is a poor fit for this specific property for three reasons. USDA applies household income limits that buyers at this price point typically exceed. USDA guidance limits how much of the property value can sit in land, and 87 acres will break that ratio decisively. And USDA restricts income producing property, which complicates timber and agricultural acreage. Worth a ten minute call to confirm, but do not plan around it.

FHA and FHA 203k

FHA loan limits in Boyd County sit far below what a property of this scale commands, which effectively removes FHA and the 203k renovation product from consideration unless a buyer brings a very large down payment. For a home in this condition, a renovation loan would be the wrong instrument regardless.

Portfolio, Farm Credit, and Jumbo Lenders

This is where a property like this usually finds its financing. Local community banks, Farm Credit institutions, and jumbo portfolio lenders keep loans on their own books, understand land heavy collateral, and can underwrite a rural appraisal without the rigid guidelines of the secondary market. Terms may require a larger down payment or a shorter fixed period, but approval is usually smoother and faster.

Getting Your Proof of Funds Ready

Because showings require documentation, prepare it now. A proof of funds letter typically means a recent bank or brokerage statement showing liquid assets, or a letter from your financial institution. A lender preapproval should be a full preapproval based on submitted documentation, not a soft online prequalification, and it should specifically state that the lender is comfortable with the acreage.

Insurance Considerations

• Replacement cost on a 5,632 square foot custom home with architectural ceilings, Pella windows, and ornamental iron doors is considerably higher than a generic per square foot estimate. Insist on a detailed replacement cost calculation rather than a market value based figure.
• Fire protection class matters enormously here. Distance to the nearest responding fire department and to a water source or hydrant will drive the premium. A pond on the property can sometimes help this rating, which is worth raising with your agent.
• Fireplace documentation and a recent chimney inspection are commonly requested.
• Wildfire and brush exposure on heavily wooded acreage affects underwriting. Maintaining defensible space around the structure is both a safety and a premium issue.
• Liability coverage for the pond is essential. Open water on private property is a classic attractive nuisance in insurance terms, and an umbrella policy is inexpensive relative to the exposure.
• Detached structures, the chicken coop, and any future garage or barn need to be scheduled on the policy.
• If you intend to allow hunting, ride ATVs, or host guests on the land, tell your agent. Those activities need explicit coverage.

Due Diligence Checklist Before You Make an Offer

The Pond

• Determine whether it is spring fed, runoff fed, or both, and how it holds level in a dry August
• Have the dam or embankment and spillway evaluated by someone qualified. Pond failure is expensive and dangerous.
• Ask about depth, stocking history, aeration, and any chemical treatment
• Confirm whether the pond falls under any state water regulation or requires a permit for modification
• Check whether the pond area is in a mapped flood zone

Land and Boundaries

• Order a current survey. Do not rely on old plats or fence lines on 87 acres of wooded terrain.
• Confirm legal access and whether any portion of the drive crosses land you will not own
• Search for recorded easements including utility, access, timber, and especially mineral and oil and gas easements, which are common in eastern Kentucky
• Determine whether mineral rights convey. In coal and gas country this is a serious question, not a formality.
• Verify current property tax classification and whether any agricultural or forest classification is in place that could trigger a reassessment on transfer
• Inspect the cut banks and rock faces along the drive for stability and erosion

House and Systems

• Full home inspection including the walk out lower level for moisture intrusion on the uphill side
• Septic system inspection with the tank pumped and the drain field evaluated, plus permit records and capacity relative to the bedroom count
• Water source identification. Confirm whether the property is on public water or a well, and if a well, test for quality, yield, and contaminants.
• HVAC age and service history. The aerials show multiple exterior condenser units, which is expected on a house this size, and each should be evaluated.
• Fireplace and chimney inspection by a certified sweep
• Radon testing, which is standard practice in Kentucky and particularly relevant with a finished lower level
• Confirm the egress situation on the lower level fitness room if you intend to use it as a bedroom
• Internet service verification. Get the provider and available speeds in writing before closing, because this is the one utility that can quietly ruin a rural purchase for a remote worker.
• Propane tank ownership if propane is in use, since leased tanks come with supplier contracts

Offer Strategy

• Have proof of funds or a full preapproval in hand before the September 15th showing date
• Discuss with your lender how an appraisal shortfall would be handled, given the scarcity of comparables
• Clarify in writing what conveys, including appliances, and negotiate the chicken coop and chickens separately if you want them
• Obtain insurance quotes during your inspection period, not after

Local Market Context

Boyd County and the surrounding northeastern Kentucky market is a region where ordinary housing remains genuinely affordable by national standards, and where a property like this one sits in a category almost by itself. The typical inventory is modest homes in Ashland, Catlettsburg, and the surrounding communities. Custom built homes exceeding five thousand square feet on nearly ninety acres with a private pond are not a market segment in this county, they are an occasional event.

That cuts both ways for a buyer. It means there is very little to compare the property against, which makes appraisal harder and makes valuation more a matter of judgment than of arithmetic. It also means that if you want this combination of house, land, and water in this region, there is no second option waiting behind it. Properties like this typically draw buyers from a wide radius, including people relocating from higher cost markets who recognize immediately what the same money would not buy elsewhere.

Who This Property Suits

This fits a family that wants genuine space, both inside and out, without giving up schools, an interstate, and a hospital within a short drive. It fits a remote worker or business owner who needs a real home office and wants the commute to end at a pond. It fits a hunter or outdoorsman who would rather own his ground than lease it. And it fits a multigenerational household, since the main floor primary suite and the full walk out lower level function almost as separate living zones.

It is a weaker fit for someone who wants low maintenance. Eighty seven acres, a pond, long gravel drives, and five thousand plus square feet of house all require ongoing attention, equipment, and budget. This is a property that rewards an owner who enjoys the work.

Final Thoughts

The listing agent writes that seeing is believing, and for once that is not just salesmanship. The elements that cannot be added later are all present at 60 Sexton Lane. The bowl of forested land, the water sitting in the middle of it, the orientation of every important room toward that view, and the quiet fact that a school, an interstate, and a hospital are all minutes away. What remains is due diligence, financing, and being ready on September 15th.

Our website is designed for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not a real estate brokerage or licensed contracting service. We operate solely as an independent blog, curating interesting houses, DIY guides, and practical home tips found across the internet. All decisions related to real estate transactions or home renovations should be made in consultation with licensed professionals. We do not guarantee the ongoing accuracy or availability of external property listings, as market statuses change rapidly. Please use our content at your own discretion.

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