Land Finalist Tied for #2 (ranking)

Entrance

This land is very close to #3 (near Blanco), and is 57 miles (1 hour, 10 minutes) from home. It's a square ten acres, priced at $10,900/acre (recently reduced from $11,900), and is on a private road in a rural subdivision. We had taken a quick look at it on one of our long multi-property drives in March, and I had said it had potential, but Mr. D.H. seemed totally unimpressed, so I wrote it off. After looking at #3, I knew this was very close and suggested we take another look at it. We almost didn't, but then when we did, Mr. D.H. suddenly started seeing the potential!

View From Back Corner

View From Side Fence

The potential is mostly in the views; from the high points there are almost 360 degree views of surrounding hills. It has been used as a hunting property, and there is an abandoned hunting cabin and several deer stands (all of which would be abolished if we bought it). Unfortunately, the land is not "verdant" - it is as rocky and unattractive as #4. There are many cedars and a few oaks.

After three dates, we put this relationship temporarily on hold while we explore other options. The property is still listed (and has been for 180 days plus).

View to Other Side

View Towards Road

Center

Road

Land Finalist #3 (ranking)

We chose to go in the back way the first time we visited this land, and we were smitten by the beauty of the county road near Blanco. It's just the type of road I dream of, with towering trees, stone walls, old properties, and gorgeous views. However, the property itself is not on the county road, but in a rural subdivision on a private loop off the county road. The subdivision is unrestricted, and contains a mix of site-built and manufactured housing. Still, it's attractive, and this land has some character. It's 12.45 acres, priced at $10,441/acre (reduced from $12,048), and is 55 miles (1 hour and 5 minutes) from our house. Part of its charm to me (less so to Mr. D.H.) are the outbuildings and junk piles (archeological digs I call them) left behind from a previous homestead. Not an antique homestead, unfortunately (probably 40 years or so), but interesting nonetheless.

Winding Drive

Old Garden

We were taken by the winding drive leading past the old garden and through a second gate into a clearing of wildflowers and butterflies. What a perfect site for a home! This land is much nicer than #4, with green grasses, wildflowers, and an abundance of various types of plants. Verdant!

This property also has a well and septic, but they are likely in the wrong place for where we would want to put a house, so might have to be replaced.

We spent quite a bit of time studying the plat map for the area, and it appeared that the plot was near square (a preference), but the measurements kept adding up to more than 12.45 acres. On our second visit, we discovered that a corner had been cut out of the plot and had a residence on it. This was close to a deal-breaker for Mr. D.H.

Open Meadow

Other problems were the lack of any real view, the quality of the neighborhood, and the inaccessibility for moving a house. Ultimately, after three dates, we "broke up" with this property (which is still listed at this time, and has been for 180 days plus according to Trulia).

View From Back Fence

Distant Hills

Old Barn

Mobile Home Which Would Be Removed

Land Finalist #4 (ranking)

This parcel is a pretty good size at 16.29 acres, and a good value at $6,108/acre. It's also the closest to home that we looked at, at 42 miles and 52 minutes from our house. It's on a ranch road in Burnet County, between Burnet and Lampasas. The road is a pretty nice drive, with a lot of undeveloped land, but the development is a mix of nice homes and manufactured homes, so there are likely few restrictions. (We have mixed feelings about restrictions; on the one hand we would like to be in a nice area, but on the other hand, we don't want anything so restrictive that we wouldn't be able to move in a house and have outbuildings, etc.). Another positive is that this doesn't appear to be a "subdivision." (We never got to the point of finding out for sure about the subdivision and restrictions aspects.)

This land also already has a well and septic system. We have been viewing this as a plus (because of the cost of having them installed), but have since learned that if they are not in the location we want the house, we might have to have additional ones installed anyway. The accessibility for moving a house to this property would be decent.

Negatives regard the land itself, and the neighboring properties. As you can see, it's pretty rocky soil, and the vegetation is mostly cedars. Nothing particularly "verdant" about it. There are a few distant views, but nothing spectacular. (Not that we're expecting champagne views on a beer budget, but some views are a must.) Also, there are other houses very close to the property lines on either side.

Not being stunningly impressed, we left this land behind for a few weeks and went off to view others. A couple of weeks ago I decided maybe we should reconsider it because of the size, value, and closeness, but upon calling the realtor found out that it is under contract. So we had two "dates" with this land and were set to have a third when a third party stole it away :D

Distant Hills, Cedars

Outbuildings on Property, Rocky Soil

View Across the Road