LAND OWNERS AT LAST!

Last week we closed on the 14.22 acres near Burnet described in my last post! It's hard to believe we have accomplished Step 1 of the journey (and it's a baby step to be sure). There is so much work to be done we hardly know where to begin! Most of the initial work won't be anything we can do ourselves (land clearing, fence building, road building) but we need to get organized and start lining up contracts.

Here are a few more pictures.

From the bottom of the hill

On the hillside



From the top

This May Be "IT"



View from a high point

Well, the offer on the previous land was rejected; I was pretty sure it would be. They want way more than we can offer, so we let that one go. BUT, as fate would have it, we may have found a better one! It's in a great location, right outside of Burnet, and 55 minutes from our house. Off of a paved county road and, like the other one, not directly on the road, but this one already has a rough road to it. It's a little over 14 acres, a little long and narrow, and has more neighbors than the other one, but it's also across from a huge national wildlife refuge which will limit future growth. It has too many cedars and not enough oaks, but more oaks than the last one for sure. The best part(s) - fantastic views and a fantastic price! AND, a windmill (swoon)! For some reason I'm just really attracted to windmills and desperately want one. It's priced at a very reasonable $109,000, so we're ready to go for it. After only two "dates" (well, three if you count the initial "drive-by" but we couldn't see the land on that one, only the area), we're putting in an offer. Although we're starting low to have some negotiating room, I don't think we should have any trouble getting this one. Keep your fingers crossed!

Another view

A possible home site

The windmill

A lower area (windmill and hills in background)

Meanwhile...

If only I had money to spare...while constantly searching for land, I also couldn't stop myself from occasionally searching house listings as well. So what did I turn up, on craigslist no less? The perfect house, being sold to be moved, for only $5,000. That's right - three zeroes. And the owner (a church) is perfectly willing to negotiate the timeline...they're in no real hurry to use the lot, they just want the $5K. If it were totally up to me, I'd be writing a check so fast you wouldn't believe! But Mr. D.H., the pragmatic half, says no land, no house. No spreadsheet of all the total costs involved, no house. It's been about a month since we looked at it, and as far as I know it's still available (I asked to be notified if it sold, but of course that doesn't always happen), so I'll just have to hope it "waits for me" and that everything can come together. I've asked two movers to give me a ballpark estimate, but neither has come through (I think because we don't have land). It's about 100 miles from the land we're looking at, so I know it will be expensive. Meanwhile my heart is breaking a little bit each day at the thought of losing it.


Huge wrap-around porch

Ship-lap walls under wallpaper

One of TWO claw-foot tubs

Wood floors under carpet squares



Perfect trim and doors 

Fantastic Craftsman room dividers (2)

Offer In - Fingers Crossed

And the roller-coaster ride continues...



Looking out at the distant hills

Farther from home than we wanted (about an hour and a half), covered with cedars and very little else, rocky soil - but the views! Oh, the views! The pictures don't really do them justice, but with some clearing to open them up it would be like the top of the world. Over 21 acres, off a paved county road, and in a beautiful, historic area (near the LBJ Ranch), and with a wonderful rural feel, this land won us over.

Only half of it is listed for sale - 10.59 acres for $111,195 ($10,500/acre), and that lot is very long and narrow, unacceptably so. Even though we know it is priced for the views, there are many negatives - the lack of (real) trees, rocky soil, lower part is in a flood plain, only half is fenced, no well, no access from road (this land doesn't front the road and a fairly long private road is going to have to be built to access it), one side borders a bed & breakfast business...so we took a big gamble and made a "low-ball" offer for this tract and the adjoining 10.59 acre tract, for $157,000 total, WITH the stipulation that the seller put in a well and complete the fencing! I'm pretty sure they're going to laugh us right out of the county!



From the bottom looking up the hill

More distant hills



A few of the very-few oaks




Looking across the road

Rattlesnake Ranch - The One That Was Almost "It"

Wildflower meadow

Spring is absolutely the best time for looking at land, especially in the bountiful wildflower season that we've had! This is a large tract (37 acres) and is listed at $6,891 an acre including the house (which has very little value). Completely covered in wildflowers, it is also dotted with oaks and mesquites, with no cedar and very little cactus (pluses). Another huge plus for me is the picturesque old barn and cattle ramp, which add that "old homestead" character I'm seeking. It's not really a "view" property, but with some selective clearing of mesquites, distant hills would come into view.

Old barn

Cattle ramp

This property lies at the deadend of a short county road near Llano, about an hour and 15 minutes from home. I can picture a grand entrance gate into our country estate. And here's what could be the best bonus of all - there is an old house on the property. However (and it's a big however), this is really not anything close to my dream house.

The age is undetermined, but best guess from researching similar houses is that it was built in the late teens to early 20s, although it could be younger. The addition on the left ruins the facade and would have to go. That leaves a tiny little four-room square with not much useable space and a tiny porch. Thus, a large addition would be needed, to at least double the space. The interior trim is low-grade, and only two original windows remain (and one is broken).

Front of house

Closer view of house

On the plus side, the walls and ceilings are all beadboard, the floor is original wood, and the fireplace is gorgeous. There are also two wells on the property, which have been inspected and are supposedly in working order. There is a septic tank somewhere, but no one knows where so a new one would be recommended.

After viewing the property with the realtor, reality set in about the size and price of the whole 37 acres. It's far more land than we set out looking for, and far more dollars than we need to invest in a property that would require so many more dollars in renovations. The ad had stated that the owners would consider dividing it along an existing fence line, but that would separate the house and the barn! What to do? I redrew the tract showing a proposed new division keeping the house and barn together and had our realtor submit it to the owners' realtor. They not only turned down that proposal, they changed their minds about dividing it at all - all or nothing they said. The only suggestion the realtor had was that the neighbor on the side we didn't want might be interested in buying it from us if we bought the whole thing, but at a lower price than what the sellers were wanting.
 

Fireplace and beadboard

This was not the news we hoped for, and we got worse news the same day. I happened to visit with my brother who lives in Llano, and asked him what he knew about the property (hoping to find out more about the age of the house). He had very strong negative feelings about it, which seemed to center mostly around the previous tenant who had been evicted, and the area itself. While my brother and I do not see eye-to-eye regarding old houses (among other things), I did take his opinion into consideration in light of the other negative issues we were having. And speaking of the negatives, did I mention the reason we nicknamed this place "Rattlesnake Ranch"? That's right - this is what we found INSIDE the house on our first viewing! It would definitely need some snake remediation!

Mascot

All in all, maybe this is not the place for us, although I still fantasize about making it work. I know in a way it would be "settling" but I also think the reality is that there is going to have to be some settling as long as we're working within our budget and criteria. What I do know is that the perfect old house on the perfect property is not likely out there in our price range. At this point, we're back to Square One, with nothing on the horizon, and it's a disappointing place to be.

Wildflowers and oaks

Distant view of hills

One of two stock tanks

Land Finalist #1 (ranking)

Creek

Creek and hill

This piece of property (which I mentioned in the last update) was at the top of our list for several weeks. The largest so far at 25.5 acres, it's listed at about $5,700 per acre. It's very remote, almost at the end of a county road near Bluffton, and about an hour and 20 minutes from home (getting a little farther than desired). A small wet-weather creek runs along the edge of the property near the road, and has to be crossed to reach the property. There is no bridge, so a low-water crossing would have to be built. Once you cross the creek, the property goes up a hill, and the reward is at the top. Gorgeous views in all directions, and Lake Buchanan in the distance! At the bottom of the hill, on one edge, there are some old log fenced stock pens and a cattle ramp, which add character. The view had us captivated, and we even got estimates from a well business and a septic business.

View on the way up

So those are the pros. Here are the cons that eventually caused to back away (after three dates). 1) The land is very rocky, and would be expensive and difficult to have a well and septic put in, as well as to build. 2) Added expense of a bridge over the creek and a road up the hill. 3) Possibility (though slight) of getting flooded or iced either off or on the property. 4) The road is paved until a short distance before the property, then it turns to dirt road. Mr. D.H. has a strong aversion to living on a dirt road. 5) The vegetation is mostly cedars and cactus; not particularly verdant. 6) The owners had a new survey done, and it turns out the old pens aren't on the property. And the most important con, to me 7) It would be impossible to move an old house to this property; we would have to build new. Ultimately I decided I just couldn't give in to never having my old house dream!

View from top



Old pens and ramp



Old pens

Land Finalist Tied for #2 (ranking)

This one makes you draw a breath upon first sight, with the beauty of the wildflowers and the distant hills. This is a 10 acre tract on a high speed ranch road, about five miles from Johnson City, and part of a rural subdivision. It's 61.7 miles (about an hour and 15 minutes) from our current home. Priced at $12,490/acre, it is still for sale at this time.

While pretty, a closer inspection just didn't give off any vibes. No "character" so to speak, and no real views from the interior of the property. After two dates, this one kind of fell of the radar as we ventured to other areas.

Entrance gate

View from front

Clearing

Wildflowers and trees

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