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

Time for an Update

Well, friends, it's been a while since I posted here, because it's been a very emotionally draining couple of months, with nothing really to report. I still have no good news to report, but I can update you a bit on what's been going on.

As soon as we cancelled our contract on House #22, we started searching for land, still with the idea of revisiting #22 and trying to have it moved. We have driven every weekend (spent a small fortune on gas!), and viewed over 30 properties, in several different directions. Our criteria have been the number of acres (preferably between 10 and 20); price; distance from home; distance from hospitals, stores, etc.; the area; the views; and the accessibility of actually moving a large house to it. We also prefer a paved road. A couple of weeks ago, we had narrowed it down to four, and then to two (both of which were, interestingly, chosen on revisits, after being rejected on the first visit). Mr. D.H. says we have to "date" the properties (as in courtship), and can't make an offer until after multiple dates (whatever...). (I know people like pictures, so I will try to do separate posts on each land finalist.) While both the finalists are acceptable, neither is "perfect" and we were torn. Meanwhile, the reality of finances was setting in, as well as the reality of the potential problems and costs that might be associated with moving a house 100 miles. Mr. D.H., in particular, was getting a severe case of cold feet. I was starting to wonder as well if it was really going to be feasible to move that particular house to the areas we were looking at. I had gotten no feedback from the one mover I had contacted, and I felt we really needed to consult with a mover, so I sent a request to the Texas Association of Structural Movers. Ironically, one of the members contacted me last Friday morning, right before everything started to shift.

Within the last week, several things have happened almost simultaneously that may have changed our direction. I check the real estate listings daily, and House #22 was always sitting right there, just waiting. Keep in mind that it has been for sale for 2-3 years, is not inhabitable without major expenditures, and we requested to be notified if the status changed. Suddenly, last Friday, it was no longer listed. I immediately sent an email to our realtor, but did not get an answer until Sunday. The answer was that the owners had gotten a cash offer on it (we were not notified), but were not able to resolve problems with liens against it, so it had gone into foreclosure and the bank was going to sell it to the cash buyer. I did not fight this, or try to counter offer, because I knew Mr. D.H. was not willing. It makes me very, very, sad to lose that house, as I love it very much, have not seen anything else remotely like it, and have a lot of dreaming tied up in it.

Back to the land, like I mentioned, we neither one felt that our two finalists were "perfect," but if I had been able to really get that house and have it moved, I could be happy with either one. A couple of my negatives about them is that they each feel a little small at 10 acres, and they don't have a "rural" enough feel. They are both in "rural subdivisions" and I want something a little more "real country" which is a bit hard to explain, but I keep saying that an old homestead would be perfect, preferably with a windmill, a water tank, and an old barn (oh, and a creek would be nice). (On the plus side, they are both a reasonable distance from home and civilization, and are approximately half-way between each of our respective parents. Our parents won't always be a consideration of course, but they are aging and may be needing us more in the next few years.)

Last Saturday we decided to check out a new land listing that had just come out. This land is considerably larger, at 22.5 acres (and thus more expensive, but the price per acre is almost half the others), but is farther from home and civilization than we prefer to go. It is very near my hometown, but quite a ways from my in-laws. We drove far out on a county road, and hills came into view in the distance. The road passed an old homestead, with house (not for sale, darn it), and cows lounging in and near the road. Right before the property, it turned into a dirt road (negative), and then we spotted the for sale sign. Nothing spectacular from the road, but we decided to explore (we had not yet contacted the realtor, but every one we've contacted so far has told us to feel free to explore on our own, so we've gotten pretty bold about trespassing - and we've since contacted him and he said go ahead). A shallow rocky creek runs along the edge of the property, which is both a positive and a negative; perfectly picturesque, but you have to cross it to get to the rest of the property, so a bridge would have to be built. We hop-skipped across (I'm a country girl at heart you know), and came to a clearing which contained an old livestock pen and loading dock built of cedar logs (plus!). There were not as many wildflowers as we've seen on some properties, but some beckoned in the distance (and I figure I could always seed). Past the clearing, we started up a tree-covered hill. I said something like "I don't think there are really any views from this property" and Mr. D.H. concurred with something like "no, none at all" and at about that instant I reached a level from which I could look out and see not only the hills, but Lake Buchanan in the distance! I said "oh, you are wrong - so wrong!"

Well, we are pretty intrigued with that land (in my opinion it's the best we've seen by far), but knew right away that moving a house to it would be logistically and financially challenging if not impossible. House movers and their websites say that ANYTHING can be moved ANYWHERE, given enough financial resources! That's just the problem - short of winning the lottery, I don't think we have those resources! And then the next day we found out that we lost House #22, so it is really back to Square One.

We talked about building on the land, possibly using old house materials from architectural salvage dealers, but I'm just not feeling it. Restoring an old house is a HUGE long-time dream for me, and it will break my heart not to own an old house. I considered the possibility of trying to buy an old house that was going to be torn down and salvaging the materials ourselves, which would at least give me the feeling that I "owned" that one house and was "restoring" it in a different way...the problem with that is those are hard to find. Believe me, I've done a LOT of internet research on all these possibilities. I considered revisiting House #21, which is in foreclosure and now listed at $45,000, and making a really low-ball offer (like $25,000), and if accepted tearing it apart and using the salvageable materials. I thought this might be my answer, but Mr. D.H. vetoed it out of hand.

To be continued...

Update on #22


We had the house inspected yesterday. There was much stress leading up to that moment. The outcome was mixed. Definitely not the outcome I would have preferred, but I am still trying to think positive. However, we are pulling out of our current offer on the house. Here is an excerpt from the email I sent our realtor, which explains the situation.

The house inspector had both good news and bad news. The good news is that the main part of the house is structurally sound, and in very good shape for a house its age. The bad news is that the electrical and plumbing systems have to be completely replaced in order for the house to be inhabitable, and she also suspects the gas would not be up to code even if reconnected. She does not recommend having that work done until it is moved because it would have to be done again. She also said the house has been for sale for a long time (just not with Keller Williams), with no interest because of those issues.

With all that information considered, and some of it being somewhat contradictory to the sellers' disclosure, which stated that the systems needed to be upgraded but were functional at this time, and since the initial costs would be much greater than we had  hoped for, we have decided to walk out on this offer at this time; however, we are still interested in the house. We want to bide our time, gamble that the house will not sell, reconsider our financial situation (which we hope will improve within a year or so because of children graduating from college), and start looking for land. If the house is still available a few months down the road and we have been able to find suitable land, we will definitely revisit the situation, and consider putting in another offer.

So really it's just a matter of logistics. We most likely need to sell our current house to fund this whole thing, and we can't do that without a place to move to, and we can't live in #22 until after it's moved and rehabbed, and it makes no sense to buy it and let it sit there (paying expenses on it) while we look for land when we can't even spend any time in it or work on it because of no utilities. So...we will start looking for land and hope the house waits for us. Fingers and toes still crossed!

House #22

Good things must come in threes! Three great houses in three weeks! On the same trip as #21, we drove to another town to check out #22. What a beauty from the ONE picture shown on the listing. No photos at all of the inside, so this was the "mystery house." We wouldn't have bothered at all if we weren't already working with an agent who could show it. Built in 1920 (a bit younger than I was hoping for) and listed for $60,000, at 2,370 sq, it's substantially larger than the previous two houses. Larger could be an issue for moving, but might alleviate the need to add on. I was pretty taken with #21, so all the way on the drive between #21 and #22 I was obsessing about how to add on to #21 and telling myself not to get my hopes up about #22, having no clue about the shape of the inside, other than that it was described as "as is" and "full of character and possibilities."

When the realtor opened that front door, I think all three of us went (or thought) "oh my god!" Not only at the shape it was in, but at the possibilities waiting! It appears to be structurally sound, and the interior is actually in quite good condition (the exterior has quite a bit of peeling paint and perhaps a little rot), but the current owners started a renovation that has left it in a state of disarray, to say the least. But the character! And the possibilities! The ad was quite right in that regard. Two notes about the trim and doors - 1) the trim is not as ornate as #21 (which I love) and the doors are the horizontal panels which came a bit later than the four-panels which are my first choice, but they are all present and accounted for with the original hardware, and 2) the wood is stained, not painted. I've decided that 2) is both a pro and a con. It is a con because painted trim is an ABSOLUTE in my next house, and painting over all that virgin wood is going to be a bit painful, but it's a pro because all the other houses had multiple layers of (lead-based I'm sure) paint which would have to be stripped, and this will be a much easier paint job. I could go on and on about this house, but I don't want to give too much away, because I'm holding out on my kids, who read this blog. (That's also the reason I'm not showing any photos of the interior.)

BECAUSE, my friends, we have made an offer on House #22! It's contingent on the inspections, which is a biggie, because if it's found to have structural damage then that may be a deal-breaker, depending on the extent. I also want to try to have a mover come look at it to make sure it is indeed possible to move it out of its current location, which could be another deal-breaker. But keep your fingers and toes crossed! We're probably jumping in way over our heads, and straight into a money pit, but this beauty was a grand dame in her day, and she can be again!

Pros:

The price is right
Great bones
Oozes charm
Appears to be in sound condition
Large enough not to add on
30 minutes from home for weekend commutes

Cons:
The porch doesn't wrap (minor, but would be nice)
Size may cause a moving problem
Kitchen is small
Floorplan works for us, but might not work for resale (hopefully that's our heirs' problem)
Trim and doors not as ornate as others, and stained (pro and con)
A little younger than I was hoping for (minor)

Edited to add: Since we didn't get this house, I came back to add pictures of the interior.

House #21

So as I was despairing over House #18, up popped this listing for a fairly similar farmhouse, also listed for $50,000. It was listed as being built in 1954, which just couldn't be true, so we had to do some research. Mr. D.H. found some old tract maps that showed it in the present location in 1915 (same age as #18). We figured that 1954 may have been when it was added to the tax rolls. So with its age confirmed, we trotted off to see it. While it lacks the coveted wrap-around porch, it almost makes up for it in much nicer trimwork/doors, city utilities, and better overall condition. The floorplan and roof lines, however, are not as amenable to an addition, which it would have to have. The attic has been completely "remuddled" into an attempt at a "master suite" which would have to go. That's what the weird pop-out on the upper back elevation is. Nonetheless, it would be "liveable" in its current state, and is in a town that we wouldn't mind spending weekends in during the time before we moved it. The location is also less isolated and a bit safer from vandals than #18.

Pros:

Right price for moving
Great bones
Fantastic trimwork and doors
Plaster walls
Wood floors
City utilities
Liveable condition

Cons:
Not on acreage; a moving candidate
No wrap-around porch
Small and not well-suited to an addition
Muddled attic addition

House #18 Interior

Updates

OK, I need to bring this up to date. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks! We toured #18 with an agent and I fell totally in love. While I was inside drooling over the details, Mr. D.H. was outside poking his fingers into the wood. He reported that every place he poked, it went straight through...not a good sign. In addition, there are no city utilities, and no way to know what kind of shape the well and septic tank are in without paying for an inspection. And one thing I DON'T like is the wall and ceiling treatments, which appear to be pieces of plywood nailed up with trim pieces covering the joints, so I said they would have to go (see middle photo above). So Mr. D.H. said if we removed the interior walls and the exterior walls are rotten, what exactly are we left with? A pretty nice metal roof , some trim, and a floorplan...hmmm...To add to the negatives, the house is pretty isolated, making it a vandal/arsonist target waiting to happen. And probably uninsurable at that...not sounding good, is it? I pondered at length how we could possibly make this place work, and we considered going ahead and paying for an inspection just to be sure what the problems are, but they do seem almost insurmountable.

SO, as these things seem to happen, just as I was on the verge of admitting defeat - along came two more very interesting listings to take my mind off #18.

Edited to add: As I read back over this more than a year later I can see how a reader might wonder why we were concerned about utilities, vandals, etc. if we were buying it to be moved. At the time, we had considered using it as a weekend place for a while and starting work on the inside before we had it moved. We didn't have any land at the time.