Where are the land bargains?

[Andythompson]

I'm in the process of selling my home in Northern California. Being tired of the monthly mortgage and counting on someone else for my weekly paycheck, I've choosen to follow skips advice. Fortunately, the equity from my sale will allow me to do this.

What I'm looking for is advice and information from other members on where the land bargains are located. As I am not married and don't have any children, I'm free to build anywhere I can find the right land for the right price. I'm looking for 2-10 acres, ideally which could be subdivided into two separate lots, allowing me to build two homes. (I know....wish in one hand and %$#&& in the other; etc, etc etc).

It's my belief that the land needs to have power within a cost effective distance to make it marketable and desireable to build on. I also tend to believe that the land needs to be within an hour or so of at least a midsized city where someone interested in purchasing the home could earn a living. I would also consider purchasing land which was more remote if it offered a desireable asset making it marketable as a second or vacation home. Although, this would be a second choice.

Hopefully, the vast resources of the LHBA nation can help me out with my search!

In addition let me add that if you are in a similar circumstance and searching for property, I HIGHLY suggest that you purchase the book recommended on the website "Finding and Purchasing Your Place in the Country". It truly is the bible and will probably answer 99% of your questions.

Looking forward to the help from the masses.

Thanks,
Andy
Sac.,CA
11-04 alumni

So any advice anyone could offer me

[NancyandRoy]

Andy,

We found a pretty good bargain in the Sandpoint area in Northern Idaho. If you are interested you can get an idea of prices by doing a Bare land search at Sandpoint.com.

Roy

[Andythompson]

Thanks for the advice Roy. I had thought about Northern Idaho, but for the last couple of years I kept hearing that all of us Californias fleeing this freakish state were ending up in that area and Montana. Thus driving up the prices.

I'll check it out though.

Andy

[mcdonis]

I am planning on building in Chillicothe Ohio. That is approx 1 driving hour from Columbus Ohio (pop approx just under a million) and within driving distance of 2 other mid sized cities.

I looked at a piece of land that had 9+ acers and was completly wooded with access to water and electric. They wanted 20,000

That was the best deal I saw, but other prices I looked at were between 25-50 for the same amount of land. It just depends on how much closer to Columbus you get the more it costs.


Also there are tons of places within Ohio that are similiar. Most of Ohio is non-congested trafic wise and you can get from place to place pretty quickly. Chillicothe is by far not the only place you can build cheaply in the state and still be close to one of the big cities. (Columbus, Cincinnatti, Cleveland)

[mcdonis]

If the "big" city thing wasnt a factor I would suggest Lawrence County Ohio. Its not very close to big cities but the people are great and the prices are dirt cheap. I sold a home down there with .75 acre of land and 4 bedrooms for under 70,000 and at the time I thought it was over priced for the area.

You could easly find wooded propertly in the area since the county is part of a national forrest. (Wayne National Forrest)


Just love the food and people there, too bad there arent any jobs. Otherwise I would go back in a heartbeat!

[oldciscodude]

We found our cheap Va. land with owner financing, at this website. The website has all states available.

http://www.unitedcountry.com/index.html

I just sent the contract to the realtor for our "little slice of heaven".

Good luck on your search.

==chuck

[stubborndad]

We just sold a home in northern CA. and it enabled us to move to another part of the country and buy the land out-right. (CA has a large resale value for property/homes) All I could recomend is to pick areas that you feel comfortable in and start your search there. Your Idea of a limited length of time and miles to a larger city is a good idea, do some demographic investigating and check the resources for what you plan to do.(like local codes, log resources, relaxed or uptight neighbors, organic veggies or whatever fits your agenda)OOPS! thats right, you read "Finding your place in the country" Well, we targeted the states, counties that we were interested in and did the vast internet search of realitors in each area, then narrowed down to the different types of properties. Then here we are in upstate NY. We looked at the counties that we thought were economically stressed but with obvious future potential. We bought our land for about $1600 per acre (11 acres)and now we see the trend of real estate moving up very well. We are close to finishing our agricultural building (barn/loft)and have made connections with the local loggers and millguys and found a few different stands of trees they will be working on in the next couple of seasons. I can't emphasize enough the importance of the fellows who own these portable mills and log the local areas, they have good, sometimes the best, very reasonable lumber around, and they seem to have many local connections (logs, code info etc.) Good luck with the search and enjoy life! Steve

[woodrh]

I know you probably don't want to move to Texas, but wherever you settle, check the agricultura exemption tax status...we bought ten acres and the total tax bill for 04 was $174.00!

[muddyjeremy]

I just recently moved from New Hampshire to Oklahoma, one of the big reasons is the cost of living here. But what's nice is that you don't have to be in the middle of no where to get a good deal on property. They have lots here 10-20 acres for around 20-30 K, within about 30-45 minutes of a city (Norman, home of OU) of about a half million, and about 45-1 Hour of Oklahoma City, with over a million. Dallas is only about three hours away. I think this area is great for the priortities you're talking about.

Hope this helps, Jeremy

[Reb]

I know you probably don't want to move to Texas, but wherever you settle, check the agricultura exemption tax status...we bought ten acres and the total tax bill for 04 was $174.00!

I can one-up you... my tax bill for 10 acres in northern Maine was $100 last year... with no exemption needed! ;)

[freakapotamus311]

Hey oldciscodude, I live in Roanoke and have only begun to aquire my tools and such. If you need any help working on your home I will be glad to give you the time I have. Work really puts a damper on free time but that won't stop me from trying if you're close enough.

Also any tips for tool or land sales around the area would be great! Or if you know anyone who wants 6+/- acres in Franklin Co. on Sontag Road don't hesitate. I'm looking to sell to find something in the mountains. I like trees.

Thanks! :P

[JeffandSara]

Jeremy--

I have relatives west of Tulsa in a couple different towns, and they've been trying to get us to move there for years.

It's definitely lovely, and we could probably get used to the snakes and the twisters. If my husband wasn't locked into a good career here, we might have considered it.

My cousin and her husband payed almost nothing for a gorgeous 20 acres with a small cute house and a creek, and their neighbors are a buffalo farm.

Nice folks in your state, too. :D

Sara

[muddyjeremy]

Ambarian, If your husband has a good career and you can afford to live in California, I don't know why you'd ever consider moving here! :D

I like it, but it's not paradise that's for sure.

[JeffandSara]

Jeremy--

You had me laughing out loud on that one. :lol: :D

I get your point, of course. And for California, where we live is pretty darn nice. But there are things about the state that leave something to be desired. We'd REALLY like to be in the Rockies (or maybe almost anywhere if the acreage was large enough!), but we couldn't make a living there either.

Our only hope now is that when he retires, maybe we could get a great price for our 10 wooded acres and fabulous log home... and then move to a state that suits our values better? :wink:

Besides, I guess "paradise" is where you find it. :?: :D

Sara

[CRASH]

I live in Las Vegas and have found the Southern Utah area to be a good hunting(for property) ground. We found a nice piece of property about 50 miles west of Cedar City at about 1k per acre. You can find deals for about half that much, if you don't mind being in the flatlands, and with smaller trees etc.
The property closer to Zion park and Brian Head ski area can get pricey, but if you look, there are some good deals. Plus Vegas is only about 3 hours away, and St. George Utah is a decent sized town with many supplies etc. and it is only about 1.5 hours away.
my 2 cents.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

I'm finding once-in-a-lifetime deals everytime I turn around.
I have one for sale at cost right now. Found two lots for
$3,000 and $5,000. Bought 5 acres recently for $26,500.
Know of several other 5 acre lots that are about $18,000.

They just seem to fall into my lap. These are in Washington
though. California might be a different story.

-Rick Buchanan

[Reb]

I'm finding once-in-a-lifetime deals everytime I turn around.
I have one for sale at cost right now. Found two lots for
$3,000 and $5,000. Bought 5 acres recently for $26,500.
Know of several other 5 acre lots that are about $18,000.

They just seem to fall into my lap. These are in Washington
though. California might be a different story.

Nice! What part of WA? I'd love to build out there at some point, and live there for a few years.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Hi Rebecca,

The $3,000 lot was near Lake Wenatchee, The $5,000 lot was on
Badger Mountain. The two $18,000 lots are near Coleville. Also
found some very nice 5 - 10 acre lots for $11,000 - $25,000 in
the Idaho panhandle. Found a "to die for" piece with a livable
home on it and many acres for about $75,000. I think that
was about $1,500 - $2,000 an acre plus a house thrown in. Only
the Badger Mtn. lot was without services. Two lots even had
cable! They're everywhere!

The ironic part was that the $3,000 lot was for sale for several
weeks and I was familiar with the area. I could have had it but
I just decided I didn't need another piece of land. Should have
bought it and turned it over to a member at cost. Oh well....

-Rick Buchanan

[ClubMike]

Well try and beat this one, 8 acres in texas county Missouri and my taxes last year were a whopping $5.31. That aint so bad.........oh yeah and no building codes, when I called and spoke with the county office they told me nobody cares what I do out on my property. Build whatever you like. No inspections, no permits, no nothing.

Thats my kind of town!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JeffandSara]

Mike--

When my cousin in Oklahoma got our note that we'd been given our certificate of occupancy, she said that where they live, you can live in a cardboard box as long as you own the property it's on. I'm sure that's an exaggeration :wink: , but I have heard that there ARE still some places with really minimal regulations for building.

We drove cross county last summer, however, and were interested in how MANY "you're entering X County" signs did have a sign that said something about building codes being enforced. We didn't know how STRICT those codes were, but it seemed like there were a lot more of that sort of sign than the last time we drove cross-country in 1995.

Sara

[GammaRae]

Dang! My state (Washington) SUCKS (you know, code wise). Except, I did speak with the owner of a resort just outside of Leavenworth whom I work with. He said he went to the Chelan/Douglas County(ies) inspectors to see what he needed to do. After about 1/2 hour of asking questions the inspector said, "Look around you. You're in Chelan County. Get outta here before you spend too much time asking us questions you don't need answers to. Nobody is going to bother you."

Hmmm... I wonder what the commute time from Cashmere would be...

Ah shucks!

[JeffandSara]

Oh, wow, my kinda inspector!!!! :D

But Gamma (it's Jim, isn't it?), I thought overall Washington wasn't too restrictive governmentally? We have friends who live up your way, and they've said homeschool requirements and a lot of day-to-day things are pretty lenient there. Maybe they were only comparing it to when they lived here in southern California???? :wink:

Sara

[GammaRae]

It's Joel, but no worries Sarah... er, Sara. Just kiddin'.

Yeah, my problem is that my fiance and I have sweet deals for jobs and they are smack in the middle of Seattle. I am starting to get of the mindset that grunting out a 1 1/2-2 hour commute for a couple years will be well worth it - WELL worth it. When we are talking that far out then we are getting to the areas where things start to mellow out.

[JeffandSara]

Ooo, ouch! :oops: :lol:

I knew it was a "J" name, and have you noticed how many of the guys here with "other than name" handles are all named Jim? :wink:

Jeff knows your feeling. He's tied to Los Angeles for another 15 years or so, but didn't want to stay where we were in the suburbs for our sons' whole childhood, if we could help it.

What we ended up doing was finding the maximum distance he'd be willing to commute, and found the least-restrictive county at that distance (we're at the corner of three big counties here, so a few miles in any direction can make a big difference). The commute worries me a bit, because he drives tired all the time, but at least his commute schedule is a little more forgiving than yours and your fiancee's probably are, since he works 24 hour shifts. If he was working at 9-5 type job, I think we'd never have been able to justify the distance, gas money, ice/snow dangers, etc.

It's sure a tough quandry. There are lots of places we'd rather be than here, but none that we know of where we could make the kind of secure living we value. And he's half-way to retirement in THIS job.

Good luck in whatever you two decide, Joel.

"Sarah" :lol:

[GammaRae]

We actually do have a bit different situation...

Right now, we are about 45 minutes out (during rush hour) and we commute TOGETHER, so that makes things go by a lot quicker. As well, we are not "tied" into our jobs, too much, so changing is not a real burner - we've got along way off for retirement. We do like the company we work for and are really pleased with the ammenities (oh yeah, did I mention we work together? Her in HR; me in operations) that come along with the jobs. However, we both do appreciate the seculsion and in the end, the only time we would really need to change things up is when little ones came along. In that instance, nothing is unchangeable, anyway.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Was talking with an inspector (Chelan Co.) a few years ago. He
said; "Look, it's a log cabin and any hole you can't throw a cat
through is considered acceptable." (Little does he know about how
we build). They are pretty easy going on log construction. Wish
I could take the inspector with me. I'm going to where the codes
are supposed to be non-existent. Totally rural, few people, and
the way they act you'd think I'm building in downtown Seattle!
Codes and fees for everything except the garage. No permit
required. That's an easy one. I'll make the house small and
build it right next to the Garagemahal!

-Rick

[woodrh]

Mike--

When my cousin in Oklahoma got our note that we'd been given our certificate of occupancy, she said that where they live, you can live in a cardboard box as long as you own the property it's on. I'm sure that's an exaggeration :wink: , but I have heard that there ARE still some places with really minimal regulations for building.

We drove cross county last summer, however, and were interested in how MANY "you're entering X County" signs did have a sign that said something about building codes being enforced. We didn't know how STRICT those codes were, but it seemed like there were a lot more of that sort of sign than the last time we drove cross-country in 1995.

Sara

Again, where we are building just West of Ft. Worth, there are no building requirements....the county guy's said they "can't" inspect

[Andythompson]

Thanks everyone who offered their "2 cents". Trust me! I looked into nearly every suggestion.

I settled for a one acre lot with power and telephone on the Williamson River just north of Chiloquin OR. The lot has a slight slope which will force me to build on a daylight basement, but that should make the home just that much more marketable. The view is incredible and the Williamson is known as a blue ribbon river for the fly fishermen.

I have a lot of work ahead of me to prepare the lot, which is moderately forested with Aspens and to a lesser extent with Pines (one particularly desireable as a ridgepole).

If anyone is still looking for investment property, The realtors in the area all say the area is expolding. Apparently, everyone from good ol' California is spending their $$$$'s to snatch up the land.

I got the last lot on the river for the price (25k). There was another lot about another 5 miles out for $39k. That lot was much more desireable because it was nearly flat and forested more heavily with pines, but it was much more that I was looking to spend for one acre.

Chiloquin is abot 20 minutes north of Klamath Falls, OR (mid sized city) and KF is only about 30 miles north of the California border. Fairly mild climate. Light snows in the winter and moderate temps through the summers.

[Lolo-Steve]

I know you probably don't want to move to Texas, but wherever you settle, check the agricultura exemption tax status...we bought ten acres and the total tax bill for 04 was $174.00!

I bought my land in Texas (Hunt County) at a county tax sale for under $1000 in the early "80's" so I suggest anyone looking for cheap land check out their local county Tax office.

[rustylhunt]

We found a nice little piece of property 10-20 acres for 25,000 has water and power. Located by Enterprise Utah. Just north of St.George. We are looking in to it right now. There are some good property deals around Beaver Utah thats on Interstate 15 in between. Salt Lake and St. George. :)

[luthgarden]

Rusty:

How is the building department out there? Pretty reasonable?

Kevin

[rustylhunt]

The real estate around St. George is quite pricey. Enterprise is the cheapest in Washington County. Cedar City is getting kinda of pricey right now too. I found a kit log home for sale it has 2 bedrooms 2 bathroom on 5 acres for $189,000 in a real estate magazine. Another log cabin is going for $410, 000 it has 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms on 27 acres. Some log cabins on Cedar Mountain are from $189,000 to $300,000.

[farmercolby]

Beaver is in beaver county and its just a rural county so they are easy. cedar city is in iron county and they are pretty good too. st. george is in washington county is the worst of the three but still good compaired to california or las vegas. Its also they are a little more lienent in the northern part of the county away from st. george. There are tons of people on the west side of iron county that do whatever they want and the county dont say or do any thing about it.

[salinamatt]

If I was able to move anywhere, I think I would go where you didn't have to deal with the county much when building. I'm in colorado and my whole family is here so I don't plan on going anywhere but I think I would head to Maine if in the position.
The prices for land out here are outrageous. We just bought a 2 acre parcel for 125K. The permit price will be over 2K, then we get to deal with the wonderful county people as they breath down our neck with every move we make.
Free yourself while you can.
Another thing we decided to do was start a company and consider ourselves contractors. So even though we have to get construction loans to build houses, we can pay ourselves while we do it and free ourselves up from working a fulltime job.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Hey, just found another one! Decided to buy if
it wasn't already taken (it was, just a little slow).

6.38 acres, no water or power (not a big deal to me),
beautiful views, and about 30 minutes away. Was
familiar with the area so that did help. the price was
$8,500!! Also came with a nice, but small cabin.
This would have been a great intermediate bug-out
cabin. Also nice for a quick get-away for a day or two.

I don't know what I'm doing right, but once in a life time
deals pop-up all the time for me.

Also found a great deal on acreage if anyone is interested.
It's in eastern Washington.

-Rick


-Rick

[ChainsawGrandpa]

...and another one!

Several mostly flat acres near Leavenworth, Washington.
$99,000! Trees (conifers) & pasture land.

$99,000 is a lot of money for me just to buy the dirt, but if
you've ever priced anything near the Bavarian Village you
will know this is a screaming deal.

-Rick

[jruz]

...and another one!

Good deals indeed. :D

Do you typically just keep tabs on Craigslist or do you have other tricks up your sleeves?

Jim
(passively looking for land in WA)

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Wish I could tell you my secret. but I really don't know
how I happen to come across so many good deals.

It's always good to keep an eye on Craig's list, I also talk
with neighbors, and real estate agents.

I did recently find a parcel. Here's the best from my memory:
20 acres, with single wide mobile, water, electricity, septic, &
conifers. N.E. Washington. About $89,000.

Also, a potential duplex. Needs $9,000 in improvements.
$100,000 or so under market value. View property with a
partial remodel. Central Washington.

Maybe I should just pass on the good deals when I find them.
If it looks good enough for me to act on it I can try to get it
posted here. Anyone interested in Northern Idaho?

-Rick

[jruz]

It's always good to keep an eye on Craig's list

Well you may or may not have seen this one out there. Looks like an incomplete butt-and-pass style home on a sizeable chunk of land (near Leavenworth). Actually not too high of a price considering the location. I wonder if it was built by an LHBA member?

http://wenatchee.craigslist.org/rfs/322570162.html

(sorry in advance folks, I know this listing will expire sometime in the future - if the link is dead, that is likely the case)

[kyle]

Geez, if thats not an LHBA home I don't know what is.

[Kola]

I have to agree! Take notice of the position of the "pinwheel" foundation piers..ala Skip....
Nice lot and home tho'!...this is over in Rick Buchanans's turf..wonder if he knows the builder??

kola

[ponyboy]

Here's another link to that skip style house.

http://www.leavenworthproperties.com/featured-properties/680122

[kyle]

I don't think the RPSL is going anywhere considering they used allthread attaching it to every single wall log.

[Kola]

I like it a lot..and it is similar to what I have in mind..a big pitched roof with a half loft upstairs...

nice straight logs on it too..and he used logs for the rafters..very nice.

its probally worth 400-500k if he or she finshed it.

kola

[jruz]

nice straight logs on it too..and he used logs for the rafters..very nice.

I was thinking the same thing, almost looks like they're milled. :shock:

[bsebailey]

:) Who is Craig and where is his list? :D lol

[ponyboy]

8) Here's Craig and here's his list :D I'm not sure if he checks it twice or not. :wink:

http://portland.craigslist.org/

Look to the right of the web page to find the city closest to you.

[rreidnauer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Newmark

[KentGRD]

My .02

Finding a great deal on land is one thing, having great land that people will want to buy is another.

Begin with the end in mind . Take a good hard look at what log homes are selling for in that part. That is key since if you build a log home in the middle of the burbs it may not conform to the local area and will be a pain to sell. If there are a bunch of log home that have sold in the area recently great those are your comps.

Remember unless you are buying this to hold onto forever think who will be your future buyer and what will they want out of the area.

Retirees - Food , entertainment , proximity to hospitals and health care , airports , shopping , golfing .....

Families - SCHOOOOOLS ....... Good Ones , Shopping , and other Entertainment.

High speed internet access has been an ever increasing criteria for folks as they buy any home.

Yep ( Got a Realtor's Licensee but don't hold that against me ) LOL!!

[CanuckistanKork]

There are land bargains almost everywhere! Find a couple of areas that satisfy your requirements ie: work etc.
My 2 cents, avoid "hot" markets; if you must, wait until its cooled down (like now!!)

DISCLAIMER: If you have great gobs of money to throw at buying a property, please disregard the following!

In wintery places: When I've gone in search of property and I'm ready to buy *I find an area I like*, pick a handful of properties that are on the market and in my price range. I start in the spring when everyone has their prices jacked. Then I wait, and continue scanning for anything new that's come available--adding and dropping props on my "short list" throughout the summer. By the end of the summer I see which ones are still unsold--unsold often means unrealistic asking prices and owners are willing to negotiate more as some want/need to unload the prop before winter when real estate sales on raw land slow down.
My first property I waited and kept my eye on it for 9 months--when the price dropped $20,000--it was time to pounce and I got a further price reduction through negotiation. That was a lucky break, but if you stay on it for a season or 2 (or even 3) and acquire a lot of knowledge of your chosen areas' prices you'll find the perfect property for you, and you'll instantly "know" it once you see it--especially prices.

Personally, I like dealing directly with sellers (no offense to you agents) Can save a small heap of money on commissions. That being said however, here's my little tangent/rant on the matter whether it be dealing directly with sellers or agents representing sellers: There are some downsides to the search once you've found that "perfect" property you've put so much effort into finding....ones which we've run into several times while trying to buy land we've *really* liked. The types we've run into:

1) Seller just fishing to see how many offers will materialize, not truly serious about selling. These ones tick me off the most. They get a few offers and don't respond to any because they've decided they MUST be selling for too little $ the moment they get offers. (Some de-list and then re-list with new, totally jacked up price.) Don't waste your time waiting with these, keep looking at the other alternatives.

2) Pie-in-the-sky: Seller living in the land of 5 to 10 years from now ie: price is way too high and won't come down. At all. Seller doesn't "need' to sell and is just looking for someone equally as whacked who'll throw away money. Keep your eye on it--the seller may finally figure it out one day after zero offers have come in anywhere near the asking price.

3) The Backsliding Seller, or, "How to horrify a valid buyer": Ok all your questions have been answered and you're certain about moving forward. You've talked price. You may even have a verbal agreement (remember these don't mean anything). You're going to make a formal offer. At the last moment seller calls you hemming and hawing about "other offers" which may or may not be true. Also, a lot of people tell a seller they want to buy but when push comes to shove the bank won't let them.
When a seller knows you want what he/she's got, he/she can be quite scurrilous right up to signing the contract--I mean it's their very last opportunity to squeeze you, right? Often it's a bid to drive up the price. Don't be manipulated. Make your offer and be ready to walk away--until it's yours, treat it as the cold hard business deal it should be. As much as it killed us to potentially have to walk away from "the perfect property" for us and all the emotion/dreaming/effort that goes with finding it, you'll sometimes find that tuning out last-minute seller noise and standing firm produces a sheepish phone call a while later. Ha ha, so much for the other "offers."

Ok, maybe I'm being too cynical.....

Do your research using all available formats (internet, newspapers, local supermarket bulletin boards, just driving around!) Talk to locals. Become familiar with area prices so you know when something you may want is reasonable, a good deal, or the seller dreaming out of his back passage.

Good luck in your quest!

[rreidnauer]

Great advice.

I'm playing the waiting game right now with a property. I'm hoping the foilage coming off the trees will encourage them to drop the price to what I'm looking for. I already got the "another buyer is willing to pay full price" line from the realtor, but I didn't bite. I waited a week and called back, asking if the prop was still available. To no surprise to me, she said that deal fell through. Anyhow, my last offer, the seller said he wouldn't budge any further, but with the significant possibility that there isn't anyone interested in this piece, I think he'll have to give a little more before Winter rolls in.

Two months into the waiting process . . . . . . . . . .

[CanuckistanKork]

You know what the worst thing for me is? It's the "I really, really, really really want that piece of land because it hits all my specs magnificently!!!" And then getting emotionally wrapped up in it because hey I want it to be MY PLACE, and hey I'm going to put my heart and soul into building MY HOME on it.

Very hard to separate that from the cold hard, business deal mentality needed to extract a piece of land from the seller for the price you want. Which is why I advocate having more than one poker in the fire. And sometimes the one you really, really want does end disappointingly....*sob* :(
When that happens I like to take the view that it wasn't meant to be *for a reason* (and I'm not religious) because the one I'm really supposed to have is even MORE magnificent and a better price ha ha :)

There's 40 acres from 2 years ago (the "fishing" non-response type seller) that I'm STILL *%!?!!* ticked about ....in my down time when I allow myself to wallow on about it. What bugs me is it's just so darned lacking in common courtesy. How much of an effort is it to relay the answer of "NO!!" to a valid offer?!!!
I can handle "No" I can even handle "No, go away and don't ever come back!!!!"
GRrrrrrr.

P.S. Talking to the locals (if possible) is a great resource for finding out all kinds of stuff about an area--good stuff: sometimes getting a leg up on properties that haven't yet made it to market, and bad stuff: oh they're going to flood the valley in 5 years for to build new dam, freeway, or new electrical lines etc etc etc--stuff that may impact a property's value that you'd never find out from an (unaware?) realtor, let alone the seller. The first question I ask a seller is "Why are you selling?" Pay attention for prevarication (vagueness).

Also, find out who your potential neighbours could be. Nothing worse than than a neighbour-from-hell.

rreidnauer--Best of luck on "the extraction"; I wish you success so you can start putting all those plans/hopes/dreams into action--the most fun :)

[dvb]

Being a seller and a buyer, I can offer this point of view. When you are selling you get a lot of "flaky" offers from wannabe buyers, you also get a few from legitamate buyers. I try and respond to all inquiries and all my answers are honest. I set my price on what is a "fair market value" in my opinion. (Which is all a price is! A sale takes place when two people have a similiar opinion.) I typically do not have to sell and my price usually will not vary much. I am not a seller for bargain hunters. I always get offers from people who just want to see if I need to sell and I always couter offer. They may not like the price, but it is my property. I do not try to set someone up or sell them a bill of goods. Buying or selling I always try to be fair because I still have to be able to sleep at night.

Just thought I would post another perspective.

http://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/29CD1

[CanuckistanKork]

Once I've found something my general rule of thumb is to offer at least 10% less than asking. I have to, my parents are Dutch :)

Of course there are lots of flaky offers like "Hey and I'll thrown in my '89 Datsun and wheelbarrow too." I've heard of some really kooky stuff.

Good on you for being courteous, honest, and at least acknowledging offers; wish every seller out there was like you!

[rreidnauer]

Being a seller and a buyer, I can offer this point of view. When you are selling you get a lot of "flaky" offers from wannabe buyers, you also get a few from legitamate buyers. I try and respond to all inquiries and all my answers are honest. I set my price on what is a "fair market value" in my opinion. (Which is all a price is! A sale takes place when two people have a similiar opinion.) I typically do not have to sell and my price usually will not vary much. I am not a seller for bargain hunters. I always get offers from people who just want to see if I need to sell and I always couter offer. They may not like the price, but it is my property. I do not try to set someone up or sell them a bill of goods. Buying or selling I always try to be fair because I still have to be able to sleep at night.

Just thought I would post another perspective.


I see your POV and I'm not trying to be unreasonable with the seller. I went by the book, Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country, recommendation and offered on the high end, at 70% of asking price. For a piece of land with little level ground, no perk, and no water or electric nearby, I feel it's a very reasonable offer. Apparently he feels otherwise, but since it's been on the market for over a year with multiple realtors, you'd think he'd get the hint. We're close though, down to a difference of $1K, and neither side budging.

It wasn't real estate, but i know a bit about buyer pressure. When I sold my plane, I had $30k into it. I listed it for what I felt was a very fair price of $24k, but after a year of no sale, (and yes, plenty of ridiculous offers of $9~10k, but not near as many as the Nigerian certified check scams!!!) I had to come down to $19k, for which it sold for but not after another 6 months at that price. The guy was incredibly amped about acquiring it, and I could have probably pulled the "another offer was received" stunt, but it's not my style. It was painful to let it go for that, but that's buyer pressure.

I believe what we were pointing out is the sellers/realtors who try to fish or lie, to try and force a higher sale price, based solely on a person's eagerness to acquire property. A buyer has to put a lot of effort into locating property, and doesn't need the added drag of these games. Also, with the buyer having to take pretty much all the risks, I can't argue that he/she has the leverage to demand the price, especially in the current market. Yes, it's the seller's property, but it's also the buyers bucks. It's just a matter of who wants the other's more. :-)

[CanuckistanKork]

rreidnauer wrote: "I went by the book, Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country, recommendation and offered on the high end, at 70% of asking price. "

I like to wait until the market (or lack thereof) has taken care of any ideas the seller may have about his/her price--saves me the hassle of having the seller feel "insulted" by a 30% less offer--some do get quite indignant over that kind of cut.

Our latest project these days is another 40 acres. Because I've been watching the market in this area for quite a long time I know the price of this parcel USED TO be $165,000 last year. It's the end of the season this year and it's down to $132K. So we're biting because it's everything we want. We've settled on 128K (after we did in fact offer the seller 10% less). Instead of dropping his price the full 10% to sell he's cut us a very flexible deal for closing. He's happy, we're happy. This parcel is good value--comparable parcels of even less acreage are up for sale for as much as 270K (pie-in-the-sky variety of seller). It's also hard to find 40-acre parcels in the exact location we wanted to buy--facing west/southwest with incredible views. The market has dropped significantly (this a key factor) and this guy needs to sell.
Problem is we're having to pull a very giant jackrabbit out of our *beeps* to do it financially--we just traveled to Ukraine and bailed 2 brothers out of (separate) orphanages earlier this year and are still recovering financially from that (they're awesome kids by the way!). After massaging the numbers for the last few days I looked at my husband the other night (while watching the Rockies win yet again) and said "We're insane aren't we?" "Yup" he said :)

"Life is either daring adventure or it is nothing"--Hellen Keller

[dvb]

As I said before the price is determined when two opinions are the same. The real trick is finding someone with the same opinion as you. First and foremost is always remember that this is a business deal and there is no room for "feelings". Don't ever get insulted about an offer or the asking price. I have seen some really good deals flounder and die because someone gets insulted about some minor condition or price. (Me when I was younger.) Some people ask 50% more than they really want just to see if a high offer will come in or to have a lot of room to negotiate and visa versa with buyers making low offers. Always make an offer or counter offer based on your honest evaluation of the deal. If you are buying make sure you put in conditions to allow you to back out if you find something you don't like.

And Rod; I have had three Nigerian money back offers in the last month. I even counter them with a 30 day waiting period for their check to clear. Never had one take me up on that though.

CanuckistanKork: Good advice was offered to me when I was younger by an "old" man I really admired. "I never regretted anything I did as much as I regret some of the things I did not do." If it makes sense at the time, go for it and if it does not work out at least you gained the experience.

[CanuckistanKork]

dvb, Your comment reminded me of this story--it's a bit long but absolutely hilarious--it's a "scamming-the-scammers" classic and the guy actually succeeded in extracting $ from them!
http://www.419eater.com/html/joe_eboh.htm

Re our property insanity: We're going to be pretty spazzed out for the next while trying to pull this off. We're both solidly behind this, pulling out all the stops, and really hoping for a positive outcome.

[2 cents]

korky, :)

i admire your attitude. good luck in the dash for your dreams! hope it all works out!

2 cents

[artc1]

Hello Andy,

I purchased 41 acers in Placer county 3 years ago. Got it for 54K. It is in the town of IOWA HIll; not far from Colfax. My lot was a bit cheaper than the surrounding lots because it had been logged a couple of years earlier. There are still a plenty of nice trees left and a seasonal creek which runs completely through the property. It has roads and was surveyed. It is very remote which is what I wanted. I consider my lot as a fixer-upper. I'll develop my own water and energy 'cause I don't want water and PG&E bills! There is Gold in the area and just lots of good stuff like big and little critters and a nice 100 acres lake within 6.5 miles. The other compareable lots on that same road are about 125K. About 3.5 miles away, there are some lots that have power. I am happy with my place and can make it better by using the CFIP. (CFIP stands for the Ca Forest Improvement Program, a 75% reimburstment for clearing fire hazards and preventing land slides from filling the reservoirs). I can send you photos of the area if you'd like or I can give the name of a realtor in that area.


Have fun!


ArtC1

[dvb]

CanuckistanKork
That took a while to read but it was worth it!

[JAC]

I'm in the process of selling my home in Northern California. Being tired of the monthly mortgage and counting on someone else for my weekly paycheck, I've choosen to follow skips advice. Fortunately, the equity from my sale will allow me to do this.

What I'm looking for is advice and information from other members on where the land bargains are located. As I am not married and don't have any children, I'm free to build anywhere I can find the right land for the right price. I'm looking for 2-10 acres, ideally which could be subdivided into two separate lots, allowing me to build two homes. (I know....wish in one hand and %$#&& in the other; etc, etc etc).

It's my belief that the land needs to have power within a cost effective distance to make it marketable and desireable to build on. I also tend to believe that the land needs to be within an hour or so of at least a midsized city where someone interested in purchasing the home could earn a living. I would also consider purchasing land which was more remote if it offered a desireable asset making it marketable as a second or vacation home. Although, this would be a second choice.

Hopefully, the vast resources of the LHBA nation can help me out with my search!

In addition let me add that if you are in a similar circumstance and searching for property, I HIGHLY suggest that you purchase the book recommended on the website "Finding and Purchasing Your Place in the Country". It truly is the bible and will probably answer 99% of your questions.

Looking forward to the help from the masses.

Thanks,
Andy
Sac.,CA
11-04 alumni

So any advice anyone could offer me
JAC

[zato_ichi]

This was a while back so i don't know if it still applies articlae is dated March 2007

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/8715347p-8617345c.html


Edit: a day let and a dollar short it seems
http://www.anderson.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=6CFBB21F-BBF2-4DC4-936C-6486CF465B27

[Eric Clapner]

I don't know how legit it is, but this site claims that towns in Kansas still have "free land" programs. I also wonder how well a log home would fit in on the treeless plains of Kansas...

http://www.kansasfreeland.com/

Scott

[rreidnauer]

I also wonder how well a log home would fit in on the treeless plains of Kanas....
Better than a mobile when one of them ter-nade-ers comes waltzing through your neighborhood. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/titantornado/thumbs.gif

[HannahMayfair]

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