Idea for good deal on land!

[Sadiemae]

I'll start out by saying "Hello" to everyone. I have have been reading posts here for some time now and finally decided to join in. I have not taken the class yet but hope to as soon as I can convince my husband!


I have been looking online for land deals in my area (ny-pa) and yesterday found one that looked good. It is small, 2 acres, but cute. I had seen it before and thought maybe the owner would be real negotiable. After talking to the real estate agent and doing some digging i found out this! The owner recently has gone through a divorce and all proceedes from this land has to go to his ex. He quit paying the taxes and the property and another parcel will be put into the tax sale if he does not pay the back taxes by the 15th.

This is a week away! My thought is unless he really dislikes his ex and won't sell out of spite He will probably be willing to take a really low offer (enough to pay the taxes,lawyer, abstract etc.) and get out clean. And keep his name out of the Tax sale book.

Obviously I could just wait and bid at the tax sale but I think I may get it cheaper this way with no competition. I'll let you know what happens, Sarah

[rreidnauer]

Sounds like you got a good opportunity Sarah, but I'd want to make sure it's otherwise free and clear, and I doubt there is time to have a title search completed. (unless you've done that already) Just be sure of what you're buying.

[Sadiemae]

I thought about that. The realtor said he thought this man had the money to pay the taxes and if he was willing could take care of them which would free up time for necessary paperwork. Or possibly there is some legal way to make the county hold out a little longer. I am taking my husband to see the properties tomorrow. he is my first and biggest obstacle to overcome!

Rod I remember a post you made somewhere about your Uncle's cabin neat Galeton. I grew up a few miles from there in Wellsboro! Sarah

[rreidnauer]

Rod I remember a post you made somewhere about your Uncle's cabin neat Galeton. I grew up a few miles from there in Wellsboro! Sarah
Good memory. Yes, I love that area. (at least from Spring through Fall) Some acreage along Pine Creek would be nice. Perhaps somthing along Kettle Creek near Ole Bull State Park.

*sigh*

[kyle]

That area is awesome. My uncle has a hunting cabin a couple miles outside of Wellsboro. I'm hoping someday to purchase some land in that area. I love Ski Denton. One of the nicest small ski resorts I've ever been too.

Sarah, if you want a property search done quickly you can have one completed in a day or two at the most usually through a local abstractor, just contact the courthouse recorders office and ask them for an abstractors name and number. However this is just to have the property searched and usually doesn't provide enough time for a title agent to issue title insurance if you so choose to obtain it (and I do recommend it). Best of luck, hopefully it works out for you.

[Sadiemae]

It is gorgeous there! I have never been to the park. But! I was in Cross Fork last year for a funeral. I think it was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on. My husbands uncle has a camp there! I think you might have to live off grid and be pretty self sufficient to make it there I remember thinking "where do the people here shop?" My parents built a cabin (kit) on Pine Creek in Blackwell that they rent out to poeple lokking for a breath of fresh air. Even though it's a kit it got me thinking about building a log cabin. I hope you can find something there that will work for you. Sarah

www.eaglebendlodge.com

[bkleber]

Sarah,

If you're looking to build on the land and there isn't already any structures set up you can live in, you might also want to make sure that you don't buy land that will be difficult to build on. For instance, I don't know if it'll have public facilities like water and sewage, or if you'd have to sink a septic system and dig a well... a lot of land doesn't pass the state perc test and therefore can't have residential buildings. It'd be crappy to buy a beautiful two acres and then not be able to put your home on it!

If the land is lovely I hope you can get it - just make sure it's also buildable!

[Will Dye]

Somebody tell me if I got it right or not. I always thought the perc test was just to determine if you were allowed to put in the traditional septic system with a lateral field. There are other septic systems around now that you can use in an area that won't perc right?

[greenthumb]

Hey Will,

This site might help.

http://www.inspect-ny.com/septbook.htm

[Klapton]

There are several different ways to design septic systems when a simple gravity system won't work. Here's the first google result I got from "septic design" http://www.eco-nomic.com/indexsdd.htm

Pressurized systems are the next step up from Gravity systems. Basically, a pump FORCES the waste liquid into the soil. These cost a little more than gravity systems. Then there are Sand Mounds. A sand mound is basically what it sounds like -- a mound of imported "soil" into which the waste liquid gets pumped. These are even more expensive, because of extra materials and the cost of building them. I've read about even more complex systems, that are pretty much like a miniature sewage treatment plant, much like large public ones. I would guess that these are REALLY expensive (probably prohibitively so).

Add to all of this that the local municipality (usually at the County level) will have regulations about septic designs, and might not allow certain types, etc. At the very least, most of them require certified, licensed septic designers to do the design and installation of the more complex systems, if not all systems. (More than one County I've been looking in won't let you build your own, even if you have perfect soil for a simple gravity system.)