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Post by sandbar on Jan 18, 2008 21:54:56 GMT -5
I never thought I'd say it (or not) but I love you, Sandbar. Do you own this land? LOL ... no, I don't own it ... if I did, it wouldn't be for sale at ANY price ... unless I was dead, of course. ;D Have you made an offer, yet?  GET GOING!!! |
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Post by sandbar on Jan 18, 2008 22:02:56 GMT -5
Your well water will probably be hard as nails due to the calcium in the limestone, but you will just need to buy a bigger water softener than other folks.
However, like Plantsnobin said ... $2k an acre is an unheard of price ...
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Post by houseodessey on Jan 19, 2008 11:42:07 GMT -5
This is an aerial of the property. I'll take some pics tomorrow when we go back out there. It is very cheap, but there's a lot of land in TX and this is in an area where job growth is negative. That and most people would see the quarry as unuseable which it is outside of sheer recreation and interest it adds to the view, but the land is perfect for someone who is self employed and just wants to live sustainably, semi independently and sell a few veggies on the side. It's in the boonies but still just 2 hours from Dallas.  |
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Post by plantsnobin on Jan 19, 2008 13:54:37 GMT -5
I know that lots of ugly things can look good from a distance, but that sure looks good to me. Nicely treed, not too many people around, plenty of water. Looks downright lush. Really seems to be a place where you could live a good life. I guess I tend to think of Texas as a slightly parched place, I spent some time in San Antonio, and while the city is beautiful, it seems that most of the flight over Texas gives the impression of desolation. I suppose with a land mass that big there are many differences from one area to another though. I do hope you post lots more pics, as that really looks like a little piece of paradise. Good luck. Karen
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Post by johno on Jan 19, 2008 14:13:10 GMT -5
It looks even more interesting with all those trees! I'd like to see a topographical map if you can get one from the county...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 19, 2008 17:35:58 GMT -5
It has green fields which is more than I can say for a lot of what we saw on the road from Shreveport to DFW! Have y'all starting packing yet???  |
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Post by plantsnobin on Jan 19, 2008 18:06:28 GMT -5
I was just wondering if that level of green-ness is typical for the area? Didn't Texas get more rain than usual this year? And is that pic from this year? Honestly, the more I look at it the more excited I get for you. We live in a rural area, but finding 38 acres is getting to be a rare event around here anymore. On roads that maybe only 10 years ago you could drive for a little while without seeing a house, now have double wides everywhere. I really hope it works out for you.
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Post by sandbar on Jan 19, 2008 22:55:13 GMT -5
Can you post a picture larger than a thumbnail? I really can't see much in that little picture. What I can see looks very nice, though.
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Post by houseodessey on Jan 20, 2008 19:41:36 GMT -5
Well, we were planning our trip today to revisit the property and I jumped on the MLS to get exact addresses so I could map it and lo and behold, the price had jumped from 2050/acre to 3499/acre. There are 2 parcels for sale and the realtor accidentally  listed them as one. At any rate, there's a 16 acre parcel w/ the pond for 57K and a 24 acre parcel which is mostly recreational for 78K. I think that I'm going to offer 40 k on the 16 acre parcel with first right of refusal on the other parcel and see what happens. My offer amounts to 2500/acre in an area that sees 1800-2000 as a rule. This land is much prettier than most in the area but that doesn't really matter to people when they are looking at land like this so wish me luck. I'm disappointed but in a way, it's good. My initial goal was to pay cash for some land outside of the city so the taxes wouldn't actually own the land like they do here in Fort Worth. At 40K and 150 tax/year, I could really own those 16 acres outright. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved. Once I sold my house in the city, I could easily buy the other parcel and own all of it, if no one got to it before then. If it doesn't work out, I'll get to keep on looking, which is fun, too. Nothing that compares will come up but really, I was looking for a cash purchase and this land made me stray from my initial goal so it's for the best that it worked out this way. I am easily distracted by shiny properties. |
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 20, 2008 19:52:24 GMT -5
Go For It!!!!! The worst thing that can happen is they say NO! But then again, they might say Yes? Stranger things have happened.....  |
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Post by sandbar on Jan 20, 2008 20:28:17 GMT -5
Blue's right. The house we're living in right now was listed for $129k, then dropped to $119k. I offered $95k and got it. If they don't like your offer, they would surely make a counter-offer.
Keep us up to date!
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Post by kimikat on Jan 21, 2008 10:18:33 GMT -5
I have the infamous pout lip...all the power I need. Plus if I have an idea...I let him know about it, then nag the crap out of him over it until it happens. When it comes to land purchasing however...Thats on him, I don't know enough about it to be an a good judge...
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Post by plantsnobin on Jan 22, 2008 9:05:36 GMT -5
So, did you end up going back for a second look? I was hoping we could see some pics of the pond. I'm sorry it didn't turn out like you hoped, but maybe it was too good to be true. Still, if they did accept your offer of $40K, 16 acres is more than enough to be self sufficient. Maybe more manageable too. With the economy the way it is, it would be wise to stick with a cash purchase anyway. Do you think your present house will sell quickly, or is your market down? Karen
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Post by houseodessey on Jan 22, 2008 20:48:31 GMT -5
We are going again this weekend. It has been freezing here and it's supposed to be in the 60's Sat/Sun so we thought it best to wait. The place has been on the market for 3 months with no interest at 2000/acre so I'm sure at the new $3500 price tag, it's not going away anytime soon .
Most of TX is not that green. As a general rule, the farther east you go, the wetter/greener and as you go west and south it gets drier/browner. Fort Worth gets about 35 inches/year, if I remember correctly and the property we're looking at gets about 45, so yes, it's much greener than a lot of other areas.
I will take lots of pictures and post them.
As far as the market here is concerned, I'm somewhat worried. I bought a very run down luxury estate on 2 acres about 3 years ago thinking it would be my last move ever. I've sunk a lot of money, time and tears into it, thus, the moniker houseodessey. I will probably never recoup this money given the market, economy and the fact that I used cash to do most of the work, rather than mortgaging it to the hilt where I could just walk away. My hope is to gradually get the country property to where it could be a fulltime home and to market this place heavily in the meantime, while praying that the economy holds up and that no one snatches this place up so we have to move twice (not likely). This is a very unique property, designed by a semi famous TX architect and built by a prominent FW family so it could get a lot of interest in that respect. If I could get a mid century modern enthusiast with more money than sense interested who won't need a bank loan for the full amount, I might pull off a break even or a slight profit. Otherwise, I'll be eating dust but I'll have the peace of mind knowing that I spared a work of art from being razed and replaced with 10 crackerboxes, at the very least. This place did also give me the room to realize that I can indeed grow things and live in a more isolated environment. It also made my hubby like the idea of country life. So, if I take a hickey on it, I'll just have to count what blessings I've been afforded and continue to live life as I always have. Hopefully, I'll find someone who'll buy the place and continue to fix it up, though, as it really is a great place and deserves another owner/curator to take care of it.
Sorry for the epic post. I guess I needed to type all that.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 22, 2008 21:14:39 GMT -5
Ah, but you do need to explain Michelle. I know much more about your place in FW than most here and yet your description just now added another dimension to the property and it's value.
Does Cowtown have a Historical society that would help designate the house as such and save it from demolition?
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GET GOING!!!
listed them as one. At any rate, there's a 16 acre parcel w/ the pond for 57K and a 24 acre parcel which is mostly recreational for 78K. I think that I'm going to offer 40 k on the 16 acre parcel with first right of refusal on the other parcel and see what happens. My offer amounts to 2500/acre in an area that sees 1800-2000 as a rule. This land is much prettier than most in the area but that doesn't really matter to people when they are looking at land like this so wish me luck. I'm disappointed but in a way, it's good. My initial goal was to pay cash for some land outside of the city so the taxes wouldn't actually own the land like they do here in Fort Worth. At 40K and 150 tax/year, I could really own those 16 acres outright. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved. Once I sold my house in the city, I could easily buy the other parcel and own all of it, if no one got to it before then. 