House Hunting!

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Nice chunk of property Joe!! Up here, there is a government incentive to go solar. That is one of the reasons why Lori and I are moving(not enough room here). Just a short blurb about it....there are several different options you have for solar...you can install(3 or 4 different ways) and sell it ALL back to the local utility provider. Currently the rates at selling back vary from 60 cents to 80 cents per kwh. In our climate this will give you approx 7 years and the system is paid for. After 20 years you are $140k in the black!! Average rooftop install is approx $70k, so add that to $140k and you get $210k in 20 years from an initial $70k investment. 300% return on your money over 20 years!! Sounds like a scam right??? Nope my boss at work did the roofmount system(800 sq ft) of solar panels and it cost him $68500 and a little bit of paperwork. He sells it ALL back to Hydro One(Ontario Hydro) because his consumption price is cheaper(10 cents per kwh). The reason that Hydro buys it back at a high price is cuz it is an incentive for people to install these on their property, and in all reality it is cheaper to do that then spend the billions of $$ on building new power generating stations. Food for thought.Good luck and keep us informed about the house!!

Zero incentive here other than the 320 days of sunshine that Colorado gets and the indepence it offers. ;) Solar panels are getting more affordable and more efficient everyt day. The big problem is storing that energy, but you can sell it back, like you all in Canada are doing, that negates the battery issue. Batteries are getting better too, but they are not quite where they need to be.......yet. :)

Go with my blessings Joe.
Buying property is a big step and I am sure you are ready to get out on your own land, The aluminum plant may bea good source of Materials, wow how did I miss this thread.
I know you will be looking close , see if you can get a record of there electric bill and see what the R factor is would be a +.
Get ready to ask the bank for an extra amount for a nice big mower 8)

Enjoy your serch and it sounds like you are doing your home work :cheers:

Thanks Brother, your blessing means a lot me, no joke....And yeah buddy, I'll be needing a big riding mower if i get this place. :D I finally got in today and met the owner. She's a really, really nice tiny little gal of about 71 years of age. Her husband passed away not too long ago and the property is just too much for her to handle. Oddly, her son has a big Rottie named "Apollo" that was chained up outside. Sheesh, this dog had to be about 160 lbs. He wasn't a bad boy, he just wanted to play ball, but... I'm no dummy, lol. He wasn't goint to suck me in so he could break my legs, lol. There are no gangs there and no graffiti anywhere in the entire town. My local friend did a crime check (retired railroad detective) and found nothing of note. No murders in 20 years and forced entry was zero within a 5 block radius.

This place has propane heat and a good sized well. There was a few 1" hoses hooked to it for irrigation and water here is a major deal. It is set up on town sewage and the hook up was done less than 15 years ago. The floor plan was very open and lots of light through the windows. Through the front window, the aluminum plant can't really be seen since the house sits low. No smell or apprecible noise either.

Big kitchen seperated from dining room by a bar height counter, front room from entrance (lobby? Can't think of the word..), one bedroom with a big deep closet and bathroom/tub, another bedroom linked to utility room with a huge walk in tiled shower (husband was in accident and injured his spinal cord) about 4x8. I'm thinking DOG SHOWER, lol! No disrespect to her former husband intended... Big, big living room and a sun room that's fully insulated and double paned windowed.

Now on to the garage stuff. :D There are three seperately poured pads within one building. Not one pad measured less than 6" thick and none had so much as a single crack. The garage was built on an old barn and the hand hewn uprights were massive, 18" x 18" at least. All new roofs on the house, garage and all outbuildings. 110 and 220 already wired into the garage and one outbuilding. Just one bay holds a complete RV and is as big as my present garage.

The concrete parking pad next to the house can hold 3 big pickups easy. What I thought was a chicken coop on the picture is big and deep enough to hold another 6 cars easy and the roof does not leak but is not in the best of condition. There are two more outbuildings and a big dog house. One outbuilding has a dirt floor but the uprights are made from railroad ties sunk in concrete with 3" x 12" headers and new trusses. I could fit two a-bodies in it and it has 220 and 110, just like the garage. Another outbuilding has, again, a new roof and is finished with a wood floor with clean stucco interior and 110V power. It's about 10' x 12'.

Now the bad.... The house needs a bit of drywall work and tape and paint to make it perfect. Nicer than what I'm renting now though, lol. I need to get a well flow and quality check. The doors on the garage are crappy barn door opening style that have to go. The property needs fencing and some general TLC. The garage walls need work and the concrete pads don't connect as they were done piecemeal. 2/3rds of the fencing needs to be done right to keep the poopshooters on the property and not fighting with the nieghboring farm dogs. Maxi thinks she's tough but these farm dogs will tear her to pieces, she has no idea..... :-D

So, that's my uneducated assesment. They just dropped the price by another 10K in the last 72 hours BTW. :cheers:
 
It sure is daunting, so many things to consider, and such a big decision. Some good advice I once heard is keep your emotions out of it until you check everything out. Which it sounds like that's what you're doing. You say the house sits low, if a bad storm comes, will all the water drain away? Especially with the run-off from the recycling plant roof and parking lot....
 
Out standing MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!:cheers: This sounds like a great home you can turn in to your own.
I see an out cottage possibly :glasses7:
Keep us updated and I hope this place will make you happy.
If you do end up with it can I bring my metal detector up with me :D we will split all the old silver and gold :glasses7:
A man just north of me about 5 miles found a stash of ammo from the civil war along with maps where more was on a 40 Aker plot about 30 years ago
I see a big gathering of friends in your future with me standing on a trailer handing out BBQ sandwiches and cold ones while the fence is getting dun first :blob::cheers:
heck I can dream can't I :D I hope this dream of owning your own place is fulfilled brother, ain't nothing like it.8) I have a big smile on right know :D
 
It sure is daunting, so many things to consider, and such a big decision. Some good advice I once heard is keep your emotions out of it until you check everything out. Which it sounds like that's what you're doing. You say the house sits low, if a bad storm comes, will all the water drain away? Especially with the run-off from the recycling plant roof and parking lot....

X2, Good point goldfish65 8), It is something to consider and look into for sure
 
It sure is daunting, so many things to consider, and such a big decision. Some good advice I once heard is keep your emotions out of it until you check everything out. Which it sounds like that's what you're doing. You say the house sits low, if a bad storm comes, will all the water drain away? Especially with the run-off from the recycling plant roof and parking lot....

Excellent question! There's a 4' deep water ditch on both sides of the road and the land from the house slopes down towards the county park which has a huge water resevoir. The soil on the land itself is very rich (explains the farms) and there is no basement. The house is built on a slab and as far as I can tell, there is no cracking. There are zero cracks on the garage slabs as well which is very rare here in the land of bentonite.
 
That sounds like an amazing piece Joe!! Here is some advice...wireless fence for the dog/s, my property is small, but it works amazing. As far as reno's go, drywall, mud/tape and paint is about the cheapest facelift you can give a place. Lotsa people you could trade work off to get that done.
Beautiful property by the sounds of it Joe!! Can I get nosy?? Is the price between 200-300k?? Just curious is all...heck maybe Lori and I will be States bound!! LOL
 
Out standing MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!:cheers: This sounds like a great home you can turn in to your own.
I see an out cottage possibly :glasses7:
Keep us updated and I hope this place will make you happy.
If you do end up with it can I bring my metal detector up with me :D we will split all the old silver and gold :glasses7:
A man just north of me about 5 miles found a stash of ammo from the civil war along with maps where more was on a 40 Aker plot about 30 years ago
I see a big gathering of friends in your future with me standing on a trailer handing out BBQ sandwiches and cold ones while the fence is getting dun first :blob::cheers:
heck I can dream can't I :D I hope this dream of owning your own place is fulfilled brother, ain't nothing like it.8) I have a big smile on right know :D

Mike, there's room for a giant Mopar gathering where everyone can camp, drink beer and BBQ! I think the one little outbuilding could make a cool little guest house. 8) The dogs would probably try to nose in the tents, but I'd keep them in if company was out, lol.

Bring the detector! One never knows what could be there. Even digging up an old horseshoe would be cool and would go right over the door of the "guesthouse". :)

We can both dream Brother, and it seems that our dreams are in tandem. Treva and you would of couse, get the 3rd bedroom with the attached bath if and when you vist.

At this point there's so much that could go wrong. I'm supposedly pre-qualified but I haven't seen the paperwork, the well could be bad, etc....
 
We have a 1 acre yard. It's not too bad as long as you got a nice riding lawn mower. It takes us about 1.5 hours to mow. I hope you get it. An 8 car garage sounds awesome and it something I would like in the future. Also: :worthles:
 
ram you sure are excited about this place I hope you get it
 
That sounds like an amazing piece Joe!! Here is some advice...wireless fence for the dog/s, my property is small, but it works amazing. As far as reno's go, drywall, mud/tape and paint is about the cheapest facelift you can give a place. Lotsa people you could trade work off to get that done.
Beautiful property by the sounds of it Joe!! Can I get nosy?? Is the price between 200-300k?? Just curious is all...heck maybe Lori and I will be States bound!! LOL

Price started at 210K, dropped to 180K, dropped to 170K, and just dropped to 160K. :-D I'm keeping my offer close to my chest, just like playing poker. BTW, this is a little town N/E of Denver and in the flatlands. I'd be 30-40 minutes away from some amazing mountains, and even though I'm closer in Denver, sometimes it takes 30 minutes just to get to the highway.

BTW, now you know why I can afford a house here. Prices have dropped like a rock and money (loans) are cheap but damn, I really did have to do a job on my credit rating and work my *** off.

Great idea on the wireless fence!
 
You get that property Joe, me and the wife and Jake (aka turd dog) will stop in and visit ya in 2013 when we're rolling south with the motorhome away from the winters. Hell I'll even give ya my snowblower as a belated house warming present.:D
 
We have a 1 acre yard. It's not too bad as long as you got a nice riding lawn mower. It takes us about 1.5 hours to mow. I hope you get it. An 8 car garage sounds awesome and it something I would like in the future. Also: :worthles:

Lol, didn't you see the Google sat pics? :-D

I had the camera with me, but the little old gal who lost her husband WAS THERE. I so felt I was intruding on her memories of her husband. She was right there with us and insisted that she move this or that so we could inspect every area of the house and land.

When we went to go out back, she said "Now wait a moment, Apollo is out...." and then she grabbed a garden hoe and led us out back. There was Apollo, a rottie so big he made Merlin look small, lol. Apollo obviuosly knew the home owner but was straining the logging chain to get a piece of us and there was this little gal holding him back on his logging chain. :D Good dog really, he kept nosing his toys towards us. He only got agressive again when we left.

It just didn't feel right to take pics. I liked this place very much. I felt at home and peaceful. If I get it, you'll have more pics than you can stomach. :cheers:

ram you sure are excited about this place I hope you get it

Me too Cliff. I leave it in God's hands. If I'm supposed to occupy this land, I'll get it. If not, I won't. It certainly needs work, but I dig that stuff, always have. On my way back, I stopped at my elderly ham buddies house with a chain saw and took care of some snow/tree damage. 8) What the heck, any excuse to fire up the saw is good for me.
 
You get that property Joe, me and the wife and Jake (aka turd dog) will stop in and visit ya in 2013 when we're rolling south with the motorhome away from the winters. Hell I'll even give ya my snowblower as a belated house warming present.:D

Terry, by 2013 the RC would be doing the snowduty but heck, you, the wife and the poopshooter would always be welcome no matter where I live. I'd like to think this deal is in the bag but I saw a bumper sticker last week in my travels that cracked me up. It said: "People Plan, God Laughs".
 
This place has Maxi and Merlin's name all over it....LOL

Seriously though....check out the comps in the neighborhood. Hire an "independant" housing inspector and not one that is recommended by your real estate agent. I wish you only the best.....

Got room for a couple more peeps and pups? If so, count us in and my pups will just tell Jake to move over :poke:
 
This place has Maxi and Merlin's name all over it....LOL

Seriously though....check out the comps in the neighborhood. Hire an "independant" housing inspector and not one that is recommended by your real estate agent. I wish you only the best.....

Got room for a couple more peeps and pups? If so, count us in and my pups will just tell Jake to move over :poke:

It's a deal C!

My realtor just found another place for me...... It has a 1200 sq. ft. garage. I went and took a peak and the garage is beautiful and needs no work other than putting in a few 220V outlets. It's even been drywalled. It's in a nice neighborhood, the house is 1400 sq. ft. and it's all on a 1/3rd of an acre and it's all fenced with 6' fence. Hmmmmm.

The county record lists the garage as 1200 sf but I measured 33' by 42'. It's flippin' huge..... It's my dream garage... oh yeah, the house is really nice too and needs nothing and has A/C. The location is awesome too and very close to everything. Lot's O room for the poopshooters.
 
WOW Joe! Missed this one completely! Sounds like great news is imminent for you all, and things are looking up. Good luck on the hunt.

Grant
 
Keep in mind that if things change it can be put back on the market and sold
This new place you looked at sounds like less up keep and desirable to most any family looking to relocate, I don't mean to sound non supportive on ether place, just thinking out loud.:coffee2:
 
Do not be afraid to make an offer that is ridiculously low.

For example: Asking price = 160k, in todays market 100k would be a serious offer, especially on a foreclosure. (hell, an 80k cash offer could get it)

Friend of mine just bought a 2nd house (to be used as a rental). It listed a 89k, he got it for 54k with a cash offer.
 
Great news, Joe! Sure hope you find the home of your dreams. You've worked really had and now the rewards are on the way.
Wishing all the best for your quest. Keep us all informed...and, pics!
 
WOW Joe! Missed this one completely! Sounds like great news is imminent for you all, and things are looking up. Good luck on the hunt.

Grant

Thanks Grant!

I hope you get it! You sound excited and have worked hard... Good luck!

Thanks Mark! On Tuesday, I left home at 7:30am and got back at 11:30pm. Yesterday I left at 7:00 am and got home at 7:30 pm. This stuff didn't exactly fall into my lap, lol. I've spent my time in the coal mine to try to make this all work.

Keep in mind that if things change it can be put back on the market and sold
This new place you looked at sounds like less up keep and desirable to most any family looking to relocate, I don't mean to sound non supportive on ether place, just thinking out loud.:coffee2:

You're right Mike. This new place would be more family orientated, have a higher resale value, and no issues with a factory across the street. Here I'd have a little horse ranch across the road.

Do not be afraid to make an offer that is ridiculously low.

For example: Asking price = 160k, in todays market 100k would be a serious offer, especially on a foreclosure. (hell, an 80k cash offer could get it)

Friend of mine just bought a 2nd house (to be used as a rental). It listed a 89k, he got it for 54k with a cash offer.

Wish I had that kind of cash, lol. Yeah brother, I'll be slinging low with my bids.

Great news, Joe! Sure hope you find the home of your dreams. You've worked really had and now the rewards are on the way.
Wishing all the best for your quest. Keep us all informed...and, pics!

Thanks OC! Heres a pic of the garage. Keep in mind it's at least 32' deep and that truck is 13' tall easy. For comparison, that's a 6' cyclone fence on the right that butts up to the garage. Oh yeah, that biege bulding on the right is another 200 sf of storage or whatever. Lot is .34 of an acre.
 

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Here's the home, it's a modular with 1477 sf. Nice open floor plan, giant master bath and four bedrooms. Note it even has a seperate driveway right up to the tiny front porch.
 

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Looking good!

Heard from the banker and I have a hoop to jump though and it's not cheap. Working some angles right now to see what I can do...... I'll figure it out and thanks Mark. No, it's not a nice established brick house but I spend most of my time in the garage anyway.... As a matter of fact, I'm in the garage right now. :cheers:
 
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