Stories of how you came about your property

[Larry Caldwell]

My wife and I hard shopped for a home every weekend for three months. We drove our poor realtor crazy, but in offers on two parcels that were contingent on sale of our existing home. The next day in both cases someone came in with a cash offer. I think they were just waiting for us to set the price. We went through every rural parcel in the MLB that were even close to our budget. Then one day we were driving down the road and saw a For Sale sign on this place. It was not in the MLB. The listing realtor was taking advantage of them and didn't want to split the commission. We stopped, looked at the parcel, made an offer, and they accepted. We've been here since '94.

 

[Milo]

Larry were there any improvements or buildings on the land?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Larry were there any improvements or buildings on the land?

1972 ranch style with good bones, leaky roof. Shacky wood shed, shacky small barn. both roofed with salvaged metal.

 

[oosik]

How much of a hassle was it to get electricity & phone run? Must have cost a fortune!

Electricity came all the way down the driveway - from the county road. A one mile run. 1982 price - $5400. There was a running legal battle between the electric co-op and the phone company. Not allowed to install the phone lines on the power poles.

We NEVER have had land line service. First phone - Motorola Bag phone. Then things went digital and we had to get a stinking cell phone. I just LOVE standing out on the front porch - in a driving snow storm - trying to make a phone call.

But that's a really small cost of living out here. Too many pleasures to enjoy to ***** about phone service.

 

[Milo]

We NEVER have had land line service.... I just LOVE standing out on the front porch - in a driving snow storm - trying to make a phone call.

But that's a really small cost of living out here. Too many pleasures to enjoy to ***** about phone service.

Same here, no land line or internet and cell only worked occasionally. I finally got satellite internet but it was very slow and wi-fi calling didn't work with it so still had only intermittent phone.Finally last year, after 19 years, a local company (I'm sure with federal grant money) brought fiber optic to my house. They even buried the cable 700' from the dirt road to the house, all for no charge other than $65 per month for high speed internet and I now have crystal clear wi-fi calling.

 

[Milo]

1972 ranch style with good bones, leaky roof. Shacky wood shed, shacky small barn. both roofed with salvaged metal.

Well it's nice you had something to start with.

 

[5030]

Simple. My wife bought the farm do I could be an employee.....

 

[deezler]

Most sellers know if they own the minerals or not on rural property. There is normally a reference in the deed but it can be difficult to find sometimes. On property that hasn't changed owners in a couple generations they more than likely own at least a partial mineral estate. Developers usually always reserve the minerals and water rights when selling off partial tracts or lots. You could always have the title company include a mineral rights search when they do the title work. It might cost a little but likely worthwhile.

As far as being in a near-urban area, that is no guarantee whatsoever that the minerals are not owned by someone who may lease them to a producer at some point and you or your neighbors wind up with a well in the backyard. But, usually when that happens they just buy the house and lot, or several. It was a big issue in a Fort Worth neighborhood several years ago when the Barnett Shale was in it's heyday. It still has a few people concerned lately.

Yeah, my property was bank owned and they had zero interest in knowing anything about it other than the legal tax ID of the parcel - just wanted it off their books asap. Which was good for me and my lowball offer LOL.

Sad that people have to live nearby and downwind of fracking operations. Super unhealthy and frankly rather shameful how little oversight there is of the process.

 

[JethroB]

I got my property the old fashioned way, I inherited it. Later I was looking through old deeds, letters, and records and learned how my dad came by it. It was a wedding gift to my parents from his dad, my grandpa. They were married on a Saturday and the deed was dated the following Monday. I guess grandpa wanted to make sure there were no cold feet before transferring it.

 

[Milo]

This brings up a good point. When I bought my 19 acres a decade ago, I had no idea how to find this out. No realtor or other person knew where to point me. I figured given my general near-urban area, with no regional wells, I was safe. So far so good.

Most sellers know if they own the minerals or not on rural property. There is normally a reference in the deed but it can be difficult to find sometimes. On property that hasn't changed owners in a couple generations they more than likely own at least a partial mineral estate.....

In our case we were dealing with a realtor (who didn't know about the minerals), who represented out of state heirs (of the deceased Mr Bullion who himself had been a PA resident). After Mr Bullions died, his two daughters and another person had inherited the property and just let it set for 20 years until they finally all agreed to sell. I used a friend who was an attorney to search the deed etc for closing and in doing so he told me the minerals (other than 39 acres of coal) were still with the property. A previous owner had sold 39 acres of coal rights while retaining 10 acres of them under where the old house was at the time. I had already learned from old timers in the area that there was no coal to amount to anything.

The challenge my attorney had was to try to determine if there were any other heirs. He said Mr Bullions and his wife had owned the property as a retreat. They had two daughters and a son. Mrs Bullions died and later Mr Bullions remarried so we had a new Mrs Bullions, who herself had 2 children from her previous marriage. Subsequently all 5 children got married and had children of their own, along with a few grandchildren. The second Mrs Bullions died and later Mr Bullions, and if memory serves he did not have a will. It took a lot of searching and communicating by letters, I think around 6 months until we could finally close.