I've enjoyed reading through this thread and the places you all have acquired. One thing that comes to mind, especially in the current boom market, is to be open to some places that other lookers are looking past..... assuming the price takes that into consideration. If I were younger and looking now I'd search for an overgrown property with a solid house on it with little curb appeal and a a dated interior that's been on the market a while. Or undeveloped land where utilities were not too far away.
Back in 2000 my wife and I had been talking of a wooded "get away" property with a house we could fix up or land only. In Thursday's newspaper the new "Homes and Land" insert there was a new listing of "49 secluded wooded acres with a stream through it" for $79,000. It was located maybe 35 minutes from our home in town and where we worked. I showed it to her (we worked together) saying "maybe we should check this property out on Saturday"? She said we're not busy let's go right now now. So I called the listing realtor who faxed directions and a layout map of the property and off we went. 35 minutes later we arrived where it looked like the property started, which was where a dirt road ended and became a trail, and there were two cars already parked there and 3 people holding up the same faxed map trying to figure just what was where?
I was able to figure "roughly" where some of the property lines ran and saw where the old house had fallen in, but it was Summer and difficult to even walk. After an hour we'd seen only part, but enough, and I said there's more to see here but we better call and buy it now, and if we decide it's really not for us I know we can sell it for at least what we're buying it for so nothing lost. She agreed and I called Lisa the realtor right then (my wife had one of those new bag phones in her car) and told her "we'll take it". She paused for 10 seconds and said "ok so you want it and for asking price, right"?
"Yes"
So we went straight to her office which was in MD and signed the contract and found out it included the mineral rights to any coal or gas.
It took a few months to close due to it being in an estate with various heirs etc but it finally did and Lisa pulled me aside and said "I didn't realize property was moving so well in your area and to be honest undervalued it, because we had three other offers the following week with one saying he'll pay more than asking price. But we'd already signed so I couldn't." Needless to say that made me feel good about the purchase.
LOL but a month or so later when introducing myself to a neighbor he said "so you bought that place, you didn't have to pay what they were asking for it did you?"
Regardless the property was just what we envisioned however we did choose to build the small house at a different place than the old one was so had to clear trees, cut in a drive, run power, drill a well, build the house, and install septic. Anyway it's just what we wanted, a few pics of the property spanning over a few years.
The road to the property, actually the property is on both sides in this image.
Along the stream which is off to the right.
Carport where implements are kept
Drive near the house and garages.
One of the meadows
Front yard through the front door glass a couple days ago.
