Stories of how you came about your property

[03 shaker]

I can update this thread now, tomorrow we close on 9.5 acres. No improvements on it, all wooded, just outside of town, and less than an hour commute to work. Excited to be buying it but now all the real work begins of building a house and turning it into what we want for a home.

 

[oosik]

The view. Off my front porch. Out and across my little five acre lake.

 

[AGreenFarmer]

I was looking for about 10ish acres and found the perfect 22 acre pasture in May. Since then, I have been working with the utility companies to get water, propane, electricity and septic. It has been miserable with 2 month lead times. Almost there though. Another 2 weeks (cross fingers). I plan to raise some cattle and create an orchard and berry farm. Let's see how it goes.

 

[PILOON]

My story.
As a late teen we accompanied a real estate agent that was showing a property.
I asked where the road led and she said 'some gov't crown land, a dead end!
Thinking all those adds in Popular Mechanics for free gov't land I did some research.
After many dead end leads I obtained a lease on a beautiful spring fed lake just 1 hour north of Montreal.
So here I still am, retired and sitting on a piece of paradise.
Back then we'd boat in but as time went by we DIY'd a road, had it taken over by the city Hydro came in and now days most 'squatter' properties have been upgraded to beautiful year round homes.
Best choice I ever made.
Hunting out the back door, fishing 30 ft away but best of all, peace and quiet.
Fortunately all the neighbors are of the same mind set.
Water so pure that we all use it as we are all spring fed and at the head of the water chain.
Power boats were banned years back and federally blessed due to our initiatives.
OH, and many miles around have been declared a national 'green space' hence no more building or exploiting of any kind.

Paradise!

 

[plowhog]

I can update this thread now, tomorrow we close on 9.5 acres.

Congratulations on the HUGE news! You must be very excited .....

In one of your first posts you wrote: "I'm 26 and it seems about half the people my age have the willingness, drive, and curiosity to get something done. I'm not better than anyone. I am a problem solver though. I've noticed that being able to learn and overcome a problem without giving up is something successful people have."

You are proving this to be true about yourself. Good job!!!!

Now-- can you find a way to convert the "other half" into becoming productive?

 

[Big Barn]

I came home from the hospital with my mom and dad and I'm still here 70 years later.

Unfortunately I don't recall the details, but being July it was most likely a nice summer day.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

6 years ago I installed a wood stove in my house. I spent a couple years doing the maul method of wood splitting, and while I like it and consider it cathartic and moving meditation, AIN'T NO BUDDY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!! On my way to work every day I drove by a guys house that had 2 splitter in his side yard, I told myself next time I drove by and saw this guy I was gonna stop and ask him to rent the uglier of the 2 splitters. Long story short, I did, and he didn't charge me anything but I gave him a couple gift cards to some local restaurants. We became friends. He is old school country, born and raised right on the road he still lives on today at 60 yo. Quirky, but a really good guy who has had more downs in life than ups, but has always done the best he can and is in a good place now. I am glad he is my friend.

Anyways, one day we were talking about land and he said he might know of some land for sale and he'd get back to me. I got a call a week later and he said how about 15 acres? Needless to say I was excited, it has always been a dream of mine to own land. Never thought it would be 15 acres. One the plus side this land was less than a mile from my house. I was all in. Now we are not talking PRIME real estate. 70% of it is flood plain, as the northern border is a sizable creek. It floods 4-8 times a year depending on rainfall. But the other 350 days a year it is gorgeous. The other 30% is a really nice knoll with beautiful views. Best part is it was VERY affordable. I had received a modest inheritance that would allow me to pay cash for it a couple of months before this all went down, it was kind of like it was meant to be. Rather than clean myself out I paid 80% and took a loan for the rest of it. I JUST paid that loan down a couple of months ago. So at 47 I own my little piece of heaven outright. It was a mess when I bought and still needs lots of work but I love it.

Moral of the story is be nice to people, make friends, treat them with kindness. You never know what they have to offer you.

 

[bigtiller]

I can update this thread now, tomorrow we close on 9.5 acres. No improvements on it, all wooded, just outside of town, and less than an hour commute to work. Excited to be buying it but now all the real work begins of building a house and turning it into what we want for a home.

Congratulations.

That sums it up for a lot of us here. We work, save, dream and shop until one day it all fell into place.

 

[Paddy]

I was 21 years old, no longer interested in the university degree I was working on. So a rainy fall day I stopped in a realtors office, they had no interest in me. One block later I stopped at another one. Older friendly guy had me sit in his office and he read off a list of 5 to 10 ac lots for sale. One sounded the best option. The next day we met out there. It was 10 ac of mature hardwoods with a 1 ac slice of a field. Price was $13,000 and could be bought on contract.

I had $5000 in my account for "next semester", so I used it as the down payment. I should note I didn't have a job at the time, I was still in school. I was so lucky the seller put so much trust in me.

One month later I met a nice young lady and wanted to show her my new land. While we were talking she asked who I bought it from. It turned out it was her roommate's father, family friend of many years.
That was 40 years ago. Together we built a sawmill and a timber frame log home. Sold 12 years ago.

 

[East30]

Like many, mine took years to get where it is today. Originally purchased a small cabin on a lake in '97, less than an acre lot with 150' or lakefront. Being up there every weekend, we could see regularly other properties going up for sale. A couple years later, an empty lot came up for sale on a Saturday which we made an two offers that day, on the same lake just a mile north of us. We acquired it, and buckled down to pay off quickly. 10 years later, so did the empty lot next to it. Now we owned two empty lots side by side totaling 200' of frontage.

Behind those two empty lots sat a beautiful wooded 40 acres, with a 10 acre pond in the center. Always thought it would be nice to own, but never dreamed we could afford it. Then seven/eight years ago, a neighbor and good friend there, asked if I and my wife would go 50/50 on it with he and his wife. I jumped at the chance. He had gotten the price low as well, and at 50% split, was even better. Then, came 30 acres directly connected to that parcel. The price was right, my wife and I purchased it. Next, I bought out the 50% share from my friend, which timing-wise worked out for us both.

At that point in time, a couple years ago, we owned the 200 feet of frontage and behind it 70 acres of hunting property. Still have the small cabin a mile south.

This year we made the decision to build our retirement home on that empty lot on the lake. Just about complete, our dream home, with hunting acreage. I can simply grab my bow and walk to a stand. We'll be in it in just a few weeks. It's been an adventure.

**Edit: Cool Thread