Searching Colorado land (Grand Junction, Montrose, Orchard Mesa: apartment, brokers, buying a house)

[papitohead]

Hello to everyone:

Just joined this fine forum because I want to move to Colorado. I am looking for land with views of the beautiful mountains. With minimal snowfall because I am 71 years old and I can only handle a very small shovel, lol.

Few acres will do near a town with lots of sunshine so I can do an offgrid place.

Wishing for not so cold winters and mild summer with cool nights.

I am very friendly and wish to be a where friendly people are.

Being near a Veteran's hospital would be nice also.

Any place with any suggestions would keep me happy looking at.

Thank you and be blessed!!

[NW Crow]

Maybe look near Montrose, Delta, Cedaredge. VA hospital in Grand Junction.

[sunsprit]

your desired attributes are pretty conflicted for a Colorado acreage.

Not "so cold" with "mild summer" ... the places in Colorado where the winter time temps don't get "too cold" are the places where you can expect 90-100's F days during the summer months.

Anyway ... the crucial question: What is your budget?

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by papitohead

Just joined this fine forum because I want to move to Colorado. I am looking for land with views of the beautiful mountains. With minimal snowfall because I am 71 years old and I can only handle a very small shovel, lol. Wishing for not so cold winters ....

Welcome to this forum!

It would be helpful if you could define "minimal snowfall", say as in number of inches per year that you are okay with. Same goes temperature-wise for "not so cold winters". Most others wanting to avoid snow and cold winters usually avoid CO. So we need some clarification.

[davebarnes]

Budget?

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

Maybe look near Montrose, Delta, Cedaredge. VA hospital in Grand Junction.

As snow shoveling isn't your cup of tea (it's certainly not mine) the Delta/Orchard Mesa/Grand Junction area could fit the bill. Grand Junction proper generally only gets a little over 8.5 inches a year for precipitation.

There has been quite a facelift to the VA hospital in Grand Junction as well. Expanded wing, new and bigger parking, but most important, good staff there. I've taken two Nam vets there for procedures and the care has been first rate. For lengthier procedures, I'd advise the VA in Salt Lake City. I took my best friend there a couple months ago for problems with his carotid artery. Surgery went well. Excellent facility!

Quite a bit of retirees have moved to Mesa County over the last couple decades.

Mountains? The Western Slope's got 'em. Lots.

Good luck!

[StealthRabbit]

Stay on western slope
Find water!
Buy an existing (and minimal) property with existing legally placed home or mobile home.

Rent a bulldozer,
remodel as necessary.

I prefer to put up a shop with a nice apartment tucked away inside and RV hookups outside. (1-2 month building process)

Live a long and happy (low tax) life.
Let the next guy build his DREAM house, while storing supplies and living in the shop.

[papitohead]

Excellent!!! Thank to everyone willing to help.

Budget? At 71, I don't work. In fact, my ex employer offered me a super package to work South America since I live half the time there because my wife is Colombian, but thanks but no thans, lol. I live with a $2K a month SS plus my stocks which have been doing just fine. All will be cash because will sell one property in Havelock, NC, Two in Puerto Rico where we spend most of the time and my little farm in near Cartagena, Colombia.

Temperature? I know there will be cuddleling nights but would not like to see below 15-20 F for a long period of time. Summers would be nice at the mid to lower 80's. I can handle 20's F during the day because I would be outside very few hours during the day. Summers I would like to see cool nights because in Colombia and Puerto Rico we have air conditioning but hate it. I rather have just the cool nights.

Land? I will have a small backhoe type kubota for mowing, land shapping and snow removal. Also would like to have a large pond to keep fresh fish.

Please, bring in comments. This is fun reading and then searching the net for your suggestions.

VA hospitals seems to be abundants in Colorado so when I decide to buy, I will keep in mind the nearest one. In Puerto Rico my VA hospital is about 75 minutes away. That distance is fine with me.

Be blessed.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by papitohead

Excellent!!! Thank to everyone willing to help.

Budget? At 71, I don't work. In fact, my ex employer offered me a super package to work South America since I live half the time there because my wife is Colombian, but thanks but no thans, lol. I live with a $2K a month SS plus my stocks which have been doing just fine. All will be cash because will sell one property in Havelock, NC, Two in Puerto Rico where we spend most of the time and my little farm in near Cartagena, Colombia.

Be blessed.

When people ask what your budget is, we don't need to know where your money is coming from as much as we're asking what you think you can spend on buying a house/property. That makes a big difference in where we could suggest that you could look.

[sunsprit]

papitohead wrote: "would like to have a large pond to keep fresh fish."

It sounds like you have a huge misconception of what life is like in Colorado. Water is an especially dear commodity here and a "large pond" ... especially on a small acreage is an extraordinarily rare item. Such a feature could easily add a few hundred thousand to the value of a property as you've described, which could easily be in the $50,000/acre range for a 3-acre parcel before the value added aspect of having live water for uses other than domestic (household) use.

I've recently seen small acreage properties such as you describe ... on the Western Slope ... asked at $1.5 to $3 mil. One, by Meeker, was part of an older ranch that had been subdivided for a hunting/fishing lodge operation. A commercial buyer bought it for a corporate retreat, but lost interest in the property when they couldn't book enough guests to make the numbers work on the place. They parceled off 4 acres with live water, a guest lodge, and seasonal access through the main property (the roads aren't improved or maintained during the snowy season ... and you cannot run your snowplow across the other property to gain access to yours) ... the asked price was $3mil. Of course, a big drawback there is that you'd be very remote from a city with the amenities that you seek.

In all candor, I think you would be well advised to come visit Colorado and see for yourself what properties are available that might fit your wish list. Perhaps a call to some of the rural "farm and ranch" brokers would be a starting point to bring some perspective into your vision of what might be here.