Help Land on eBay in West Texas is it a rip off or not??

[mrjamestferguson]

Originally Posted by Gary Siete

Have you moved or started building yet or is this still "a plan"?

The Lazy F Ranch has moved from planning to gathering materials for the building and moving. This is a completely OFF GRID project that is also very GREEN as well. Honestly, that area has never seen a house like we are building!

We are driving out this next week to plan where the house will be located, according to where Miss Peggy wants it. She has here thoughts on the matter! If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!

I have several important projects I have to finish here in DFW first, before we change our lifestyle.

Miss Peggy wants to finish this school year here, so it will give me 9 months to a year to get the main house built, then the side projects and our new business there will follow.

We are committed!

[GayleTX]

It's almost impossible to get a loan for a home that is 'off the grid' or 'green' or in any way 'unconventional,' especially if it is in a rural area. (Ex: underground houses, dome houses, etc.) There are a couple of mortgage companies specializing in that type of lending....California based....but small. FHA is in the process of opening a division that will specialize in 'green' houses but it's going to be a year or two or more before it's operational.

Even if you are paying cash for the house it puts it in the situation of being very difficult to sell when the time comes.

[mrjamestferguson]

Originally Posted by GayleTX

It's almost impossible to get a loan for a home that is 'off the grid' or 'green' or in any way 'unconventional,' especially if it is in a rural area. (Ex: underground houses, dome houses, etc.) There are a couple of mortgage companies specializing in that type of lending....California based....but small. FHA is in the process of opening a division that will specialize in 'green' houses but it's going to be a year or two or more before it's operational.

Even if you are paying cash for the house it puts it in the situation of being very difficult to sell when the time comes.

That is a crying shame! You would think folks would want to help make the world a little bit GREENER...not always the case with business, though.

It is good to have that information...no one should enter any situation blind to the important hurdles. You can't always prepare for everything, but the big stuff can stop you cold!

In reality, a lot of the land purchasers have money...they want the land for investment purposes, hunting or whatever. These folks have cash and are not afraid to spend it. I know, I deal with them everyday.

For my part, I am sure we can round up a few interested investors willing to be the first to step up to the plate and do the right thing for folks out there. I am sure because they have already thrown their hat in the ring.

If not, my back-up plan is simple, I will just have to be the first one out there to build GREEN houses on my dollar and let folks pay me back on a schedule that helps them out.

As for resell, well, I guess I would have to just buy those houses back and sell or rent them to folks with like interests.

Somebody has to break the mold...I guess it could be me...I do have a higher purpose...maybe this is it!

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by malamute

Some people like wide open spaces

Yes indeed. Here's one of my September southern High Plains (west Texas) sunrises out my front door:

[mrjamestferguson]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Yes indeed. Here's one of my September southern High Plains (west Texas) sunrises out my front door:

It don't get no better than that!

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by mrjamestferguson

It don't get no better than that!

Yes after having had to live in places like New Orleans and D.C., the solitude of the rural High Plains is nice.

If you are looking at rural places in west Texas, you may want to follow the bank-owned properties, like HUD and others. My place was a bank repossession, an 1800 ft2, 3 Br/2Bth, farm house with two barns, mature trees and on five acres with an additional 15 acres as a later option. I tracked the property for six months before making a cash offer.

The earlier comment about the difficulty in selling a rural home is certainly a consideration when buying a rural property. I also have some small town commercial property in west Texas that we have not been able to sell for several years. However, one should also consider that the prices of rural properties are usually substantially less than an urban or a suburban home. When asked what I gave for my place, I tell folks I would have had to give more had I bought a new-used Ford pickup. And too, I'm not worried about selling my place because my daughter will have to worry about that when she inherits it. And too, since she will get the property for free, she should have no problem at all.

[mrjamestferguson]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Yes after having had to live in places like New Orleans and D.C., the solitude of the rural High Plains is nice.

If you are looking at rural places in west Texas, you may want to follow the bank-owned properties, like HUD and others. My place was a bank repossession, an 1800 ft2, 3 Br/2Bth, farm house with two barns, mature trees and on five acres with an additional 15 acres as a later option. I tracked the property for six months before making a cash offer.

The earlier comment about the difficulty in selling a rural home is certainly a consideration when buying a rural property. I also have some small town commercial property in west Texas that we have not been able to sell for several years. However, one should also consider that the prices of rural properties are usually substantially less than an urban or a suburban home. When asked what I gave for my place, I tell folks I would have had to give more had I bought a new-used Ford pickup. And too, I'm not worried about selling my place because my daughter will have to worry about that when she inherits it. And too, since she will get the property for free, she should have no problem at all.

Yep! my four kids can fight over it when I'm gone!

Until then, I will ride my mustangs across my 11 acres (more acres later), checkin' my fences, shootin' the occasional rattler' or villan and lovin' the GOLDEN years to come!

It is a lifestyle I crave...not everyone can handle it!

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by mrjamestferguson

It is a lifestyle I crave...not everyone can handle it!

This is very true but be thankful that most folks can't handle rural living because, if they could, there would be no rural America.

[mrjamestferguson]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

This is very true but be thankful that most folks can't handle rural living because, if they could, there would be no rural America.

Hallelujah !!!