Realistic or Idealistic? (Elkins, Hinton, Marlinton: for sale, real estate, rent)

[MeganAK]

Okay, I keep looking on the Internet and getting scared away by land prices. Are we being realistic that we will be able to buy a chunk (40 acres MOL) of rural (within 45 minutes of a job) land in West Virginia for less than $1,500 an acre? I don't want to be a pest with too many posts, but are there parcels for sale that are listed locally for less? Everything I am seeing online is outrageous at well over $2,000 an acre. We can't afford that! But we still want to have our dream........
We really like the look and feel of West Virginia from afar, but... we aren't rich.

Thanks

[David Kennedy]

For years our land was worthless.
Now the surging market is giving it a real value. Raw, unimproved land begins at $3,500 to 'the skys the limit.

This is long overdue and helps offset the 1000% increase in property tax I've seen over the years.

Having a dream is a great thing...putting in order the Plan to meet the challenge is the test of one's self discipline and effort.

Homesteading does not exist to my knowledge...it takes cash to buy land...even in Wv.

[MeganAK]

Idealistic it is then.

[David Kennedy]

No...not at all...everything takes work.

I built a house 2 years ago for a lady from California. Came here one summer and started driving around. Talking to people...met an old farmer with 300 acres who was tired of the grind.

Molly worked for the airlines and her husband was a dweeb and didn't work at all.
Old farmer sold her all the tractors, barns, livestock and land for 100k.
Not bad...they timbered off 700k of wood and decided to build a new house...

What I liked about Molly the most was this:

She didn't tear down the old homestead.
It had been built during the civil war and was assembled with wooden pegs and very little nails. She spent about 80k restoring it to original as a 'guest house.

These are the 'New Wv'ians...coming here to live safely and bringing some new ideas with them.
anybody else would have called that old home an eyesore and reduced it to rubble.

[MeganAK]

Thanks for the encouragement. We've gotten so tired of being in Nome and are just ready to be settled. Renting is almost harder work because of so much moving. We just want to get started on the life we want. It seems so weird to me that to live more simply requires so much more work, investment, money, etc. It's easier just to be part of the grind, slave away, and have some dumb house in the suburbs. But that's not what we want! Dreams can be tricky.. I do need the encouragement, though. Thank you.

[David Kennedy]

The biggest thing is getting over the hurdle of fear. Dreams can be adjustable.

What are you guys doing for work? A PM message might find the Doctor IN.

[MeganAK]

I'm a nurse. My husband does it all- he's worked in medical field, construction, maintenance, and now works for DOT. And you are very right, the fear is the biggest hurdle. And our dreams have been constantly readjusting! We thought we would always want to stay in Alaska... but here we go....

[David Kennedy]

Are you kidding...
The jobs we have in the greatest demand, you do them.

He can go straight to work anywhere and you will too...just rent a place, get the feel of the area for a year and then make the big purchase. What area are you looking at?

[vec101]

Keep in mind - land you find may be nothing but steep hills.
You really need to talk to a real estate agent.

[snorpus]

I think you'll find, especially in the rural areas, that (1) there's a lot of FSBO that won't appear on the multi-lists, and (2) not all realtors are part of MLS.

For example, Red Oak Realty in Marlinton has their own website (www.property4u.com), and is not part of the multi-list. I went there this morning and found the following:

29 acres near Mill Creek for $40K (unfortunately, already sold).

40 acres for $45K (also sold).

Sugar Grove - 40 acres - $80K

Valley Head (SE of Elkins) - 44 acres - $99K

Renick - 45 acres - 100K

Moncove Lake - 40 acres - 100K

Hinton - 67 acres - $110K

Especially if you consider that listing prices are probably 10-20% above what the seller will actually take, and several of those are below $2K/acre, if not $1500.