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attn: headingwest
there's a few places available right now in the SE corner of Wyoming to fit almost any budget ... mid 80's to 7 figures. Ask your realtor to look into Pine Bluffs, Burns, or Carpenter area.
Look at the homesite/land very carefully if you're buying acreage. Since this is mostly open prairie, you'll want a place that has some natural features that can help block the wind and snow drifts. Do not buy a place that's just a flat piece of ground ... it will blow like you can't believe ... and there are a lot of dryland wheat farms here that are being subdivided into 40's today that will be miserable sites. And, don't buy the house that sits atop an exposed ridgeline for the great views; winter will be a disaster.
Don't consider West of Cheyenne, especially the Veedauwoo area unless you plan on snowbirding for the winter ... or delight in being stuck snowed in for a couple of months. Winter snowfall and drifting snow here are brutal and you cannot plow fast enough to keep a long drive ... or county road access ... open and accessible.
Be sure to have the well output and water quality tested. There are a lot of potential contaminants in the area, due to high fertilizer farming operations, old heavy metals, etc., in the area. These tests are expensive, but you should have them done at seller's expense ... and reimbursement at the closing, since the benefit transfers to you at that time. Make your purchase contigent upon a good water quality test or mitigation of any problem (if possible). This is an unusual requirement in this area, and 99% of the realtors will tell you it's unusual and could blow up a deal, or refuse to present your concern. Stand your ground, it's your long term health at risk ... not the realtor's.
Remember the realtor's primary obligation will be to the seller, not you. Don't expect professional service from most of these realtors, it's not part of the culture.
Ask a lot of questions, visit your potential neighbors, investigate, investigate, investigate. Soil, water, and climate vary greatly in this area and can radically affect your quiet enjoyment of your place. Know if you're on a "school bus route" which gets plowed first and maintained after a storm.
Get historic utility bills for a house. Some places are energy "black holes" due to construction details/defects, or just plain inadequate construction. Check plumbing fixtures carefully as the water may be very hard and have destroyed supply and/or drain lines. Get the septic leach field inspected ... many were installed too close by today's standards to a domestic well, and could be a risk factor. Have the electric service and wiring inspected by an electrical contractor ... not some fellow who's got a "home inspection" business from a matchbook cover or national franchise. This area didn't get electricity until well after WW2 and many rural homes have wiring from the era of 32 volt farm generators ... cotton/silk wrapped rubber insulation (which may be bare now after the mice ate it years ago); it's heavy copper but it may be a hazard. (Our house, for example, had 1 electrical outlet in the kitchen ... with bare wires in the walls. At least we knew up front we'd be upping the electrical service and drawing new wires for the outlets).
There was no "zoning or code inspection" until recently, so almost anything went in that a farmer could install. Now that Cheyenne does the inspections, don't count on code compliance. You must inspect, verify, seek professional assistance on any concern that you don't have personal confidence with unless you can visit with the GC of a newer house and know exactly what you're buying.
Walk the fences, check all the posts. It doesn't take too many defects here to add up to a lot of expense, and Wyoming is a "fence out" state. Your neighbor may be quite satisfied to allow his livestock to graze your land, right up to your house (or wake up to a bunch of cows and horses eating the lawn! ....).
Pick up a copy of "the fence post". It has some of the properties out here listed, or will allow you to locate realtors working in the area you're looking.
The real estate buyer's climate here is very much "buyer beware". It's strictly up to you to know what you're buying as there's little consumer protection or recourse in this state. It's very inefficient to think about a lawsuit later on ....
We see people come and go after one winter out here. You must be prepared for independent and resourceful living ... if your are, then it's a great place to be.
I've had less than professional experience with several realtors/realty companies in this area. Contact me via Private if you are getting serious about working with a firm, I may have them on my "list" ....
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01-17-2007, 07:29 PM
Be Safe!!
Were you gone like 2 days
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