Back from WV trip (Beckley, Mullens: for sale, real estate, renting)
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Hello all. I posted a few weeks ago asking about Mingo County and southern WV as my husband is being sent there. At the time, I didn't know the town or much about the area but after being there for a week looking around, I do now. The town he is going to is Gilbert and although it is a small town, it wasn't too bad except for all the ATV's!! They were everywhere! It was quite an adventure driving around the areas as it took a while to get anywhere. My question for you guys is why isn't there any property for sale in the areas? We stayed at Twin Falls and drove to Beckley and around through Eccles, Bolt, Oceana, Mullens, Gilbert, Pineville, Jesse and other small towns looking for land to buy but NOTHING. No real estate offices, nothing in the local papers, or signs out anywhere. There were a couple of houses for sale but they were all bunched together on a small piece of land on the side of the road. There must have been 20 houses on a 2 acre site. Most all the communities we traveled through were like that. Now we did not venture off the main roads (10, 97 & 16 mostly) because we didn't know about traveling on the little side roads - they mainly looked like drives to people's houses and we were told to be careful where we went as there were a lot of meth houses on the back roads and we might get shot. There is a lot of beautiful land in the area, especially Wyoming and Raleigh counties but no one lives or builds on the mountains.
I also wondered what happens to the land that has been reclaimed from old mines? Do the mine companies keep it, sell it or what? If anyone is in the Gilbert area and knows of any property for sale or how to find any, I would love to hear from you.
Another thing we were curious about was how do the people afford to drive so far from work and home? We figured that even if we lived in Gilbert or Pineville, we would spend at least $300 a week in fuel just going to work and back.
I really appreciate all the info you guys provide on this site and please know that I am not trying to offend anyone. Just trying to understand the land issue in these areas!
I was born and raised in the Gilbert area. I think that Oceana and Pineville are prettier areas. But if I was working in Gilbert, I'd probably want to live closer to Gilbert than either of those towns. The drive isn't bad from either, but I don't think I'd want to do it on a daily basis.
The town of Man, in Logan County, is pretty close to Gilbert too. You could maybe find something nice there.
I'll try to find out some agents in the area today and get it back on here ASAP for you.
One final thing. I can likely answer any question you may have about the area. If I can't, I can certainly put you in contact with someone who can. Happy to help you in any way.
I was born and raised in the Gilbert area. I think that Oceana and Pineville are prettier areas. But if I was working in Gilbert, I'd probably want to live closer to Gilbert than either of those towns. The drive isn't bad from either, but I don't think I'd want to do it on a daily basis.
The town of Man, in Logan County, is pretty close to Gilbert too. You could maybe find something nice there.
I'll try to find out some agents in the area today and get it back on here ASAP for you.
Thanks so much. We are planning on going back up Saturday to look some more but I'm starting to think we will never find anything! I'd appreciate any help you can give!
One thing you may want to look into is renting somewhere for a while. That way, you can wait for a more ideal property to come up (if you don't find one). That also gives you time to discover little "hidden" areas that you're not currently aware of.
I'm trying to think of somebody "back home" I could put you in touch with who may be of assistance... but I'll have to get back to you on that. My immediate family has left the area, so I'm not sure which direction to send you. I may check with my wife. She may have some advice on where you can turn.
Okay, as far as contacts, my wife suggested getting in contact with the town's mayor. It's a small town, so there shouldn't be any bureaucracy standing in your way. She can at least answer your questions and put you in touch with some realtors.
The mayor is Vivian Livingood (vivianlivingood@hotmail.com). She hasn't been mayor long, but she's a lifelong resident and has been involved with the town council for quite some time. Her family owns a small business, Livingood Lodging, which caters to the ATV riders. That number is (304) 664-8051.
If you want to use an "in" to put her at ease, tell her your story -- including this site -- and tell her you got her contact info on this site from Robert Hatfield, Debbie Trent's younger brother. It always helps to have a common point of reference in these small towns. I was just a couple of years older than her oldest son. She'll remember me. She'll certainly remember my sister. She and her husband owned some small businesses in town for about 25 years, up until a year or two ago.
If you have any further, immediate questions, contact me at {Moderator Removed}: Sorry, you can't post personal email addresses. Use city-data's private sitemail feature. Thank you. I likely won't be checking this site any more today or tonight.
Last edited by atlantagreg30127; 10-29-2008 at 08:24 PM..
I also wondered what happens to the land that has been reclaimed from old mines? Do the mine companies keep it, sell it or what? !
I'm no expert so don't hold me to this but...
I have heard that sometimes/often the land is "leased" from the original owner, when surface mining is complete, the land reverts back to the owner.
On the other hand, I know of land that was surface mined and now stands empty. Signs indicate the land is still property of the coal company. Don't know if it's allowed, but often see people on it 4 wheeling, etc.
May want to contact one of the coal companies in the Southern Coalfields. May want to try Massey (one of the largest), Arch Coal, Ford Coal Co.
One thing you may want to look into is renting somewhere for a while. That way, you can wait for a more ideal property to come up (if you don't find one). That also gives you time to discover little "hidden" areas that you're not currently aware of.
I'm trying to think of somebody "back home" I could put you in touch with who may be of assistance... but I'll have to get back to you on that. My immediate family has left the area, so I'm not sure which direction to send you. I may check with my wife. She may have some advice on where you can turn.
I think this is a great idea especially as a newcomer to WV. I'll add to what you've said that telling the employer that they're having trouble finding housing might yield good leads as well.
Not easy to go house hunting from afar using realtors even with the net as a tool. They don't seem to take you seriously until they see your face in their office. When you get there they're prone to think in terms of making their inventory fit your purposes. Spending the time to mingle, being forthcoming about what I was looking for and asking for input was far more fruitful than what 'pro's' were offering. Sure, I used an agent just the same, but somebody always seems to have a cousin who knows about 'old man johnson's' place before it ever made it to MLS.
LandAndFarm.com There's a sort by county option in top screen. I checked mingo cty- nothing listed.
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