SO I made an offer on the property that I’ve been posting about. I offered 25% less than what they were asking. They said theyd go 10% below ask. So I bumped my offer to 18% below ask. No dice. Said theyd wait till spring and see how it goes.
You may notice I’m not giving actual cash numbers or details here and thats simply because I might wait until spring and see if it’s still available and if, at that point, they are more amenable to my original offer. But, in the meantime, the search continues.
Can’t say I’m not disappointed, but it isnt a huge level of disappointment. Every week that goes by is another grand to put towards a potential purchase. And its more time for me to get resources lined up and information brain-banked. By the end of the year, I’ll have almost ten grand more to raise the bar on what I can afford. Obviously the cheaper the piece of property the more money that leaves me for the necessities that a property purchase will entail…materials, tools, equipment, four-wheeler, infrastructure, etc.
I have noticed that some propeties I’ve been looking at, and discounted for various reasons, have started to show drops in asking price. Not sure if thats related to winter coming on and the buying season slowing down, or if its more related to the economy and market in general. Don’t really care, honestly….I just want maximum dirt for my dollar.
Im starting to thnk I may just have to sit down with a tab opened to the Montana cadastral and start looking at properties that seem to fit the bill for what Im looking for and contacting the owners to see if they want to sell. Long shot but it would guarantee that the criteria Im looking for are met.
Regardless, its back to trolling the listings and banking away money until the right opportunity presents itself.
Drops in winter are not uncommon up here.
Also, for the first time in 20 years or more, the population of Montana has actually decreased..which means fewer people moving in, needing space.
It’s been amazing to see so many people fuck back off to Washington and California.
There’s a big place out by Saltese for sale that I wish was a bit more remote.
That $6.5 M place?
Seems way overpriced to me, but good luck to them. 200 acres, no lake, water rights are ???
No; this one is 500k. Just NE of Saltese and 90.
Multiple shops, one has a car lift in it. Lots of misc outbuildings too.
Buddy of mine is looking at a 700k place in Elk Park
Why the erosion in some of the asking prices?
As the “ragin’ cagin” told Bill and Hillary,
“It’s the economy, stupid”.
It may help to talk to real estate agents that handle the area you are interested in. Give them a general idea of what you want, and see what they come up with. Often real estate will be for sale and never make it to zillow or landwatch.
My property was like that. It was nominally for sale, but since it didn’t have an easement for access there was no point. The real estate agent talked to the seller, told him he had a buyer standing by if that easement could be fixed, and one trip to the courthouse later the property was accessible. We talked, and a minimal amount of back and forth later I was the proud owner of 80 acres of Ozark hillside.
Another option when searching for stuff, if one is willing to put up with all the scam artists, is to put an ad on craigslist or facebook marketplace in the ‘wanted’ section. It’s nearly free and the sellers come to you.
My guess is you will have an opportunity at that property in the near future. I have a friend who has been trying to do the same thing as you for the better part of 2 hrs. As the economy shifts, these type of properties aren’t going to be attainable by most because they don’t have the money to do what it takes to make it a retreat. Sellers are going to have to bend very soon or they are going to miss the boat and their heirs are going to let it go for cheap. If sellers are going to hold out much longer on properties that need work/rehabbed, less money is around to buy their over priced land, otherwise it would have been sold awhile ago.
Commander:
I suspect that many owners have realised that there won’t be time now to build a Retreat before it is very, Very necessary.
The feeling is that time is definitely running out…
Ceejay
Following. The readership has very good points as usual. I would put that property on the back burner, and let the owners come to you at your price point. Hold firm there, if it was such a hot in demand property with many yuppies touring it during open house events on a weekend then they should have it already sold. Turn your radar array back on and keep looking around for other options, as you may stumble into something with better attributes and price points. I had an offer not work out with a intransigent boomer on one property and another better, bigger situated property just came on the market that I scooped up instead and was way better all around. Stay flexible.
The link is montana related, with blondi attorney General involving an opinion. Worth a read. Stay frosty.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bondi-doj-backs-warrantless-invasion-gun-owners-homes
You are going to need a tractor… with a bucket, forks, shredder, box blade, auger. The UTV is nice but tractor and implements come first.
I second that opinion! Would only change it to a backhoe instead on box blade and auger! Bought a 33hp years ago for the farm and haven’t looked back. The water lines and septics I’ve installed plus ditches and culvert pipes are like gold in the vault!
Ahhh, yes! The backhoe is worth its weight… box blades are pretty inexpensive and are usually “part of the package” that doesn’t get much use, but is handy to have. The backhoe is a big chunk of change, but well worth it.