I’m not totally sure why I’m asking here, but you seem like the right people 🙂 my husband and I just bought the 20 acres of raw land in blue. Our parcel actually used to be one with the smaller parcel, which is 1.5 acres with a house and a pond, but in 2022 the estate split it off to try and make more money off of both. Long story short, the greedy weirdos who own the little parcel with the shitty ass house on it are offering to sell it to us for $150K. They way overpaid at $93K, in my opinion, so $150K is absurd. I know many might not feel the same, but our journey down this path has been a commitment to frugality, and our plan has always been to build new, because we’re SO sick of fixing other people’s mistakes. We plan to build a small 2BR/1BA house using almost all the cash we have.
Anyway, not being able to reunite with this parcel is driving me nuts for some reason. It doesn’t seem to bother my husband. He says it could be good to have another neighbor, maybe they’ll have kids, and if we have kids that could be a good thing. I just feel like our property would be perfect with it. But I really only want it for the land, and we can’t afford both. The house is an absolute SHIT HOLE. At least $100K in renovations – full of mold and water damage, etc. Horrible layout. Tear down IMO. These people claim they’re gonna fully reno it, so I feel like once it’s gone, it’s gone. My mind goes straight to worst case scenario, like the biggest assholes in the world are move in and all of this will have been for naught.
We plan to build the house (and in the future, a bigger house) back further in the woods, in a clearing, so I know we’ll have about as good a feeling of privacy as you can get, but still worried.
My husband is a country boy but this will be sort of new for me. I worry about having wasted so much time and effort finding a quiet, peaceful place, but sometimes I just hear horror stories about neighbors. It’s a little irrational. It’s not a problem until it’s a problem, right?
I don’t think we’re going to consider it but am I nuts for feeling like this? 😢
by GoatCam3000
22 Comments
No, but that little triangular bit would
I think this totally depends on the topography and access to the parcel. It’s one thing to look at it on a map and see this little parcel up in the corner. But does it impede access to your property? Where will your driveway be? Can you even see this house/pond from where you intend to build? 20 acres is a pretty good buffer, especially with what looks like thick trees.
> Would it drive you nuts not owning this parcel?
Nope. Just is what it is. The time to worry about this was *before* buying the larger parcel.
Don’t buy a house you don’t want.
If the home is as crappy as you describe then the real estate market will dictate that’s it’s over priced by the fact no one will buy it. Be patient and willing to lose it, let it sit a year and then give them a low ball offer and you might be surprised that they take it. They aren’t going to fix it up, they’re just bullshitting you to put pressure on you to buy it. If they had the means or motivation to fix it up they wouldn’t have listed it for sale before doing that.
Depending on how big that pond is, I’d easily pay that. But one of my life goals is a pond on property, so… but a pond and possible rental income? Sounds like a great opportunity.
Set up a pig pen on the property line closest to the house. Then wait.
Edit: /s since some of y’all prefer your context spoon-fed
I get it.
I’m on 40+ acres, but there is a tiny 2 acre plot with a camper on it between my lot and the main rd.
It’s just 2 acres, and I don’t NEED it, but for whatever reason, it feels like I do.
I think it’s just the piece of mind knowing that nobody can cause me stress/problems if it’s all mine. The lot isn’t even within eye sight (other side of a large wooded area) but it bugs me cause it’s existance means my drive way has a small section that isn’t on my property and therefore has an easement. After all the horror stories I’ve read about disputes over right-of-way/easements, it would settle my mind to just own that piece as well.
P.S. The second it goes up for sale, I WILL buy it. 🤓
if I were still in the process of looking for land to buy, yes parcel shape would drive me nuts.
But, If I have already bought land, no, I would not spend an absurd about of money for a house I don’t want on land I don’t need. You guys were satisfied with the blue line as you bought it, don’t waste more money on something you don’t actually need. If it was a really good price and you had the money to spend then sure go for it. But I wouldn’t spend 150k on a house that you do not want that looks like its maybe 2 acres?
I’d just plant some privacy trees/bushes and let it be
Let the current owner completely renovate it.
Then you can added the actual worth of it and potentially buy it.
If those yahoos spent $93,000 for a 1.5 acre patch with a tear down on it then they are going to have a serious problem when they try to sell their newly renovate house on 1.5 acres.
If your math is correct and they put $100,000 in to renovating then they will be at least $193,000 in for a smallish house on 1.5 acres.
Not sure where you are but anyplace rural that is going to be a tough sale.
Wait till it’s unlivable and they want to bulldoze , then purchase it for waaaaaaay less.
Nope, I’d be happy with what I had.
It would bother me enough that I’d buy it for the land value if it came up for sale, but unless you have FU money lying around then it would be absurd to pay a premium for a shit hole house you don’t want.
On the other hand, it does have a pond… 🤔
How much will septic, water and power cost to put in? You could be over $50k in those 3 things. Having a neighbor that close is not ideal but neither is buying a house you don’t want, but are you sure you don’t want it? Is it really that bad, because it feels like you’re trying to hard to convince us it’s crappy, maybe it is but it’s also 1.5 acres, has a well, septic, power, pond and a house that might be salvageable all connected to your raw land. Also I hate who ever surveyed this originally, I bet there was a case of beer involved LOL
TLDR, buy or don’t, but it might make sense to buy it and might be the only opportunity you get.
Put up a tall fence, completely blocking all sight of this parcel and forget it exists.
“These people claim they’re gonna fully reno it”
Sounds like it will be on the market soon enough and the market will show them what it’s worth. Might be able to get it for a song if you are patient.
They’re not greedy weirdos because they won’t give you a discount? You sound like a bitch of a neighbor tbh.
Maybe 150 sounds absurd to you but that’s low compared to so many other rural places. I would buy it before it goes up any further. We know someone who bought a worthless house on a beautiful parcel for about 500k, and now they are rebuilding the house from studs. The owner before paid less than 150k a few short years ago.
Buy it, or live with it.
I wouldn’t let that property live rent free in your head. It would cost you money to deal with it even if you did buy it. Fence your property to keep the neighbors out. You won’t know what kind of people might end up living there in the future. Might be decent people.
Personally I’d put a camera towards the property line behind the tiny house in case they try to trespass or dump on your property, but that’s the cynical city boy in me.
I want to feel bad for you OP but I don’t. You have 20 acres and are upset about the 1.5 you don’t have. Cmon.
It’d drive me nuts to have a terrible neighbor there. $100k is a pretty cheap price to pay to avoid unknown hassles from a potentially terrible, very close neighbor, that has direct access to the only open pasture areas on my parcel!