A Little This & That

There are just a few notes to pass along this time; some are house hunt-related, some are Lot-related, some are just general.

Last Wednesday (late afternoon) we drove by several houses that Pam had seen on-line. All were in the Cedaredge area on the other side of Grand Mesa, a pleasant high country ride of about 1.5 hours distance each way for us. Some properties had excellent views but were off-the-side-of-a-side-road, not exactly what we were looking for, but since we were in the area….

One of the sites was an old small house on .6 acre. The plusses are water flowing through the lot and trees and some mesa views. Drawback is the house, old and small, but priced below $100K…it raised our interest.

Stream on Grandma House lot

Small Grandma House

Shed could be used for equipment storage

We think much could be done with the lot; just cleaning it up and mowing would do wonders for the appearance. Cactus in the front yard would have to go, though. If it was on larger acreage this might be a strong possibility; we could tear down the old house and build, or add onto the existing house…there are possibilities.

Another house had a circular drive, garage, shop, decks and views, but is listed as a 2 bed, 2 bath at $300K…over our budget limit but the place is octagon with beamed ceilings which gives it some character.

Front of Octagon House

Side of Octagon House

As we drove by the other Cedaredge locations, we decided we would not consider them for one reason or another, sometimes multiple reasons! One place had great views and a garage but it was off the end of a county road and shared a driveway with a neighbor. Another house also shared a drive with a neighbor, this neighbor obviously trying to start his own personal dump. Keeping in mind we are looking for a retirement home, one criteria is access to the nearest town on a year-round basis. Some places on the side of Grand Mesa look like access (particularly winter access) could be a dicey proposition. Anyway, the search continues.

Our hope is that as winter approaches the prices on real estate in general will drop to the point where a reasonable offer from us might be considered. Along those lines, the price on the rural Montrose home we had made an offer on and which was rejected earlier this month, Chu Chu Lane, had a price reduction from $309,900 to $299,900.00 so the price is heading in the right direction.

The rest of the news is pretty general. I cut the last load of firewood we had brought home and Pam and I piled it up along our driveway. Kathy Powers will come by with her pick-up and take the wood to her place. This load was unusual in that it was mostly pine with a few pieces of aspen, the reverse of our normal loads of firewood.

Jerry cutting load of firewood

Much of the load was small enough to cut with the chop saw; the rest was cut with my old Craftsman chain saw.

I had to re-do some parts of the home-made trailer. Originally I had put the stake bed sides together with screws, but these seemed to work loose and / or break when traveling over the very rough and washboard gravel road between our Lot and the burn pit. I replaced the screws with 1/4 inch bolts and will see how that works out with future loads.

This weekend I stayed home and did chores. Firewood cutting, trailer work, lawn mowing, changing oil in the Honda, and I volunteered to mow a neighbor’s lawn after his rider blew an engine. Jim (the neighbor) is using a walker to get around now and can’t operate a push mower so his yard was looking a bit shaggy. Jim’s son-in-law has a line on a replacement engine and Jim’s rider should be repaired by the next time his lawn needs to be cut. Jim and his wife Jolene are good neighbors and I don’t mind doing the extra work for them.  Someday I’ll be old and using a walker and might need someone to help me.

Pam is really busy at work; the start of the fall semester ia always a busy time but this year seems to be busier than normal. I’ve finished my major projects at work for the year so now can concentrate on lower-priority tasks that need to be done but are more routine.

We have seen some aspen colors changing in the high country and some of the taller peaks have had a dusting of snow; fall appears to be arriving a bit early this year and winter won’t be far behind. We hope to get another couple loads of firewood home and a few more loads of slash taken to the burn pit before having to bring The Box home for the winter. The next few weeks at Sanderling will be quite busy.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

What we are learning about Colorado Western Slope real estate (not in resort areas) is educational.  If the property in question is in the $100,000 range, it is either 1) an older home (pre-WW II)  “fixer” with limited acreage, or 2) a mobile home with perhaps one acre +.  The $200,000 range gives the buyer the hope of some upgrades and some acreage; the home is generally still 30+ years old but mechanical and/or aesthetic improvements should have been made.  In the $300,000 range, there are mixed messages.  At $300,000+, homes should have a master bedroom with en suite bathroom, at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms, kitchen and bathroom updates, a garage, and the yard should be immaculate (no junk anywhere).  However, realtors are convincing sellers that 1-3 acres of property attached to the home puts that listing in the $300,000 range, regardless of the amenities one is expecting inside or the tidiness of the home and yard.  Not so much for buyers.  And that’s where our problem arises.

See?  We have been learning something along the way during the last nine months after all.

Happy Trails.