Listing again... See I told you the price was going up!!

After the well.  All 125 feet and 30 gallons per minute of Flowing Artesian goodness of it. Our realtor (Pam Seeking of Windermere) took a look at all of the other properties around and we made a decision on upping the price of the property. It is now on the market again. Please someone like our property and buy it.  It would make a really nice place to live. 

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/reb/4354470335.html

http://819nehughesrd.edgelistingpro.com/

http://youtu.be/YYATphr449Q

Flowing Artesian Well

Ryan and I finally faced facts that the whole well situation is probably pretty scary for someone looking at our land. The "unknown" nature of it all.

We had three different companies come out and take a look. Three different bids ( all a lot). We settled on  Don Pitner Jr.   Actually, settle is totally the wrong word. We LOVE this guy. He is right out of the dark ages and you can tell that drilling wells is his reason for living.

Don Pitner Jr.

We have another picture of him on the drilling rig. He looks like a Norman Rockwell painting and it's just so cool. He drilled down 60 feet and water was already coming out. It was snowing up there the day that he drilled, so we left him to his work. He called us that night and he had drilled down 125 feet and the water flow was at least 30 gallons/minute!! (WOW!!!). The well has positive pressure and the the water was flowing up to a foot to the top of the pipe all by itself.  The Artesian spring on the property has always had really tasty water and this well is no different. Our well guy gave birth to an "Artesian Well"

 By the next day the water had overflowed the pipe and Don was going to have to return and put a valve on the pipe as the water now has some pretty good pressure.This phenomenon is known as a "Flowing Artesian Well".  We are so excited for whoever buys our property because they are going to have awesome water!!

Time to get a realtor again because our Craigslist ad is just not doing much and our property just went up in price. Mainly because we just spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a well... but also because our well is a really good one!!

It's alive

Our dreams were starting to feel like they might not happen. Then I spoke to Heidi today.  Beautiful land... we might have found you a mother.  Stay tuned and enjoy the sunny weather everyone

Listing again...

A lot of conversation has happened and we took it upon ourselves to make a much better video with some footage that Ryan took and pictures we had over the years. We also decided to lower the price and offer a way better commission to Buyers Reps than our John L. Scott Realtor did.  Note to Donna:  when we talked to other realtors and told them that you only offerred 2-2.5% to other Realtors but were talking 7% for yourself, the universal response was that you are selfish. Maybe that is something you can take with you.

On another note, we always thought that your "video tour" was just lazy as it was simply a slideshow of still images. It only took me 5 minutes to make our first video on my phone and took Ryan a little longer to shoot his. In this day of YouTube, I don't think there is a valid reason for not actually having a tour video. Especially if it is one of the big "marketing" selling points. Just my two cents. Take it for what it is.

Here is our new video. 

The listing price will be $93,500 with a 3.5% commission to buyers reps. That still gives us room to negotiate, pay a decent commission and get out of the property what we have put in.




Enjoy!!

We have terminated our agreement with John L. Scott

There you are. Sometimes it is not ok to ask questions.

I made a video of our property while we I was up there the other day. Here it is:

Well that was fun... NOT Beware of overly emotional Real Estate Agents

Today is the 15th.  Today, after several unreturned phone calls on Sunday and Monday from our agent (Donna Roberts ) to their real estate agent (Tesha J. Perry).. we magically received a Recission form.  At this point... "whatever" was our reaction.

They rescinded their offer, but only after their agent had to be schooled by ours as to the fact that they had a signed contract with us and couldn't just "pass" on our property over the phone or in an email. Like we asked them to prom or something and they got a better offer so they tried breaking up with us over a text.  Stupid.. Tesha at several points, got personally upset (at least that was what her tone said in her emails that I read) at the negotiations and then she stopped answering her phone and ignored our agents attempts to work through the sticking points.  I haven't been around a lot of agents but the unprofessional attitude of their agent was a real turnoff for us.  Tesha doesn't seem to have a website in which I can post a review, so I decided to put one here on my blog.

This experience has made me rethink selling this property at all and that's too bad because we have to sell it in order to build our house.  Here's what went down from our side:

Our property went on the market for $97,500 with a full disclosure already filled out by us.  These people (The Mitchells) called our agent and were very excited. They went to see the land and were still excited so they found themselves an agent. Our agent spoke to the lady (Mrs. Mitchell) and was told that they understood that there had been no PERC and that we weren't sure about the well. "They budgeted for it" our agent told us.  Then came their offer.  I can't find the form because there was a lot of mail but I believe their initial offer was $85,000.  Almost $13,000 below our listing price of $97,500.  We countered with $93,500. THEN it was revealed that the buyers "forgot" to add in their offer that they had wanted us to pay both sides of the closing costs and their agent wanted to put that in there... too late.  At that point I was kind of over it with these "Mitchells".  Offer $3,000 less than appraised value and for the privilege of getting their offer, we should be thrilled to pay for their closing costs as well??  Nice.

We held firm at $93,500 and figured they would probably say "No Thanks". They accepted and there started 20 days of Due Dilligence.  Our eyes and ears on the ground (Hi Mike) didn't report seeing any activity on the property which we found kind of weird since they seemed to be in this major rush to get started.  12 days into their 20 days of Feasibility, Ryan and I got an email from Donna. The day before (??) she had received a demand from the buyer that we pay for a PERC test to be done on the property. We received this information and literally 15 minutes later we were on the phone with Donna and agreed to do this. We drove to her office and signed the form and met with her. We received some advice about how to protect ourselves.  Since the buyer knew even before they got their agent that there was no PERC test, this was a surprise.  Ryan and I have purchased two land parcels in the last 3 years and neither of them had PERC tests, so we were not aware that this was something that we had to have done. It certainly wasn't omitted just to piss off our buyers or their overly emotional agent. We hadn't gotten around to doing one before we decided to build our house elsewhere. No offense. It's kind of funny how offended their agent got. Tesha, maybe you should start taking tranquilizers if you can't control yourself. seriously gal... not cool.

Why did Tesha get so upset?  Well... the buyer never put down a single cent of earnest $.  Ryan and I, in our two land deals, put down earnest $ when we made the offer. The Mitchells didn't want to risk their money and, at our realtors suggestion, our response to their demand that we have a PERC test done AND to extend the feasibility period to accommodate the PERC results... we asked them to put their earnest money down and to release it when the PERC passed.  Oh boy, Tesha got her panties in a wad over that one.

What we didn't understand is that apparently "The Mitchells" were in over their heads and their realtor wasn't very good at hiding it.  Day one, we would have been happy to pay for the PERC test. Day 12, it seemed like they were looking for ways to delay the process.  Day 14, with Tesha's "emotional" response and then outright avoiding our realtor to negotiate the release of the earnest money it became obvious that for whatever reason they didn't want the property anymore.  Maybe they couldn't borrow enough money. Maybe they didn't like our agent. Maybe they changed their minds. Whatever the reason.. they didn't have to get weird. They had 20 days and there was no reason to start making demands and then become outraged that we had a counter demand.  Too much drama. Too much childish emotion. I put in a call to Mrs. Mitchell today to try and just talk to her without the drama of her agent clouding the waters. Unreturned. At least I tried to treat her like a person. It seems clear that some wires may have gotten crossed this week. Lesson learned... maybe you get the agent that you deserve.

Good luck "Mitchells"  Good riddance Tesha J. Perry.  We did everything that you asked of us and were happy to do so. I am sorry that we expected your "clients" to be serious and whatever that was, it seemed like if it wasn't the PERC test, it would have been something else, something minor,  The fact remains that our property is really nice and we wish that my job hadn't taken us elsewhere but it did. Sorry.  I hope that your unprofessional actions catch up with you Tesha J. Perry. Your profession is largely based on reputation and as far as I saw from your own emails... maybe being a real estate agent isn't your calling.

That said.. the PERC was done today and it's looking like it will approve with no hiccups.  I got a solid answer about our well.  It is a typical well found in the rural areas of Clark County.  Chances are that current codes won't allow it to be used. So our property doesn't have a well. We bought it that way and Ryan is pretty adamant that we aren't drilling a well just to sell it. That could change but that's how it is for now.

SOLD!! (?) We'll know in 18 days

After two weeks listed and a tough, nail biting negotiation... we have accepted an offer for the property.

The money will put us dead even for what we paid and money we spent on the parcel.  We will be able to zero out our line of credit and have enough money to start building Phase I of the house next spring in Kalama.

Cross your fingers that their DD finishes.  We have been very transparent in regards to everything we know about the property. It is as we bought it, with a lot more sunlight and a lot less blackberries.

Have a great day everyone!!

Ready to list... for the most part

Ryan and I cut as much of those trees as our yard (and several other people's woodpiles) could handle. What is left is a small log and a larger one on the west side of the property. Consider that a gift of firewood from us to the next owners.  :)

Here it is folks, freshly mowed and ready to list.

In a nutshell (standing on the north boundary)

The east is bounded by a driveway

The north boundary is also a driveway with Hughes road in the distance.

The east side of the plot.

Right tree is on the lower end, left tree in the middle of the plot.

The well has been there a long time. The people before us dug a small pond for the Artesian Spring to flow into. Lots of birds and frogs there.

The well. Shallow dug and like a lot of plots out here, not certified. The water is very good though.

Cleanup

It finally stopped raining!!

The blackberries kind of took over the pond and the willow tree last year, so Ryan and I rented a 20 yard container from H&H ($250 for a week. MUCH CHEAPER than Triangle Resources who acted like we were bothering them when we asked how much [$220 for 2 days] ).

The empty container. Russ the driver was really nice  :)

We spent a total of about 6 hours and filled the whole thing!! It was getting dark when we left but these are the photos that Ryan took when we were done.

The tree to the south of the pond.

View from the west towards the NE. The felled trees are on the left and the power pole is visible next to our car.

We will be going back up this Sunday to buck up the rest of the felled trees and get them out of there. Looking for a Real Estate agent. Excited to hand this land off to someone to build their dream home on.  It really is a nice piece of land and we are sad that we aren't moving here.

TTFN

Paige and Ryan

Feb 2013 update

We pulled the trigger on the Kalama idea.

Only 10 min. from the boat, we had to. So we will not be moving to Washougal and are going to be listing this property. We've been devoting our limited non-work time towards cutting up the felled trees and donating the firewood to various people who need the wood. Our neighbor, Mike, is keeping the lawn in tact and will be bringing up a yard debris dumpster to collect the various scraps before listing.

Washougal would have been a wonderful place to live and we hope to find a buyer for our plot. We were unable to find anything comparable in Kalama but we found something that will work with just a little redesign.

Wish us luck! We will create a new blog when we are ready to dig. Slated as always, Spribg 2014

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!

Ryan and I have been busy at work ( as usual ). Do I ever say that we aren't busy?  This week was a particularly difficult one because I started a job in Kalama a few months ago. It is going really well, so well in fact that we have been trying to figure out what to do.  The commute from Washougal will be over an hour to this job and the job is PT.  We spent this week looking around and not finding another piece of property.  We love the parcel in Washougal. We love the nice, normal neighbors that it has and the solar exposure and the good schools and cell access, etc...

Just not the commute that I will have.  We don't know what the future holds for my job but if the right property presents itself, we might not build in Washougal.  Stay tuned....

Status: November 2012

Another month has gone by and we are currently busy doing support activities for the new house here at home. Today we get our truck back after a tranny rebuild (she was having a hard time getting up the hill to the site) and Ryan just replaced a bearing in his car as well.  We are both working at our jobs and paying the property loan down as quickly as possible.  Still shooting for Spring 2014 ground breaking.

Chicken Apocalypse 2

On a sad note, we lost one of our chickens (Paige Jr.) in the last two weeks. Once the duck project had ended (with Bob's untimely demise and Mabel's adoption to another family), we had been pretty much letting them do what they wanted. They roosted high in their home and woke up as well as put themselves to bed. No more getting up at 7AM to open the enclosure. We thought we had gotten sooooo lucky.  Was not to be.

One day we went out and I couldn't find PJ. She was kind of a little bitch. 

Aside: Here is where I would totally volunteer that she was just like her Mom in that sense but that isn't true. We named her PJ because she was kind of always off doing her own thing, just like me. Also, she wasn't afraid to be herself, again, just like me. She was complicated. That was something that I liked about her.

Her partner was around and not giving us any clues. There were some feathers in the greenhouse but PJ had started to molt, so alarm bells didn't immediately go off.  We looked and looked and it was me that found her. Something came into the greenhouse, snatched her off her roost. By the amount of feathers, we were able to piece together her last, violent moments. I am proud that she fought so hard to escape and I know that if there is such a thing as chicken heaven, that she is there. Her body was hidden under a ramp, her head was chewed, her eyes gone and her body ripped to pieces.  A neighbor came out told us that she had heard a loud commotion that woke her up and sounded like "geese" but she did not investigate because she was home alone (and she did not come knock on our door to tell us either).  It's not that we could have saved her. In fact, if we had been outside when it happened, it might have been like that time the squirrel got into the wood stove and I lit the stove not knowing it was in there. Watching something tragic happen and being able to do nothing about it.  No, I mean that it would have been nice to have been with her so that she didn't die alone. That was the worst part for me.

PJ and No Name in a favorite spot

We buried her in the yard next to Bob. Then of course, Otis decided that a new patch of dirt was perfect to roll around in for a few days.  :) Either way, we adopted two new chickens that looked like they came from a concentration camp. All three are now happily hanging out together in the yard everyday. We go out every night and close them in after dark and every morning, I have returned to getting up with the sun to open it up again. A small price to pay so that we don't have to bury another one.

Ryan says that pets are just a tragedy in waiting. Do you agree?  I look around and our life is so full of joy in ways that the people in my life have never provided, save a small handful. One of these posts I'll tell you all about Cleo. She is the "special needs" kitten that Ryan brought home a couple of months ago.  I don't think that she will ever stop being entertaining.

Is it fall yet??

Mid-October and we finally had our first rain.  Really?  I can't recall that ever happening before. Our 1000 water tank was down to the last 50 gallons and we waited patiently for the rain all throughout September and it never came.

My birthday is in late August and there are two constants to that date throughout my life: 1) there is always a horror movie playing in theaters (and I was tempted to drag Ryan to it as I have so many birthday party attendees in the past) and 2) my friend Stacey always calls or texts me a "Happy Birthday". So while those two things remain constant in my life, the weather certainly hasn't.

It was blistery hot every day until my birthday and we needed that time because the new roof took more than 20 minutes to install. In fact, if you ever get a near toothless man recommended to work for you by a supplier. My advice it to take it.  Don looked like he had led an imaginably hard life and I think this was a tremendous growth opportunity for Ryan. On looks alone, it was hard at first to have faith that this man would help us. Soon enough though his honest approach, tirelessness and amazing abilities won us over.  If anyone who reads this needs a man to help them install a roof, please let us know as Don comes with our highest possible recommendation.

Back to the point I was making... The day after my birthday it suddenly became fall. Crazy. From so warm that you can't sleep to crisp and chilly. In one day.  We are truly blessed to live in this part of the country. Now we just needed rain. Although I secretly was hoping for a little more time to get some painting done.

We waited with breathless anticipation for the first rainfall to test our work. As of this writing, 5 days of rain have fallen and every single leak has been addressed. Yea!!

We also proved to ourselves that we can work together on a project and our marriage will survive. I realize that a roof is not quite a house, but our communication and abilities to work as a cohesive team have been steadily improving over the years and were tested mightily on this project. Sometimes having two capable people is a hinderance (sometimes it isn't)  however, it is a tribute to my beautiful husband that he doesn't stop trying.  Thank you Ryan  :)

Isn't she pretty?

Don wrapped the peaks, so she looks like a present.  :)

October 2012 Update

Hi everyone...

Ryan and I are gearing up for winter at our home. Not much at all being done about the house since we are stretching it out a year.   I started a new job last month and am almost done with my exams to get a license that I need.  Ryan and I will work on our drawings as we get the motivation to. We still go up to the property every so often and Mike is doing s terrific job cutting the grass for us.

Things we need to do:

1) Perc test (to be done next summer)
2) redraw drawings as a result of the last meeting between Chuck and Ryan (eliminate some windows and other passive housey type things).

At this point, I am honestly not sure if we are in the counties pilot program any longer. They have a 5 year deadline which we will be unable to make.

We are putting this down for now and hope to break ground by 2014 but if we don't... that's ok too. We are very busy throwing as much money towards this project as we can afford to and as soon as we have enough to get a good, running start, we will start paying attention to how to navigate the hoops. In the meantime, you all have our contact info if you need to convey needed information to us about this project.

TTFN

Paige and Ryan

Update. AUGUST 14. Where we've been

For the last 5 weeks, Ryan and I have been tearing off the roof of our 1939 home. The new roof comes tomorrow and should be on the house by Monday. 

In the meantime, we have met with Chuck Dougherty and gotten started collecting all of the nigglibits that are going to be required in addition to our plans. We might be in this stage for a few months so check back later. Otherwise, full steam ahead paying down the property and getting ready for next year. We feel that we are still on track to break ground next spring and are not panicking.

The ball starts to roll

On Monday morning, Ryan and I have an actual meeting with an actual, live person!!

Chuck Dougherty ( Form Studio,
Creating Innovative Built Environments
360.573.8082 ) is going to give our plans the once over and give his opinion as to how we are doing. With his input we will be able to complete our packet and turn it in for review. Chuck is essential in the counties green program, so we feel lucky to have his attention.

To prepare for the meeting we need to get our list together for the Petals. If I can get through Chapter 4 in my PHP MySQL class today, I should be able to make that happen.

*** Note to anyone who is interested: once you get your WAMP environment set up on your Windows machine, don't mess with the settings ( even if you are trying to learn something). I totally broke mySQL in AAMPP last night. An uninstall, regedit search and several repeats of a fresh install ( even in safe mode) did not fix it . The AMP stacks on the Mac are a lot more forgiving I am finding.

Changing the root password manually on some of this open source is dangerous business. Had to go with another WAMP stack. That's 4 hours I'll never get back, so I'm behind.

Will update again after our meeting for next steps...

Roof Square Footage Update

Ryan got the roof plan done today and we have final numbers for rain water collection

The main house and garage combined are at 3198 sq.feet. Which, for our purposes equates to 3198 * .55 = gallons per inch of rainfall. ( see House Elements page above).

This is good news because we will have the capacity to collect more water than we would ever use during the rainy period and have no troubles during the summer. The plan us still for a cistern between 10 and 15,000 gallons.

Cheers!!

Checking In

For those of you who don't live in Washougal, you may not know that they are working on the road. For 15 weeks we will not be able to go the direct route to the property. We might not get there all summer. Ryan is finishing the basement and roof plans now. I have to finish the Petal information. We just had a giant project thrust upon us at work so we are now " officially" behind schedule. 

More later

Checking in... Memorial Day 2012

Well... here it is, Memorial Day weekend. I am going to try and work but am torn between wanting to give my extremely overwhelmed 4x+ a week, brain time to catch up some more VS taking a break so that I don't burn out. I don't know why but every task, no matter how small, seems so daunting. It's hard not to feel like I am disappointing everyone. Maybe I took too big a first step. I've never been a quitter so I am crossing my fingers and hugging Ryan a lot these days.

To take me away from my quandary, Ryan and I decided to gas the truck up ( $3.89 a gallon with our Safeway card), which led us to the property. Here's a photo or two. We are very humbled by the task ahead and excited to start the adventure.