Been many years since I jumped into one of those. On the same chassis is the more practical Baja Bug. Lots of them around pretty cheap. Closed up to keep out the dust. Though I don't think you can get AC in one.
I always wanted a VW Thing. Just never bought one. Better if you have 4 people.
I don't think those have enough spare power to make the AC operable I suspect a nice one of those wouldn't cost more than a fancy new ATV - probably better long term resale value, too, and just as easy to have repaired.
I don't think those have enough spare power to make the AC operable I suspect a nice one of those wouldn't cost more than a fancy new ATV - probably better long term resale value, too, and just as easy to have repaired.
Still have the Lexus. I leave a trickle charger on it. We drive it the 3 miles to Church on Sundays. We pick people up and need the extra room. We could use the Touareg but the Lexus needs to be run now and then.
The eb-5 program is interesting. As the saying goes Money Talks and BS walks.
I was surprised this place sold in less than a month. They bought for $65k in 1997 and sold for $682,500. It is old and dated kind of like a little ghetto back in the woods. I think ours would bring $800k considering what is selling all around us. This is on a busy road less than a mile from me.
I think for a baja, you might want to build it yourself, or at least manage the build. Too much room for an abused car out there. But they will be cheap - donor car shouldn't be more than a couple grand, and the parts aren't exactly high tech.
If you ever think of selling that old barge, let me know, I might have a buyer in mind (me). I think really pristine first gen LS will eventually be a special interest car, as nice ones are getting hard to come by. Not especially valuable, but a nice pairing with a MB of the era. People who remember the 90s in their youth will appreciate the car. Storage might be an issue, but something like that is just on this side of being young enough to be a practical daily driver.
The visa thing is BS talks, IMO. For all of the hypocrites who whine about vetting and "law and order", there sure isn't any of it when it comes to the origins of that money. The west coast is now the haven for money laundering, and I wonder how much of this stuff goes though any kind of AML review, and how strictly OFAC style data is reviewed. This is the desired destination for corrupt officials trying to get out before the axe falls at home. As we are now slowly turning towards corrupt oligocracy, maybe it makes sense.
I wonder if that place near you will be rezoned and developed. A few tract mcmansions or maybe multi family stuff could fit, if you don't have commercial or industrial zoning there. Looks like a good spot for a junkyard - that hokey 70s western style gate/arch thing is amusing. Still, in the city where I live, that much money will get you 1500 sq ft, 50+ years old, minor renovations if lucky, 7500 sq ft lot - and that's not on the trendy side of town. The old fashioned American dream here has ceased to exist without family help (I built it myself!), sketchy money, or soul destroying commutes.
Still have the Lexus. I leave a trickle charger on it. We drive it the 3 miles to Church on Sundays. We pick people up and need the extra room. We could use the Touareg but the Lexus needs to be run now and then.
The eb-5 program is interesting. As the saying goes Money Talks and BS walks.
I was surprised this place sold in less than a month. They bought for $65k in 1997 and sold for $682,500. It is old and dated kind of like a little ghetto back in the woods. I think ours would bring $800k considering what is selling all around us. This is on a busy road less than a mile from me.
Building is somewhat restricted where I am at. No sewer so all have to have Septic tanks. The 19 acres next to me was at one time given the go ahead for 14 lots. They let it expire and now the county says no splitting. They already allowed too many homes on our dead-end road. We don't have Natural Gas so it is all electric or propane.
The main reason I would get a VW based off road vehicle is the ride. Funny no one has built a suspension that works any better than the old VW Bug on washboard and rough roads. Most off road buggies are built on that design. Subaru leads the way on hot engines. My neighbor's Subaru dune buggy is 900 HP. Scary fast.
I look at the silver lining with all that ill got gain in China ending up in the USA. Most of it came from here to start with.
I wonder what someone wants to do with that land. I assume the house has no real value. Seems like a lot of money for a lot that distant to town.
Beetles are remarkable vehicles. the Model T of a different place and time. They can be made into anything, and tuned to do anything. You should get a baja, you'd look pretty cool cruising around your eventual desert community in one of those. Maybe put a modern diesel engine in it.
It is amusing that the monies made from junk sold here comes back to buy houses - but we lose the property, and now on much of the west coast, the old American dream isn't so possible for younger people anymore. It benefits a lot of people who already had it fairly good, and the well connected and coddled industries revolving around housing. And maybe the worst part, it makes us as a partner in the corruption, which makes sense as we become more intertwined with Russia and China.
The upper middle class Chinese buying here want more than just to own in the Land or the Free. They want to have their kids here to establish citizenship. They can then use our education system etc. Being well to do does not go well with the Communist system. I am surprised so many get out with so much money.
Yes the VW designed by Porsche is still one of the best designs ever. Take a VW based dune buggy across the desert at 70 MPH and you will be convinced. A Jeep or PU will beat you to death doing that. I know, I have driven all of them. The most fun is a motorcycle set up for the desert. I am getting too old for that.
Something strange going on with the 19 acre lot next to me. It is listed as 10 acres with the old house that is rented out. Could be a typo by the agent. However it is a very nice piece of property. I would imagine the old lady that has owned it for decades is tired of paying the high taxes. Up to $15k this year. My wife says we need to get out of here before someone buys it and manages to build houses that would block our view of the ocean 35 miles away.
Many of them also want a place to park ill-gotten gains, and a way to get out in case things overheat at home (I think there's a good chance China will face some turmoil as the chasm is still tremendous there). It's not communist, it is a totalitarian kleptocracy. Most of that money would land you in jail if you made it the same way here. They couldn't care less about the land of the free, I think - the market here is more open than most, and easier to get into, as I don't believe our government performs any real vetting. I can't say I am a fan of it, as there's now a generation, and more in the future, for which detached home ownership in west coast employment centers is simply not possible without being born lucky. Oh well, more money to piss away on cars and toys I guess
I wouldn't want a motorcycle in the city there anyway - I refuse to ride around where I live, way too dangerous with such poor drivers and lack of enforcement aside from speed. I don't have much of an interest in desert hopping, but it could be nice cruising on flat dry sunny roads in an old car.
Doesn't the old lady owner qualify to pay taxes based on her purchase price, not the value? I thought CA had something like that. I am pretty sure there are senior citizen rates in WA, my grandmother's house would carry a hefty tax bill, but I think she pays a fraction of it, as she's been there 50+ years, and a house that cost 2.5 years salary now costs 6. I suspect I would agree with your wife. Cash in on windfall equity and move somewhere more enjoyable.
I am in Vancouver right now. I stopped by an estate sale this morning, as it was near where I was headed, and I like looking for odd junk. The sale was a bust, nothing I wanted that I could have hauled home, but the house was amusing.
It's that insane here. The house was aged, in a nice but not the best neighborhood, on a decent sized but not huge lot. Incomes here are no higher than Seattle, if not lower purchasing power. But there's an ample supply of no-questions-asked outside money, so here we are. The house was kind of sad as it wouldn't be replaceable with modern standards. Too nicely finished. Leaded glass, built ins, beautiful inlaid hardwood floors - it'll all be sent to the dump.
Doesn't the old lady owner qualify to pay taxes based on her purchase price, not the value? I thought CA had something like that. I am pretty sure there are senior citizen rates in WA
My wife wondered about that also. She has owned since 1992 so with prop 13 they can raise the appraisal 2% each year. She lives in another part of San Diego. So she may not get prop 13 on this property. County still shows it as 19.39 acres. So not sure about the 10 acre listing. It has a big for sale sign out front by the road for the 10 years we have lived here. Shows a plat map with 14 lots. Nothing in the county records, so I don't think they ever got past the planning dept. I think the new rules for septic is 2.5 acres. It is a pretty piece of land that just keeps taking money from the owner. Not sure how much they rent that dump of a house for. The current renter seems to be collecting old junker cars. Not a great site. May have to call the county. That is forbidden.
That Vancouver property is INSANE. I did not think people made that kind of money up there? Is it all to grab the Chinese buyers? I like Vancouver Island and Victoria BC. I would not even venture into the city. We flew direct to the island and rented a car for a week. Really liked the area around Sidney and the airport. Little farms were not that much money 12 years ago.
Down here old homes with nice woodwork, doors and glass get salvaged. Roofing, bricks, blocks and siding go to Mexico.
Rocky is always whining how much better life would be in Canada or Norway. So I posted that place in BC and told him to bring truck loads of money if he was going to live in Canada. He said Toronto was his dream place. I pulled up a quick example of Toronto RE. It is just about as bad as the Vancouver.
I can see why investment property wouldn't qualify for the tax break. It should be owner-occupied only. Other than that, one should get to handle the responsibilities associated with their windfall ROI. If I had a big piece of land, some junky old cars would be finding their way to me too
People don't make that kind of money in Vancouver or Toronto. Income to price/mortgage ratios are insane. It's not local money at play - condos in Vancouver are often not much more expensive than Seattle, rents as well. There's a fetish for detached housing that has attracted offshore money. Another sad part is that the places often sit idle and empty for months or years after purchase - it happens here too. IMO there should be a significant tax for offshore buyers (more than the pittance Vancouver recently enacted), and onerous penalties if said buyers let property sit vacant for extended periods.
I can see Toronto being expensive, it is the financial and corporate center of Canada. It has been the NYC of Canada for 150 years, and like Vancouver, attracts offshore speculators. Vancouver is more of a regional city though, it doesn't have massive native industries like Seattle. It has gobs of undocumented money flowing in, more than anything else. Now it is kind of the LA of Canada, but without the native industries. I suspect local authorities are too nosy and restrictive in those areas for you, and the cost of living is not low.
I suppose the doors or glass may be salvaged, but I don't think there's a lot one can do with tile, nailed in flooring and trim, etc. Mass market housing quality is really depressing when you compare it to older places.
Rocky should know that no place is perfect. Canada is great but has loads of its own issues. Same for Norway. If I was to move to Canada, Toronto would not be my first pick, it would only be on my list if I was independently wealthy - and the harsh weather alone might still nix it.
PS on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
PS on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
PS on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
LOL wow, that was surprising. I was smirking that the living spaces were like a 90s time warp, and then the 50s diner thing came out of nowhere. Must have been built by a boomer with a lot of idle time and money. I think a lot of that stuff is repro/fantasy items, but if it floats your boat, no doubt better to buy it already completed than go down the rabbit hole of building it yourself.
I don't know if I would want to run an antique shop, unless it was some kind of labor of love. I think that business has declined a bit since ebay and CL, unless one is dealing in really high end stuff, or selling to decorators. My parents were hobbyist antique dealers when I was a kid , and sold out of an antique mall. 25 years ago, antique malls were everywhere here, now they are much less common.
Speaking of houses for sale, I like the style of this - way out of my budget, of course, but maybe if my employer triples my salary I could get that mortgage. Iffy siting though - lot looks smaller than it is, good zipcode but close to a major highway and akward to get to. Still a cool house, but maybe one that won't be restored.
The Belleview house is very nice for sure. It is the prices that blow me away. A bunch of us meet every Friday morning for coffee etc. One of the guys just got back from Phoenix. He won tickets to the final 4 March Madness games. He spent a week over there with family. They went out looking at homes. You can buy a brand new 4,000 sq ft home in a senior subdivision for $363k. Jon is a retired builder. He said no way he could build that house here for that much, not counting property and permits. The couple they went with are moving to PHX. A fraction of the cost to live here.
The gingerbread house on Mercer Island is cute. I can see a young yuppie couple owning that place. One of the things that turned me off buying in Oregon besides the eternal rain was the houses themselves. Seems no one builds ranch style homes up there. One of the pluses for us with Pahrump is all the homes are single level. Much better the older you get. If one of us had to be in a wheel chair it would be no problem.
As for the hobby house full of 1950s retro. I can't see my self using that space. Heating and cooling 5500 ft is not going to be cheap even in Pahrump. A wealthy family with teens might find that place fun to own. If it is still on the market our next trip, I will check it out. I talked to a contractor about adding a large shop/garage if we buy a place without one. He can match this finished inside for about $40k. With an acre lot no problem getting permits.
No shortage of homes in the $230k to $280k range I could add a nice shop to. I would add a vault for guns and valuables to protect from fire and theft. This would be nice to have.
Those prices represent the trendy parts of the PNW, just don't ask where some of the money comes from. I don't know if I would want a house even close to 4000 sq ft if I was getting older and maybe not as limber. To me, that's the time to live in a bungalow or even a condo. No grounds maintenance, less security issues. But maybe as I have spent my adult life in apartments and a condo, I am just not that into it (affordability is an issue, too). I also wonder about a big cheap house, probably not the epitome of quality materials.
There are many ranch and rambler houses here, but many aren't in the most densely populated areas, as they require more land. My grandma's neighborhood, once considered a bedroom community and now just on the edge, is 50s-60s ranch houses on quarter acre to half acre lots. Developers in the area now put houses twice the size on lots half the size, and charge three times as much compared to incomes. And people snap it up.
A big garage like that for 40K might be a nice investment, yes. That would be the key benefit to a detached house for me, a nice garage. I think in many of those areas, and in many here, protection and a home CCTV setup would be necessities.
Let me tell you what my wife and I look for when going through a home for sale. First no more than a door sill from the garage to the house. Second WIDE short halls, for easy access with a wheel chair. Bathrooms with large showers. One thing we hate are sunken tubs. Getting out of them is dangerous for older people. Vinyl windows are the only way to go. I would discount a home with wood or metal frame windows. Double or triple pain help with heat and AC. As for the garage, I would not build one for a Motorhome like the above. That just happens to be close to the Contractors home for reference. 30x40 with 10 foot walls would be my specs. I want at least 8 ft Overhead doors. I hated our last house that my Suburban would not fit in the garage. It was called a two car garage and it was so narrow you could not open both doors without hitting the other vehicle or the walls. BIG garages are a must have. This place came back on the market and is a good buy. I like the garages and the carport. The remodel is a bit on the black and white. But my wife likes it.
I wouldn't want a sunken tub at any age - maintenance chore, and it wouldn't be used enough to justify the expense. I do like nice or original windows though. Seeing vinyl windows on an old house irks me, when they often toss out or sell the hand made irreplaceable original windows. I don't believe the energy savings justify the cost, not to mention changing the character of the house. I think in some of the preserved neighborhoods in southern CA, window upgrades aren't allowed, as they actually harm surrounding property values. But if it is a 1990s tract house, update away.
My parents got into the old house thing a couple times when I was growing up. One was a lovely brick tudor house that needed little work and was a charming place, with immense detail. An older traditional house from around 1910 needed more work - I remember a couple plumbing issues, it had a large chimney with a couple of fireplaces, which in one section was iffy, and the basement would leak in heavy rain. We only stayed in that one for a few years, I think it frustrated my dad. I do like some of these "time capsule" houses - and I am not into decorating, but I appreciate quality, and I think it is easier found in the past.
I'd like a 3 car garage with extra room for working or bikes, etc. What gets me here is when I see million dollar places in trendy areas with no garage - but some of them are just teardowns. That house you link doesn't look bad. The style reminds me of something from Florida, I like the tile roof, and the garage space looks amazing. The land alone would be worth over a million here, but it would be used to build 8-10 tract boxes sold to some the lucky and money launderers. It is kind of generic inside, but looks updated. Offer 300 and see what happens
Windows in old houses many times were painted shut. I like opening on nice days to air out the place. The worst are Anderson wood frame windows. Very expensive with way too much shrinkage and expansion. We had them in our house in Alaska and I hated them. Every time after a rain they would not open. Aluminum work ok, just ugly. Vinyl in a new home is the only way to go. Best with triple pane glass.
The house on Winchester is laid out nicely. When you google it and look across the street you can see why it has not sold. It was bought on foreclosure last year and looks like they spruced it up to flip. I think $300k would buy it. Maybe even less come summer time. Plus with new Federal money coming into further study the Yucca Mt nuclear repository, home values may come down further. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-nuclear-idUSKBN16N0D5
There have been times in my life when fixing up a vintage house was on my agenda. I am too old now to get involved. Simple house new enough to not need lots of maintenance. I must admit I got those feelings when this place in Coquille Oregon came on the market. So much of the nice woodwork from a hundred years ago. And for Oregon a very good price.
I've heard of painted windows, but haven't seen them. In the older of the two old houses, I remember a couple windows were sealed by the prior owner because of drafts - which seems silly, and I doubt it was really drafty. I think it is sometimes imagined, due to the single pane glass. One can then spend 10K+ to replace it all, and save $10/month average in utility cost - hope one wants to stay there. The next owner of that house removed most of the old windows, but I think they left the leaded glass ones. My grandma's early 60s ranch has all of its original aluminum windows, and she'd be silly to replace them - too much expense and no ROI. The house is a turn-key time warp anyway, and with wood doors and hardwoods throughout, replacement cost would be high even if the basic style of the house is more quant retro than trendy.
No doubt the Winchester house is a flip. If the market gets soft, it might warrant an offer - flippers often get in over their heads, and need cash flow even if they take a loss. That old house in Oregon reminds me of a larger version of the old traditional house we lived in. I remember it also had wainscoting, built-ins, lots of wood trim, etc. I like the box beam ceilings in that too - that wood would cost an immense amount of money to replicate today. Looks like it needs a bit of work though - just like with cars, I'd rather buy a mostly finished project.
My mother's 1920s bungalow hasn't had updates in 25 years, and hasn't been perfectly maintained. I've suggested to her that when the time comes, she buy a new manufactured home and move to a senior park. No maintenance worries, as my siblings and I aren't available much to help her out, and she doesn't have a million dollars to pour into an old place. She doesn't embrace the idea yet though, still too young.
The intensity of the competition this spring has surprised even sellers like Kathleen Mulcahy, a 37-year-old product manager in Seattle.
Within a week of listing her one-bedroom, one-bath condo, Mulcahy received 21 offers - all above her asking price of $398,000. Most of the offers came with built-in triggers to automatically rise in case a rival bidder sweetened a bid. In the end, she accepted an offer of $500,000 - all cash.
If you only make $250k a year in Palo Alto, you could get housing subsidy.
The city council has voted to study a housing proposal that would essentially subsidize new housing for what qualifies as middle-class nowadays, families making from $150,000 to $250,000 a year.
Randy Bean says while she still loves her Palo Alto neighborhood, she can’t help but notice the changes that are making it unrecognizable.
“I just find it kind of sad that we are reducing ourselves to this small profile of young, rich, mostly white, mostly tech. It’s not the community that I moved into 33 years ago,” Bean said.
And now, as a documentary film producer, she says she can’t afford to stay here.
Some of the small two-bedroom, one-bath homes on her block are worth between $1.5 and $2 million – as teardowns. That’s just what the dirt is worth.
I can see an outcry for it. If a household income is 150K and there are 2 kids, they aren't buying that 1.5MM "starter home". The old American dream has changed or evaporated. In the same vein as the situation here - a lot of people have a nice income around 100K, but the average detached house in my town is around 750K, I think - I wouldn't want that mortgage hanging over me, if I could even get it at all. Those with help from mommy and daddy may be immune.
IMO offshore transactions should be taxed, with funds to help infrastructure. We need to get something out of it, as nobody will dare try to vet the source of the money.
This house for rent? I was looking around online and trying to find gaming houses/team recruitment etc. Does anyone have any experience with this and know anywhere to find opportunities, or do I just have to slog through forums until I find them.
At least it is pretty. I like the first shot, and you get a lot of land. No doubt there's future potential for that place, as a small resort or subdivided.
It is being marketed as a company retreat etc. Notice the difference in taxes? WA has no income tax, but makes up for it with property tax. I like the first one. So many nice places that are out of my pocket book range. After 3 days here we are sure we would not move here. It has gotten crazy crowded with lots of poor hippy types. The cost of food has gotten outrageous. Last trip about 6 years ago five papayas for a buck. Now best price at farm stands is a buck a piece. Nice local baked bread $6.50 a loaf. Spring water $3 per gallon. Using purified for coffee. Rent is not as bad as CA, and most places you don't need heat or AC. Still you are a captive of the airlines and that ain't cheap either. I may go look at this place. Five miles from a nice beach and five miles from groceries.
Of course, there is a lot more infrastructure to fund here than in semi-rural places, whether they be in a low population area like HI, or a low amenity area like TX. We're full up here, with crowded resources, and people keep streaming in. If I had 20MM to blow on a house, I doubt it would be here.
The latest HI house you link has a more appealing price anyway, and doesn't look bad. Would you want something so big, or actually use it as a B&B?
I don't see us getting a two story place where ever we end up. Most of the places we are interested in are 2500-3000 sq ft on one level. Only way we would own a two story is if one of our children lived with us to care for us in our old age. No way do I want a business like a B&B. I think Pahrump is looking better all the time. The humidity is higher this time of year here. We always came in Fall to early Spring. No place is perfect.
I wouldn't want something so big, too much to maintain, especially if I was retired and maybe trying to simplify the hoard. Work around the house isn't fun - I can see therapeutic value in gardening, but not in cleaning house or maintaining a large building.
Pahrump might be easier from a budget and transportation standpoint - easier and cheaper for family to visit, easier for you to visit them, just hit the road.
That is exactly my thinking. Las Vegas is much less expensive to fly in and out of than San Diego. Driving is always a hassle going through Los Angeles. We use all 5 bedrooms now. One is an office, 2 is for the kids stuff, 3 is wife's sewing etc, 4th guest bedroom, and the master bedroom. You would not believe the traffic here. Not like So CA, but more than I like. Most of the highways are 35-45 MPH. Most people drive 60 while you always get behind the rusted out Subaru going 35. Going in to see our realtor this morning. Going to put our last piece of property here on the market. We are not likely to build on it. Just keep paying taxes and HOA fees.
The cost of homes on the Kona side of the Big Island have really jumped the last few years. Whole subdivisions of mega million dollar homes all along the coast line.
I wonder who is buying them, offshore black money types, or house-rich FIRE sector boomer types selling out and retiring? Maybe a mix of both. Funny that prime waterfront on glamorous Lake Washington costs that much. I have no desire for a mega mansion like those things, too much work, and you hit the point of diminishing returns in terms of square footage at a fraction of the size of those behemoths.
Just amazing to me. I think we are settled now on the desert. Pahrump seems the best choice over all. Low traffic and COL. Maintain our McMansion lifestyle for about half the cost. If it gets too hot in the Summer rent a condo along the Oregon coast.
The desert is probably a good choice - many in western WA retire to arid eastern WA, and I think that will continue to be a trend. Places where 250K can buy a very nice place indeed (and half that can still buy something decent enough) - the lucky generations can cash out here, buy that 250K place, and have a nice income from investing the remainder even at a nominal ROI.
That first house wouldn't be bad for me, but it is too small for a family, and on a sometimes busy street. That's what almost a million dollars gets you here.
If I had decent rent I would not buy. I have done ok buying and selling homes. I would not do it to generate revenue. I go places and think that is where I want to live. Then go another time of year and decide maybe not. I would not leave where I am now if not for the direction CA is taking. They have HUUUGE debt and will screw the homeowners to pay the interest. The state doles out the property tax money to the cities and counties. They have cut our local schools to cover their enormous pension debt. Crime is on the rise even in the rural areas. Time to bail out.
That has been the pattern for a long time. They flow into CA from the East and Midwest. Those leaving head to Oregon and WA. Many are leaving now for jobs in TX. Retiring in AZ is popular. Our best friends informed us today they are moving to Yuma AZ. They want to be fairly close to son and grandson with much lower COL. This is comparable to their home here only $400k less. They need to cut their expenses down.
It'll be similar here - come here to work, but retire elsewhere unless you are quite lucky/affluent and want to deal with the crowds and high cost of living. That Yuma house is priced similar to inland cities here, something like that is perfectly adequate for most people. If only the jobs were there.
Arizona is not known for high wage jobs. When half the population is retired. You know most of the jobs will be catering to a bunch of cheap retirees living on a fixed income. Yuma is also 60% Hispanic and 34% white. Higher crime than most of the state. Not on my list. I suppose a 55 plus gated community would be sort of ok for some. My friends included. Headed back to Pahrump in the heat of the Summer to see if we survive.
Sometimes the cost of living is low for a reason. I don't know if I would ever want to live in an area where a gated community is required - to me it is a sign of societal failure, and futurists have pined about the dangers of gated enclaves detached from reality. I'd rather live in a smaller town where such things aren't needed.
We are thinking July sometime. Summer rates are dirt cheap at the place we stayed before. Great furnished cabins for $49 a night. http://wineridgervresort.com/ I imagine the town is quiet in the Summer. The snowbirds are all gone home.
$49, can't beat that no matter what is around, just for a weekend.
When I was a kid, my paternal grandparents would spent the winter in Quartzsite AZ - they'd drive the round trip each year until they were in their 80s. Retiree hotspot, rockhound mecca, hotter than Hades in the summer no doubt.
Last winter we drove through Quartzsite and it was booming. It is a real RV mecca for sure. One huge swap meet. I owned a home in Lake Havasu for several years in the 1980s. So I have lived in HOT weather. I was commuting from Alaska every three weeks. Flying into Las Vegas and driving the 145 miles to Havasu. Pahrump is not as hot as those lower elevations.
We stayed at Wine Ridge in April. The rates are $85 in the winter. A bargain for sure. I just spent an average $241 per night for 24 nights in Hawaii. Probably our last trip to Hawaii. Back to just road trips for us.
You have heard the old saying you Snooze you Lose. Well the house with the big garage sold before I could get to Pahrump and check it out. I was planning to offer $300k cash if it was what we wanted. It sold for $300k on a VA sale. So it was back to the Internet. Found a couple we will look at in a month when we head over there.
The house with the 3300 sq ft hobby building set up like a 1950s diner has dropped by $96,000. No small drop in price. Family must be getting anxious to unload. More than we want to deal with.
The 50s diner house is just a bit too odd for most people, myself included. I am not into the boomer nostalgia that much, I guess. That'll be a tough sell, as renovation will be pricey.
Neither of those other houses look too bad, for what they are. I wonder why the seller raised the price of the first one. Those would be a million dollars here, easy.
Comments
I always wanted a VW Thing. Just never bought one. Better if you have 4 people.
Do you still have the old Lexus?
This should keep prices high on the west coast for some time
Still have the Lexus. I leave a trickle charger on it. We drive it the 3 miles to Church on Sundays. We pick people up and need the extra room. We could use the Touareg but the Lexus needs to be run now and then.
The eb-5 program is interesting. As the saying goes Money Talks and BS walks.
I was surprised this place sold in less than a month. They bought for $65k in 1997 and sold for $682,500. It is old and dated kind of like a little ghetto back in the woods. I think ours would bring $800k considering what is selling all around us. This is on a busy road less than a mile from me.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1601-S-Grade-Rd-Alpine-CA-91901/16905709_zpid/
If you ever think of selling that old barge, let me know, I might have a buyer in mind (me). I think really pristine first gen LS will eventually be a special interest car, as nice ones are getting hard to come by. Not especially valuable, but a nice pairing with a MB of the era. People who remember the 90s in their youth will appreciate the car. Storage might be an issue, but something like that is just on this side of being young enough to be a practical daily driver.
The visa thing is BS talks, IMO. For all of the hypocrites who whine about vetting and "law and order", there sure isn't any of it when it comes to the origins of that money. The west coast is now the haven for money laundering, and I wonder how much of this stuff goes though any kind of AML review, and how strictly OFAC style data is reviewed. This is the desired destination for corrupt officials trying to get out before the axe falls at home. As we are now slowly turning towards corrupt oligocracy, maybe it makes sense.
I wonder if that place near you will be rezoned and developed. A few tract mcmansions or maybe multi family stuff could fit, if you don't have commercial or industrial zoning there. Looks like a good spot for a junkyard - that hokey 70s western style gate/arch thing is amusing. Still, in the city where I live, that much money will get you 1500 sq ft, 50+ years old, minor renovations if lucky, 7500 sq ft lot - and that's not on the trendy side of town. The old fashioned American dream here has ceased to exist without family help (I built it myself!), sketchy money, or soul destroying commutes.
The main reason I would get a VW based off road vehicle is the ride. Funny no one has built a suspension that works any better than the old VW Bug on washboard and rough roads. Most off road buggies are built on that design. Subaru leads the way on hot engines. My neighbor's Subaru dune buggy is 900 HP. Scary fast.
I look at the silver lining with all that ill got gain in China ending up in the USA. Most of it came from here to start with.
Beetles are remarkable vehicles. the Model T of a different place and time. They can be made into anything, and tuned to do anything. You should get a baja, you'd look pretty cool cruising around your eventual desert community in one of those. Maybe put a modern diesel engine in it.
It is amusing that the monies made from junk sold here comes back to buy houses - but we lose the property, and now on much of the west coast, the old American dream isn't so possible for younger people anymore. It benefits a lot of people who already had it fairly good, and the well connected and coddled industries revolving around housing. And maybe the worst part, it makes us as a partner in the corruption, which makes sense as we become more intertwined with Russia and China.
Yes the VW designed by Porsche is still one of the best designs ever. Take a VW based dune buggy across the desert at 70 MPH and you will be convinced. A Jeep or PU will beat you to death doing that. I know, I have driven all of them. The most fun is a motorcycle set up for the desert. I am getting too old for that.
Something strange going on with the 19 acre lot next to me. It is listed as 10 acres with the old house that is rented out. Could be a typo by the agent. However it is a very nice piece of property. I would imagine the old lady that has owned it for decades is tired of paying the high taxes. Up to $15k this year. My wife says we need to get out of here before someone buys it and manages to build houses that would block our view of the ocean 35 miles away.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/915-Alpine-Heights-Rd-Alpine-CA-91901/16904967_zpid/
I wouldn't want a motorcycle in the city there anyway - I refuse to ride around where I live, way too dangerous with such poor drivers and lack of enforcement aside from speed. I don't have much of an interest in desert hopping, but it could be nice cruising on flat dry sunny roads in an old car.
Doesn't the old lady owner qualify to pay taxes based on her purchase price, not the value? I thought CA had something like that. I am pretty sure there are senior citizen rates in WA, my grandmother's house would carry a hefty tax bill, but I think she pays a fraction of it, as she's been there 50+ years, and a house that cost 2.5 years salary now costs 6. I suspect I would agree with your wife. Cash in on windfall equity and move somewhere more enjoyable.
I am in Vancouver right now. I stopped by an estate sale this morning, as it was near where I was headed, and I like looking for odd junk. The sale was a bust, nothing I wanted that I could have hauled home, but the house was amusing.
This is the listing
It's that insane here. The house was aged, in a nice but not the best neighborhood, on a decent sized but not huge lot. Incomes here are no higher than Seattle, if not lower purchasing power. But there's an ample supply of no-questions-asked outside money, so here we are. The house was kind of sad as it wouldn't be replaceable with modern standards. Too nicely finished. Leaded glass, built ins, beautiful inlaid hardwood floors - it'll all be sent to the dump.
My wife wondered about that also. She has owned since 1992 so with prop 13 they can raise the appraisal 2% each year. She lives in another part of San Diego. So she may not get prop 13 on this property. County still shows it as 19.39 acres. So not sure about the 10 acre listing. It has a big for sale sign out front by the road for the 10 years we have lived here. Shows a plat map with 14 lots. Nothing in the county records, so I don't think they ever got past the planning dept. I think the new rules for septic is 2.5 acres. It is a pretty piece of land that just keeps taking money from the owner. Not sure how much they rent that dump of a house for. The current renter seems to be collecting old junker cars. Not a great site. May have to call the county. That is forbidden.
That Vancouver property is INSANE. I did not think people made that kind of money up there? Is it all to grab the Chinese buyers? I like Vancouver Island and Victoria BC. I would not even venture into the city. We flew direct to the island and rented a car for a week. Really liked the area around Sidney and the airport. Little farms were not that much money 12 years ago.
Down here old homes with nice woodwork, doors and glass get salvaged. Roofing, bricks, blocks and siding go to Mexico.
https://www.remax.ca/on/toronto-real-estate/na-3029-queen-st-treb_e3688098-lst/
People don't make that kind of money in Vancouver or Toronto. Income to price/mortgage ratios are insane. It's not local money at play - condos in Vancouver are often not much more expensive than Seattle, rents as well. There's a fetish for detached housing that has attracted offshore money. Another sad part is that the places often sit idle and empty for months or years after purchase - it happens here too. IMO there should be a significant tax for offshore buyers (more than the pittance Vancouver recently enacted), and onerous penalties if said buyers let property sit vacant for extended periods.
I can see Toronto being expensive, it is the financial and corporate center of Canada. It has been the NYC of Canada for 150 years, and like Vancouver, attracts offshore speculators. Vancouver is more of a regional city though, it doesn't have massive native industries like Seattle. It has gobs of undocumented money flowing in, more than anything else. Now it is kind of the LA of Canada, but without the native industries. I suspect local authorities are too nosy and restrictive in those areas for you, and the cost of living is not low.
I suppose the doors or glass may be salvaged, but I don't think there's a lot one can do with tile, nailed in flooring and trim, etc. Mass market housing quality is really depressing when you compare it to older places.
Rocky should know that no place is perfect. Canada is great but has loads of its own issues. Same for Norway. If I was to move to Canada, Toronto would not be my first pick, it would only be on my list if I was independently wealthy - and the harsh weather alone might still nix it.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4030-Manse-Rd-Pahrump-NV-89061/62709835_zpid/
on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
on the house above. Talked to the realtor today. That house is the talk all over Pahrump. It goes with all the memorabilia just as you see it in the pictures. Family wants to sell it all. If I did not have so much STUFF of my own I would be tempted. Could open an antique shop in there. Right on the golf course so all the rich folks drive by every day.
I don't know if I would want to run an antique shop, unless it was some kind of labor of love. I think that business has declined a bit since ebay and CL, unless one is dealing in really high end stuff, or selling to decorators. My parents were hobbyist antique dealers when I was a kid , and sold out of an antique mall. 25 years ago, antique malls were everywhere here, now they are much less common.
Speaking of houses for sale, I like the style of this - way out of my budget, of course, but maybe if my employer triples my salary I could get that mortgage. Iffy siting though - lot looks smaller than it is, good zipcode but close to a major highway and akward to get to. Still a cool house, but maybe one that won't be restored.
This sold last year, but I saw the estate sale and remember the address - preserved time warp, very stylish to me. Great location, of course. That's a pretty penny, however.
The gingerbread house on Mercer Island is cute. I can see a young yuppie couple owning that place. One of the things that turned me off buying in Oregon besides the eternal rain was the houses themselves. Seems no one builds ranch style homes up there. One of the pluses for us with Pahrump is all the homes are single level. Much better the older you get. If one of us had to be in a wheel chair it would be no problem.
As for the hobby house full of 1950s retro. I can't see my self using that space. Heating and cooling 5500 ft is not going to be cheap even in Pahrump. A wealthy family with teens might find that place fun to own. If it is still on the market our next trip, I will check it out. I talked to a contractor about adding a large shop/garage if we buy a place without one. He can match this finished inside for about $40k. With an acre lot no problem getting permits.
No shortage of homes in the $230k to $280k range I could add a nice shop to. I would add a vault for guns and valuables to protect from fire and theft. This would be nice to have.
https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/products/amsec-vd8036bf-burglar-fire-resistant-vault-door-vd8036bf?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=28446162445&gclid=CjwKEAjw8ZzHBRCUwrrV59XinXUSJADSTE5k-wCr__KIo1M-NwkEJrppNIkuu4X527unhlx8wv16YxoCYzLw_wcB
There are many ranch and rambler houses here, but many aren't in the most densely populated areas, as they require more land. My grandma's neighborhood, once considered a bedroom community and now just on the edge, is 50s-60s ranch houses on quarter acre to half acre lots. Developers in the area now put houses twice the size on lots half the size, and charge three times as much compared to incomes. And people snap it up.
A big garage like that for 40K might be a nice investment, yes. That would be the key benefit to a detached house for me, a nice garage. I think in many of those areas, and in many here, protection and a home CCTV setup would be necessities.
https://www.trulia.com/property/3262410195-3331-Winchester-Ave-Pahrump-NV-89048#photo-1
My parents got into the old house thing a couple times when I was growing up. One was a lovely brick tudor house that needed little work and was a charming place, with immense detail. An older traditional house from around 1910 needed more work - I remember a couple plumbing issues, it had a large chimney with a couple of fireplaces, which in one section was iffy, and the basement would leak in heavy rain. We only stayed in that one for a few years, I think it frustrated my dad. I do like some of these "time capsule" houses - and I am not into decorating, but I appreciate quality, and I think it is easier found in the past.
I'd like a 3 car garage with extra room for working or bikes, etc. What gets me here is when I see million dollar places in trendy areas with no garage - but some of them are just teardowns. That house you link doesn't look bad. The style reminds me of something from Florida, I like the tile roof, and the garage space looks amazing. The land alone would be worth over a million here, but it would be used to build 8-10 tract boxes sold to some the lucky and money launderers. It is kind of generic inside, but looks updated. Offer 300 and see what happens
The house on Winchester is laid out nicely. When you google it and look across the street you can see why it has not sold. It was bought on foreclosure last year and looks like they spruced it up to flip. I think $300k would buy it. Maybe even less come summer time. Plus with new Federal money coming into further study the Yucca Mt nuclear repository, home values may come down further. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-nuclear-idUSKBN16N0D5
There have been times in my life when fixing up a vintage house was on my agenda. I am too old now to get involved. Simple house new enough to not need lots of maintenance. I must admit I got those feelings when this place in Coquille Oregon came on the market. So much of the nice woodwork from a hundred years ago. And for Oregon a very good price.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/52-N-Dean-St-Coquille-OR-97423/75150013_zpid/
No doubt the Winchester house is a flip. If the market gets soft, it might warrant an offer - flippers often get in over their heads, and need cash flow even if they take a loss. That old house in Oregon reminds me of a larger version of the old traditional house we lived in. I remember it also had wainscoting, built-ins, lots of wood trim, etc. I like the box beam ceilings in that too - that wood would cost an immense amount of money to replicate today. Looks like it needs a bit of work though - just like with cars, I'd rather buy a mostly finished project.
My mother's 1920s bungalow hasn't had updates in 25 years, and hasn't been perfectly maintained. I've suggested to her that when the time comes, she buy a new manufactured home and move to a senior park. No maintenance worries, as my siblings and I aren't available much to help her out, and she doesn't have a million dollars to pour into an old place. She doesn't embrace the idea yet though, still too young.
The intensity of the competition this spring has surprised even sellers like Kathleen Mulcahy, a 37-year-old product manager in Seattle.
Within a week of listing her one-bedroom, one-bath condo, Mulcahy received 21 offers - all above her asking price of $398,000. Most of the offers came with built-in triggers to automatically rise in case a rival bidder sweetened a bid. In the end, she accepted an offer of $500,000 - all cash.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HOMEBUYING_SEASON_SHORTAGE_OF_HOUSES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-04-10-03-01-34
The city council has voted to study a housing proposal that would essentially subsidize new housing for what qualifies as middle-class nowadays, families making from $150,000 to $250,000 a year.
Randy Bean says while she still loves her Palo Alto neighborhood, she can’t help but notice the changes that are making it unrecognizable.
“I just find it kind of sad that we are reducing ourselves to this small profile of young, rich, mostly white, mostly tech. It’s not the community that I moved into 33 years ago,” Bean said.
And now, as a documentary film producer, she says she can’t afford to stay here.
Some of the small two-bedroom, one-bath homes on her block are worth between $1.5 and $2 million – as teardowns. That’s just what the dirt is worth.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/03/22/250k-per-year-salary-could-qualify-for-subsidized-housing-under-new-palo-alto-plan/
IMO offshore transactions should be taxed, with funds to help infrastructure. We need to get something out of it, as nobody will dare try to vet the source of the money.
I was looking around online and trying to find gaming houses/team recruitment etc. Does anyone have any experience with this and know anywhere to find opportunities, or do I just have to slog through forums until I find them.
Thanks!
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/HI-96778/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/89171220_zpid/98913_rid/globalrelevanceex_sort/19.50978,-154.810174,19.489917,-154.837639_rect/14_zm/
Speaking of being on the water:
Here's a rather overdone piece of waterfront in my area - money and subtle good taste, so often in inverse proportion.
I like this one, but a lot less land
Neat house, not a lot of waterfront
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13-1264-Kamaili-Rd-Pahoa-HI-96778/2119344916_zpid/
The latest HI house you link has a more appealing price anyway, and doesn't look bad. Would you want something so big, or actually use it as a B&B?
Pahrump might be easier from a budget and transportation standpoint - easier and cheaper for family to visit, easier for you to visit them, just hit the road.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2095073098_zpid/2-_beds/globalrelevanceex_sort/19.846891,-155.958095,19.807246,-156.013027_rect/13_zm/
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2100766623_zpid/2-_beds/globalrelevanceex_sort/19.966371,-155.826859,19.926756,-155.881791_rect/13_zm/
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2095921134_zpid/2-_beds/globalrelevanceex_sort/20.005895,-155.788922,19.96629,-155.843854_rect/13_zm/
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2099267191_zpid/2-_beds/globalrelevanceex_sort/20.242786,-155.88258,20.237843,-155.889446_rect/16_zm/
Get to the South end of the Island and find bargains galore. Like this place.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2095134658_zpid/2-_beds/2500-_size/globalrelevanceex_sort/19.104378,-155.711203,19.024715,-155.821066_rect/12_zm/
This is currently the cheapest detached listing in my zipcode
And the next cheapest
That first house wouldn't be bad for me, but it is too small for a family, and on a sometimes busy street. That's what almost a million dollars gets you here.
There's been an exodus out of CA for some time, right? Half of the people here seem to be from there!
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3063-W-30th-Pl-Yuma-AZ-85364/59792819_zpid/?fullpage=true
A weekend there in August would tell the story.
I imagine the town is quiet in the Summer. The snowbirds are all gone home.
When I was a kid, my paternal grandparents would spent the winter in Quartzsite AZ - they'd drive the round trip each year until they were in their 80s. Retiree hotspot, rockhound mecca, hotter than Hades in the summer no doubt.
We stayed at Wine Ridge in April. The rates are $85 in the winter. A bargain for sure. I just spent an average $241 per night for 24 nights in Hawaii. Probably our last trip to Hawaii. Back to just road trips for us.
https://www.trulia.com/property/3003546055-1820-Lost-Creek-Dr-Pahrump-NV-89048
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1901-N-Woodchips-Rd-Pahrump-NV-89060/67888671_zpid/?fullpage=true
The house with the 3300 sq ft hobby building set up like a 1950s diner has dropped by $96,000. No small drop in price. Family must be getting anxious to unload. More than we want to deal with.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4030-Manse-Rd-Pahrump-NV-89061/62709835_zpid/?fullpage=true
Neither of those other houses look too bad, for what they are. I wonder why the seller raised the price of the first one. Those would be a million dollars here, easy.
This is still the cheapest detached house in my zipcode right now