SRSeedBurners Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 (edited) Just my luck. The one time I post in 6-months, it gets zapped by the restore from backup 😆 Anyhow, here' s another try - GreycieMae and friends have all filed their change of address and moved. Thanks to the mess that was 2020 (housing market stalled, interest rates tanked, etc) there was a small window where we could actually make an offer on something my wife had her eye on and actually got it under contract. She has been real estate hunting for 10-15 years. She has always wanted some land and we found a diamond in the rough. The place is a 22-acre ranch complete with a 12-stall horse barn with drive-through breezeway, built-in apartment, tack room, feed room and an office. Then there is a complete enclosed riding arena/shop whatever you want to call it. Then a 9 stall stud barn, which I've turned into a cattle barn. The house isn't bad either, it's bigger than we wanted and is an open-concept instead of the cramped little ranch house we used to live in. There is a 1-acre pond just behind our house that is viewable through the living/dining rooms. It even has a weird little room that is only accessible by going out the back door and enter through the enclosed patio. The power panel indicates this room was a jacuzzi room but all I saw was bird room when I looked at it 🤣. The patio is about to get windows and a door to make it a bird patio! Then all I have to do is get my outdoor aviary moved up from the old house and I'll nearly have as nice a setup as the old place. The cool part about the patio, it's concrete and has drain holes in the patio wall. I've already hit it with the power washer and the water and junk flows right out - so easy to clean it's ridiculous. So back to how we got into the place: as mentioned the 2020 fiasco created a perfect storm where rates and housing prices fell dramatically for a few months. This place was on the market in late 2019 and was snatched up under contract before we could even drive up for a look like we do with all the places wifey is interested in. Apparently the former contract/buyers had a clause contingent on selling their home. By the time early march 2020 and covid rolled around they still could not sell and were on the end of a 45 day extension trying to get a new extension. The owner ended the contract and put it back on the market at a HUGE drop in price. Wifey couldn't believe her eyes and we dropped everything to come see. We saw and the place was a DUMP! Trash everywhere, trees and brush growing up all around the structures, the grass and weeds were waist high, fences down all over the place, even in the dang pond. The house was full of bugs and mice. The main horse barn full of wasps, mice, the apartment smelled of cat pee to the 3rd degree. BUT... the structures are rock solid, the barns are made from massive steel I-beams and in perfect shape. The house is in pretty good shape but everything needs updating - we don't care about that. Brand new, the original owners spent well over 1.5 million building the place in 1996. They were a famous aviator couple, her having set some female around the world record (I can't recall their names). They ran over 40 head of horses on this place for several years and then apparently got in over their heads and had to foreclose on the place. Several people we've ran into said the place sat vacant for several years while the banks held onto it attempting to liquidate it. Our direct neighbor said it completely dilapidated during that time. Then some lady down the road bought it and rented it out for a few years. She sold to a California couple which were the previous owners to us. They didn't make much of an attempt to bring it back and finally vacated in 2018. Once again the place sat vacant and continued to deteriorate. The condition the place was in was the only reason we could get in. The value fell dramatically due to neglect. Oh, one other interesting note: there is no normal internet out here. We are rural, very rural. The only way we get internet is via direct line of sight to a tower located at an airport way off in the distance. There is a tower on the side of our house with a dish at the top that send directly the airport. It actually works really well and is the only way I can work from my house - too far to drive to work anywhere. Anyway - enough text, time for pics! Pond barely visible These bloomed shortly after we closed. A good omen I believe. A couple of pond pics Edited April 27, 2021 by SRSeedBurners 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 (edited) The other neat thing about this place: we are 1.5 miles from the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Lots of migratory birds and other wildlife at the refuge. Great blue heron hunting GreycieMae goat wrangling in the cattle barn GreycieMae helping feed the pond fishes Edited April 27, 2021 by SRSeedBurners 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 GreycieMae barn manager. We got four cats from BarnCats.org. BP (Black Panther) in the background. Best mouser I've ever seen. Me on Trigger having a ride on the property 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytness Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Oh my gosh, congratulations!!!! What an absolutely fantastic find! And with you being such a talented handy man I just know you're going to work your magic and build everything into the property and house of your dreams! So happy for you, your wife and your wonderful flock! Thank you for all the pics. Can't wait to see more! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Wow, sounds fantastic! You sure have a lot of potential there, and I'll bet your wife is in second heaven. Good luck and God bless in the new place 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoow Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Wow that's incredible! Congratulations! Would love to see more photos when you get the bird room and patio up and finished! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Quite an adventure you guys have set out upon. Congrats on the new place. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryspear Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Wow, oh Wow and congratulations! I'm glad Acappella posted on this thread because I otherwise probably would not have seen the description of your property. Thanks for posting all the information/photos. What a perfect property. Clearly, you do an amazing job of integrating GreycieMae into your life. I'm impressed that you can get a harness on her so that she can join you outside. Given all your critters, you've got to be busy but I am sure it is a totally rewarding lifestyle. I wish you the best of luck! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inara Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 What fantastic news, and everything points to that this place was meant to be yours yours yours! I so loved looking at the photos, and reading the descriptions. Congrats!! Natch, we all will want more piccies. Looks like you already have done a lot of mowing and cleaning up. Lovely ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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