September 15, 2016

Sold the House!

After a week trying to sell the house on just zillow, we decided we needed to list it with a realtor and get it on MLS. The realtor we chose got it listed early Saturday morning, but told us not to be surprised if it took a couple of days to get showings. Well, we had two showings Saturday and two showings Sunday, and got two offers. We picked one and the inspection is tomorrow. It's an FHA inspection and I'm really nervous about it. I've heard they are super picky. Prayers appreciated.

We packed like mad before we listed our house, but now the we have entered the last phase of packing. Just waiting on the inspection to make sure the sale goes ahead. In the meantime, Hubby takes a break from packing to check facebook. Must be watching a cat video. Buddy T. Cat loves cat videos.

September 13, 2016

Early this year, we re-evaluated our life goals, especially the ones that started with the phrase "After we retire...."

One of those goals was to move to the country, build a barndominium, and travel more.

As much as we have grown to love our house, we didn't want to be tied down to a house or yard that required constant maintenance. We thought we'd find a few acres in a rural area, build a simple barndominium, and start our new life of adventure.

But it wasn't that easy. For one thing, a few acres in the country is pretty hard to find, and when we did find them, they wouldn't allow barndominiums. If they allowed barndominiums, they were usually in a pretty crummy area or had huge electric towers. We were losing hope and reconciled to staying in our home until retirement. That all changed in April when my friend JT invited me to go on a photography trip while the bluebonnets were in bloom.

So I should credit her with restarting the land hunt by pointing out a for sale sign on a piece of land with a spectacular view. That land didn't pan out, but researching it led us to a local realtor who pointed us toward land that met most of our requirements. It does not have a spectacular view, but luckily, that wasn't really a requirement. It's also well over a couple of acres - by about eighteen acres. But it did meet these requirements:

Good distance from the nearest neighbor
Has agricultural exemption already
Allows barndominiums
No gas or electric easements
No big electric towers nearby
And it has a pleasant view.

An added bonus is that the owner is selling all mineral rights with the land, so we don't have to worry about anyone drilling on our land. The owner is also putting in our water meter which will not only save us money, but will save time once we close so we can start building immediately. The only downside is that the owner wants to delay closing until November.

I'm starting a new blog for our build. (Edited to change blog url from blogger to wordpress.) You can see it here.