Posted: 8/17/2010 4:16:55 PM EDT
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I have a oppurtunity to buy a 1800 sqft 2.5 acre place in central PA. I think I can get it for 20K They are asking 25k. It has woods on 3 sides and the nearest neighbor is a seldom used hunting cabin. Might have a well, not sure. It is a sound house that needs 60% of the inside re-done. Other then some minor outside stuff its water/ weather tight. Problem is I am in AZ and I am not sure about this. On one hand its cheap and I can own it quick. Owner will finance. It is away from everything and not many neighbors. Down side is it needs WORK and I am 2000 clicks away. Insert a week here, a week there etc.
Would anyone in there right mind do something like this? Time to work on it is not a issue. Money is a bit. But to have a place that is mine for when it hits the fan is wonderful. Would love all positive and negitive comments. BTW I am very handy and can do almost all the work myself. New windows 3 bdrm has septic lots of trees has a wood/coal furnace needs new bath needs some minor roof repair possible well spring feed creek runs thru property |
| So the idea is to BO to PA if TSHTF? Probably a bad idea. You need to cross a number of large rivers. Who owns the property around the house? Is it protected or can it be developed? Why not look closer to your kids? 2.5 acres isnt much if you have to live on it. Find out about the well. |
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man i dont know. thinkin that if its that far away, how are you planning on getting there wtshtf? do you have a way to carry enough fuel to get you there? what are you gonna do if you break down? and yeah, if vandals or kids find it, theres goes everything you have worked for. personally i wouldnt have a location that far away. you can find the same thing closer to your home area, or even a neighboring state or 2 away. |
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Are you planning this as a BOL only?
or are you planning to move there permanently? If BOL only, I think it is too far away. Like someone else mentioned, you have little security since no one will be living there. Although, with these days of internet, you could always install a couple of webcams to keep an eye on the place, but chances of being online to catch someone stealing stuff....... another matter. Cons: (for me) Too far away 2.5 ac is not a lot of space. Spring fed creek could be a potential flood hazzard Travelling to work there will get old really quick We bought property 3 hrs away from where we lived and the drive got old pretty quick. I like it much better now that we live here. ETA: Quoted:
I dont have any BOL out here. Too damn expensive and NO WATER! There must be some water in Arizona, lots of people live there 
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sorry to throw cold water on you, being in the arid southwest you might like it 
IMO, a BOL outside of 4 hours away will be very difficult to really maximize as a get-away and especially as a true BOL.. We've tried 6 and 4 hour jaunts...nothing was working...we split the difference, moved away from the city, and have a BOL 45 minutes away now...close enough to work on when free time is available, and reachable in the case of problems. AZ is a big place, I'd feel better about getting to a BOL in New Mexico before one in PA.. good luck |
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Well the problem with AZ is there really is not much water period. If you loog at a US chart of where its arid vs semi arid vs well WET. You will see that you can go north or way east to hit water.
We were thinking as a possible bol and or a summer home to escape some of the heat out here. Also a long term small investment for the kids and grand kids to go when they want to get away assuming we still have a nation in the next 10-30 years. There are few neighbors and it is very isolated! I have people that can check on it once in awhile. the land is worth 20k alone. The stream is on the lower edge of the property. This is a hard one. |
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I dont have any BOL out here. Too damn expensive and NO WATER! There must be some water in Arizona, lots of people live there
[/quote] Most of the water comes from the Colorado river. Winter run off and a few underground areas. Its a desert with 5 million legal morons. Population 5,000,001 
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hope this isn't to bad of a high jack...but...... i have had the same question, but on a 112 acres. it has some buildings on it 80acres are tillable 5 or so are lowland/swamp. the rest is wooded. just don't know if it is worth getting for 80k Not a high jack!  Is 80K a good price for that much land? Seems good to me. $714 an arce plus it has buildings. Does it have a house on it? Or just out buildings?
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hope this isn't to bad of a high jack...but...... i have had the same question, but on a 112 acres. it has some buildings on it 80acres are tillable 5 or so are lowland/swamp. the rest is wooded. just don't know if it is worth getting for 80k Not a high jack! Is 80K a good price for that much land? Seems good to me. $714 an arce plus it has buildings. Does it have a house on it? Or just out buildings?
it has a house on it but the house is 109 years old. |
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hope this isn't to bad of a high jack...but...... i have had the same question, but on a 112 acres. it has some buildings on it 80acres are tillable 5 or so are lowland/swamp. the rest is wooded. just don't know if it is worth getting for 80k Not a high jack! Is 80K a good price for that much land? Seems good to me. $714 an arce plus it has buildings. Does it have a house on it? Or just out buildings?
112 acres for 80K is great deal in itself w/o any buildings. |
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hope this isn't to bad of a high jack...but...... i have had the same question, but on a 112 acres. it has some buildings on it 80acres are tillable 5 or so are lowland/swamp. the rest is wooded. just don't know if it is worth getting for 80k Not a high jack! Is 80K a good price for that much land? Seems good to me. $714 an arce plus it has buildings. Does it have a house on it? Or just out buildings?
112 acres for 80K is great deal in itself w/o any buildings. Yup. As for the Op Thats a looooooong ways away. I have noBOL so I'm looking for a BIL or the time being I was looking on a house that was almost remodeled had 2 or 3 rooms left and ona half acre, backed into a big park, but decided against it, too close to civilization and they wanted to much. 20k sounds like a good deal but I think its overpriced I decided to save my money and get a lot more acreage. |
| OP, where are you at in AZ? I suggest to start looking for a place up on the Mogollon or even a little further east out past Springerville. IF you can score some property around Alpine, that would be awesome. Another option is around a little wide spot in the road called Bonita. It's more southern central, and still technically in the desert, but I know for a fact there is a fair amount of water in the area, you just have to know where to find it. |