We are trying to buy land! Guess where? 9/23/2021

Hey guys and gals, just wanting to provide an update after my 2 previous posts. I feel like they were both slightly negative but I actually received some pretty positive feedback about them. Which makes me want to say thank you to the ones that are continuing to read my post, the ones that comment, the ones that reach out, and the ones that care. It takes a lot of time to read these things and try to stay up to date! It doesn't go unnoticed and I appreciate you...whether this is the first post you are reading or you have read every single post!

Let me give you the backstory on 'finding land.' Gregory and I have talked about purchasing land probably since month 3 of traveling together. We don't know if full time RV life is forever for us. Right now it is. We think it will be in the next 12 months. It could be our life for 10 more years. All we know is we are happy now owning just a home on wheels. Saying that, we are looking to invest in land. For multiple reasons. 

1. Too invest in.

2. For Security.

3. To have home bases all over the U.S.

4. To have a space that WE control and own. We don't have to worry about neighbors, rules, letting Charlie run free, regulations, being too loud, all of the above...privacy. 

I think that both of us will want to 'slow down' our travel life in a few years. As of right now we move every 2 to 3 weeks. It is amazing and exhausting all at the same time. I think the main reason we both still travel like this is to explore parts of the US we haven't seen yet. We still have not hit all 50 states. I have visited 39 on my own and together we have visited 13 states. I would say one of our goals is to visit at least 48 states together before we 'slow down.' When I look into our future I see 'Rving' as always being a part of it. I always see myself having a RV as one of my homes. Im addicted to the adrenaline, the unknown, the change! 

But, I also miss the familiar. I miss having a favorite coffee shop, familiar faces, walking into a building were people know you. I miss driving familiar roads and having a routine. Being able to know what to expect every day. It's like I want the best of both worlds. Obviously the adrenaline, unknown, and change out weigh the familiar....at this point in my life. 

So, our plan is to continue to travel and look for places we would like to 'homestead' at. Our goal is to have multiple homesteads or home bases, all over the US. So depending on the weather we will drive our rig to our different pieces of land throughout the year. Hang out for a couple of months and when the weather changes we will drive to the next property. 

In February 2021 we visited Tombstone, AZ. The plan was to stay 2 nights. After about 3 hours in Tombstone we decided we needed more time in this magical location! The town, smiling faces, the warmth, the excitement, the oddness of it all just called to us. It was like everyone was playing dress up and living this double life while also being productive members of society, working, learning, etc. If you haven't been to Tombstone, AZ make sure to google it! It is still the Wild West. The landscape is beautiful (to us) The weather fluctuates based on the season; so not like most of ALWAYS 'satan hot' Arizona. lol The land is affordable, the cost of living is affordable. Its close enough to a major town and all of the above. So we stayed for 7 days. While we visited we found a piece of property! .75 acres in a neighborhood that included water and electric, say what! $21,900. So, this is what gave us the 'property' bug. 

We found a real estate agent, made an offer, and started learning...immediately. Tombstone, AZ is not the easiest place to buy land. Mainly because it is such a small town they kind of do things on their time...in their way. Don't expect much and don't try to rush people. The process of buying this land was a long drawn out process and I quickly realized I had a lot to learn. Due to this property being in a neighborhood there were a lot of restrictions...Gregory and I are kind of buying land to get away from restrictions. You know? 

One of the reasons we want land is so we can get away from it all...and do what we want. Without having to worry about anyone else. Long story short I backed out of purchasing the property. This was my first time and I got scared...to be honest. We found out that a PERC test was previously completed on the land. Which means they test the earth on the property to see if it is suitable for traditional septic. According to the paperwork, the land was not. So, a 15k traditional septic job could go up to a 45k alternative septic job. And it was difficult to get information out of the county and city when it came to zoning and rules for RV parking and home building. So, I backed out. Looking back on this I should have just moved forward with the deal because the land was large enough for 1 home and 2 RV spots and in a great location for dirt cheap. Lesson learned and honestly...I guess it just wasn't the one for us. 

Fast forward to May. I find another piece of land. 8+ acres, raw, and 24k. Contacted real estate agent about putting in an offer. Sight unseen. She did some digging for us to find out the history of the land. Guess what? A lawsuit was attached to the land from 1964! For the mineral rights on the land and some more restrictions. Bummer...didn't even get to write up an offer before I backed out of that piece of land! 

Present day. At this point I am not even looking for land in Tombstone. Actively. Im leaving a lot of details out (believe it or not) to save you time. But, I was just tired..tired of the real estate agent, the county not returning emails and phone calls, the city not willing to give answers, something always being wrong with the land, etc. Then, I get an email from Tombstone. It's about a property. Ugh I guess I'll open it. Couldn't hurt, right? And there it is. A photo of flat desert, stone mountains in the distance, and a bright blue sky. Okay, I am intrigued. Tell me more. Price: $15, 900 for 13 acres. Wow...okay tell me more. The land is raw, situated between Tombstone, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista. Nice! And zoned Rural! Woo Hoo.

I get excited and locate a different real estate agent. She contacted me within minutes! Within an hour we were best friends and she was already sending me documentation about the land! No red flags yet. 2 days later I put in an offer sight unseen. $14, 500. That's a crazy price! Now I am getting excited! 24 hours later the Seller verbally accepts my offer...but they still have to sign the documents. So, I can't get too excited! But, it is almost too late for that. The gentleman selling the property is elderly and does not work with computers or technology so they had to print out the paper work and snail mail it to him. 10 days later my real estate agent gets his signed agreement back! He accepted our offer. Thank goodness. I write my $500 check and we start signing papers with the title company.

Everything just felt so right. Like it was meant to be. During this entire process I feel like 3rd time is the charm! I sit at my desk and work while really I day dreaming about the 13 acres and pulling up to our land. Our land. And working the land. Building homes, building RV pads, sweating, digging, laughing, crying, growing, and learning. Then, on September 21st I get a call. And just like that the deal is OFF. Sigh. The buyer not only had not paid their property taxes in YEARS, they also had not paid their IRS taxes in YEARS. They owed more to the IRS than the land was worth so they decided not to sell. The title company also found out there was no legal access to the land. So, you would have to ask permission from a neighbor to get access to your land. Of course none of this was disclosed to the real estate agents on either side. They both report they were as shocked as me. 

This can seem like a huge set back but honestly it hasn't bothered us much. Obviously, this is unfortunate and almost laughable at this point. I wonder if the universe is telling us Tombstone, AZ is not the place for us? Or maybe the universe is wondering how hard I will work for it? Like, if Cara continues to show interest and fight we will eventually grant her with land. Idk. That's just how my brain works. And life goes on. We were 'this close.' So close! And boom, just like that. It's gone. At least all we lost was some time and excitement. Eventually I'll get my earnest check back and we were able to cancel the contract with the buyer. Now, it is on to the next one! The real estate agent (who has been very kind and helpful) is going to keep her eyes open for land and keep us in mind. Until then we will continue to travel, look at land online occasionally, and if we pass through a town we just LOVE...start looking for land in other states! 

Travel Update: We are currently in Bend, OR. On October 1st we take off to Crater Lake for 2 days, then Mt. Shasta for a week to Boondock, and then Manteca, CA for 2 weeks!