Sunset in Edwards County

Yesterday a friend and I drove out to the property to do some house cleaning and maintenance work that needed to be done before I can even think of moving. On the way home last night from Rocksprings we were greeted with a beautiful sunset. I just had to take a few pictures. We returned this afternoon to avoid the very cold weather predicted for most of the country, but still have a lot of work to do.

Left (wide angle view): taken in front of the house.

Right: taken on the road home.

The Property Has Been Purchased

Just wanted to share a quick update. On Dec. 23 I signed the papers for the property. This was done via FedEx, saving me a trip up there right before Christmas. On Wednesday, Dec. 30, a friend and I drove up to Kerrville and picked up the keys to the home, which my realtor had. Then we drove another hour to the ranch. We left the contents of my car in the house and drove home the next day. The previous owners had not totally cleaned out the place, so it was like going on a treasure hunt around there. Work, but fun. Thursday morning we went for a hike on the property. Shoes still need to be cleaned. Lots more to do and to investigate but it was a good start. Will be making lots more trips out there as I move the rest of my life to Edwards County.

Dangers Of Owner Financing Your Home

One way people often purchase property or a home is through owner financing. This can be very appealing for a variety of reasons, for both the seller and the buyer. This is especially true right not as banks are not approving people for mortgages even when they have good credit and a have a well paying job. But buying property through owner financing must be done carefully. First, if a realtor is not involved it is a good idea to get an attorney to make sure all the legal documents are in order. A few years ago I heard about someone who paid monthly payments for their new home for a year only to be evicted and lose everything because of some little loophole the owner had included in one of the documents. An attorney would have caught it but the buyer never got legal council before signing all the papers. Then he was late on one payment and according to the contract everyone had signed, the seller was able to evict the buyer and keep all the payments that had been made. The buyer lost everything.

Last night on the news I heard about another issue that a person needs to watch out for when buying straight from the owner. A couple bought a mobile home knowing there were back taxes on the home that needed to be paid off. This time an attorney was involved and he promised and later claimed he did pay off all the taxes. So the couple was in shock when they got a letter saying the home was being foreclosed due to back taxes. In this case the couple contacted a local TV station who was able to get the situation resolved. Before buying property with back taxes on it, get proof all those taxes have been paid off. Or at least insist in writing that the back taxes be paid off by a specific date and insist on receiving a copy of the receipt proving it was paid off. Verbal assurance is not enough.

The last warning I want to share is what apparently happened to the widow who is selling the property I am trying to buy. My realtor shared with me that the couple bought the land directly from the previous owner and paid for it by owner financing. They never got a mortgage from a bank and apparently never hired an attorney. Once the couple paid off the property, the previous owner filed the proper papers to change title of the property. Apparently though he only put the title in the husband’s name, not in both the couple’s name. The wife assumed her name was on the title, which it should have been. If her name had been included on the title, she would have owned the property outright upon her husband’s death. Since her name was not on the title, not only did she not own the land, but his children from another marriage actually have legal rights to the land. This one little issue has created a huge mess. Fortunately for me, the children have signed papers relinquishing any claim to the property. Now I am just waiting on the Title Company to finish the Title search and approve the sale of the property.

Property Update and Visit

I thought I would provide an update on the issue with the property. First, last Thursday a friend and I took to the road and drove up to the property. We had planned this trip for over a week and unfortunately it turned out to be the day before the coldest day of the year, the next day the area actually received some rare snow. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the property, measuring the front of the mobile home (plan to build a deck) reminding myself what I had seen on my first visit, checking cell phone reception (no land-line hookup) and of course taking pictures. I had planned to do more on the trip but with the thermometer reading 32F (0C), we both wanted to get back in the car ASAP. I might add that my car (Toyota RAV4) has a really good heater/AC. Within seconds it was warming us back up.

Upon leaving the property we headed to the nearest town, Rocksprings TX. It took some asking, but we finally found the Chamber of Commerce. At least we found City Hall which is the closest thing to a Chamber Rocksprings has. They had a table with some literature on it and I was able to get a telephone book (about ½ centimeter thick and includes 10 towns). After our short visit there we headed back home.

Now for the update, I spoke with my realtor today. As of today it looks like I will be signing the papers for the property before Christmas. Probate for the will should be completed by the end of this week and next week the Title Company should have everything they need to do a final Title search before approving the sale of the property. It there are no more problems, I could possibly be driving up to the realtor’s office by the end of next week. Please keep this in your prayers. I am anxious to get moving.

Glitch

Last week I got a call from my realtor to inform me a glitch has occurred and we had to change the closing date on the property. It seems the seller’s realtor did not do her job properly. The first inkling there was an issue occurred when I received the Title Report. Apparently the land’s title is in the deceased husband’s name. The mobile home is in both of their names. For some reason the widow decided to put the property on the market before the will was probated. As of this writing it still had not been probated. Why the seller’s realtor did not ask more questions before placing the land on the market is unknown. All I can say is my realtor is mad and so am I. When I made the offer on the land and home, this issue was never disclosed. The seller did ask for an increase in option money from me, but there was no disclosure ever made concerning the issue with the will. In fact all communication pointed to a need to sell the land and home quickly so the widow could buy something else near her son. That constitutes fraud. Until the will is probated, this property should never been placed on the market, let alone agreeing to sell the property and home to me when she legally does not own title.

Last week I agreed to postpone the closing date until December 30. If the will is probated sooner than that, then I will be closing on the property immediately. But if the situation has not changed, then I will have no choice but to walk away. I cannot live in limbo not knowing if or when this issue will be resolved. Since I have already spent over $1800 related to the purchase of this property, I will have to consider taking legal action to recoup that money. Hopefully it won’t come to that. Hopefully the legal issues with the property will be resolved before Christmas. I really do want that property. Please pray God’s will be done in this issue.

It's About The Cross

Escrow

It has been a lazily Saturday for me. This morning I listened to Car Talk on the radio. Later I watched The New This Old House and a few cooking shows on TV. In between those activities I have read the latest Communities Journal and looked over yesterday’s mail, which included the Title Report on the property that is in escrow.

When I was a child my mother went to law school. Reading the Title Report reminded me why I never had a desire to attend law school. I am not a detailed oriented person. Even so, this is an important document so I carefully read every word. I do have a few questions that need addressing, but overall it looks okay.

If everything goes as plan, December 1st, at the latest, I will be signing papers on 20 acres of land and a few buildings. Then the real fun begins. Of course the first thing I need to do is move. But the real question is how long will I live on the property alone? I cannot turn 20 acres into a community by myself. It will take a lot of work to turn a rural piece of land into a place where people with MCS can come to live. Over the years I have tried to gather a group to help me make such a place a reality, but usually it seems like everyone is waiting for me to do everything. Well, so far I have done everything myself, but that now has to change.

The property comes with a 3 bedroom double wide mobile home. I am thinking of turning one of the bedrooms into an office. I will take one bedroom for myself. That will leave the third bedroom for someone else. There are also a couple camper trailers, one of which was turned into a cabin that someone could eventually live in. They both need cleaning and some work done to be livable, but once that is done I am sure someone (or a couple) will find it a nice little home. And of course there is plenty of room to pitch a tent, yurt, or another camper.

I need to build a deck on the front of the mobile home, something I am not capable of doing myself. I am also thinking of installing some fencing, planting some fruit and nut trees (peaches and pecans are major cash crops in Texas), planting a garden, maybe getting some goats (to use as lawn mowers) and chickens for meat and eggs. I hope to install a rain water catchment system and dream of one day installing alternative energy sources. I also think the quickest and cheapest way to make the property accessible to folks with MCS and who are currently displaced is to create a campground. That will require bathrooms/showers, and a laundry facility. I am going to need help to accomplish these projects. I also could use help with creating a new web site. The current site is outdated. So people with all types of skills are needed. Money is also needed to accomplish these goals. Since AOCCCI is a 501(c)3 organization, donations are tax deductable.

If you have an interest in helping with this project, whether you just desire to come out and spend a few vacation days, or you would like to live and work long term, please contact me. I would really like to talk to you. For the rest of you, tell others about this blog and the project that is happening in Texas.