Know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, and when to walk away.

Masochism: Not deferring to anyone one source, the primary definition of masochism usually refers to a sexual...deviancy that revolves around the enjoyment of pain/humiliation.  There are however secondary and tertiary definitions that come down to 'A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.'  While I don't meet the primary definition, you'd think the less common usage of the word was created just for me.

Once upon a time, WAY back at the beginning of the year, we bought a house.  Now...without going painfully into specifics, the house we settled for decided we could be satisfied with was below our price range.  Not that I play 'keeping up with the Jones's' but our house has a value in the range of 50-70% of those lived in by my peer group.  It's older, smaller, and lacks granite and marble.  There is only a 1 car garage instead of the three that seem standard on newer homes.  However...it is a home, and I am happy with it.  Buying this particular house in this price range was a very deliberate and calculated decision by my wife and I to leave money available for other things.

One of those things being the eventual purchase of land.  By eventual, I think we meant a year or two at least, to work on a budget and make sure the house we bought it all squared away.  However, because I meet that second definition of Masochism, I spend time each week(several times a week) on different real estate sites.  Of course, just last week, something caught my eye.  A mostly finished cabin, with a septic tank, flush toilet, partially drilled well...on 30 acres.  The asking price was roughly 60K, a number when added to the value of my house would still put me very low in the band of houses owned by my co-workers.  So...I wanted to go look closer, and earlier in the week, I declared that when I had wanted for my birthday was taking a road trip to this cabin, located about 1.7 hours west of here, outside the town of Naches.

 

Very cute, no?   At 198 square feet with a sleeping loft, certainly big enough for weekend usage for a family of 4.  Heck....my wife came right home and started playing on pinterest looking at ideas to maximize usage of small spaces.  The flush toilet and shower are in the little add on room on the right, although with the well not being complete, you need to fill the tank up by hand after each flush...which is still better than an outhouse.  You can't see it from the above picture, but the other 3 corners have rain barrels to try to hold on to what moisture they do get up there. 

 

 



That's the backyard.  Sigh. 

There were many negatives...not negatives, but things that would require effort(and money) on our part.  The floor wasn't finished.  At some point, what looks like a bullet punched through a window...both worrisome on its own, but also leaving a hole big enough that many bugs had moved in, and potentially mice, because the back corner of the loft was covered in droppings.  The bathroom needed drywall(and potentially new insulation...my wife was worried rodents might be in the insulation), and the whole place needed painting inside.

Yeah...that's a long list...but this is the view outside the front of the cabin.

 

Then there was the well.  Yes, there are rain barrels, and you can bring water in...but eventually, a working well would be nice.  The real estate agent said that the well had been drilled to 1000 feet, and might need to go another 500 to 1000 to hit water.  Getting to the property involves riding up a few (nicely maintained) private roads, which raises a few easement type questions.  198 square feet might not be bad for the occasional weekend, but at less than 2 hours door to door, we would be using this more than just the occasional weekend. 

 

 

Of course, I could walk out of the crowded cabin to this:



We left the cabin with a lot to think and talk about.  My wife liked it.  I liked the view.  I said I would call the agent on Monday to ask some more questions.  Something bothered me though.  Trees.  The lack there of.  Yes...some of the sage has a greenish tint...but it's not the same.  One reason I was walking off with the girls in one of the pictures was to take a look down in the draw behind the cabin.  If it has even a few scraggly pines, I might feel different...but I need trees. 

We also might need a new computer.  Plus a potential transmission in my F-150.  Finally, there is the Disney trip we have told the girls we are taking 'someday'.  The land and view are nice, and I KNOW elk and mulies run through that property to abuse the farmers down below.  But...my wife and I do want land...eventually.  This is potentially a good deal for someone...it's just not the right deal for us right now.  That doesn't mean I won't check the computer every week or so to see if it has sold yet.  Because, well...masochism.

Boy, that view.