Ottakee Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just a week ago I got a call about them coming to survey our property. Well, a week later I have stakes in my yard where the highway is going. They have bought up properties near us and are meeting with a friend of mine today. It could be in 1-2 weeks they will have an offer on our place ready for us to consider.:w00t: Just a few months ago they said it would be 2-3 more years. Last week it was going to be May when they made offers, and now it isn't even February and they are making offers on places close to us. Most people are more than willing to sell and move on. We would rather not move. We have our 5 1/2 acres with horse barn and 5 bedroom house. I saw 2 places with the realtor on Tuesday and will see 2 more next week. There just isn't much with acreage for sale in our area that is suitable for our needs. We have contacted people that have acreage that might work for us--even things that aren't for sale. We are calling people in the area that have houses that might work for us as well. This just all seems so weird. The hardest part is that we have no idea what our budget will be. We have been told that the state is being "very fair" or "more than we expected" but until we have some cold hard numbers, it is really tough to know what is even reasonable to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Can you get your property appraised? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Can you get your property appraised? :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 We are working on an appraisal but this is moving SO fast. As of last Monday, we thought we were looking at 2-3 more years and then on Tuesday it became May, and suddenly it might be next week. We do want to list everything we have that makes our property more valuable and work for our family. Our house is a basic bilevel but we do have 5 bedrooms and an office with family room and attached 3 stall garage with storage loft. Then add in the improved pastures, all the fencing, barn that is only 2 years old, etc. and it adds up to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Be sure you get more than one appraisal, and you may want to ask your local bank or insurance office if they know of an appraiser who tends to be on the "generous" side. ;) Don't underplay anything about the house or the property. If it's prime land (for whatever reason, even if it's not what you're using it for,) be sure to stress that. Talk about all of the improvements you've made to your home. And I mean ALL of them. If you have a long, paved driveway, mention how many thousand dollars it cost you to install. Mention anything and everything that would make your property worth more money. And whatever they offer, try to negotiate for more. Don't worry about sounding greedy. Get every last nickel out of them that you can, and if they need the property immediately, try to negotiate for temporary living/rental costs and the cost of storage units for your furniture and possessions while you look for a new home to purchase. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: This must be so incredibly stressful for you! Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Don't underplay anything about the house or the property. If it's prime land (for whatever reason, even if it's not what you're using it for,) be sure to stress that. Talk about all of the improvements you've made to your home. And I mean ALL of them. If you have a long, paved driveway, mention how many thousand dollars it cost you to install. Mention anything and everything that would make your property worth more money. Cat We are working on that today. Everything from our storage loft to the high efficiency furnace, water softener, paved driveway, improved pastures, play structure, fenced in yard, etc. So much to think about. We even have a nature center just one propert over across the road and our 5 1/2 acres could be divided into 2 parcels so we do have a 3 1/2 acre buildable lot. Time to get working on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Public agencies that can are buying property now. Because real estate is low almost everywhere, so a "more than fair" offer will be the result of the lowest appraisals in years. I suspect that's why they are moving fast to buy up property. In 2-3 years they may not be able to get the land for as cheap as today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 They may have more time than they indicate. I imagine there is a whole game to be played. Wishing you the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 They may have more time than they indicate. I imagine there is a whole game to be played. Wishing you the best. Yep, the game is to scare you into accepting the lowest ball offer they make. Get your appraisals ASAP and stay a step ahead of them. See if you can find out what they offered your neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Public agencies that can are buying property now. Because real estate is low almost everywhere, so a "more than fair" offer will be the result of the lowest appraisals in years. I suspect that's why they are moving fast to buy up property. In 2-3 years they may not be able to get the land for as cheap as today. :iagree:Get those appraisals done!!! Your doing great with the lists. Do you know yet if you are going to be the last house standing? Will your neighbor tell you what they offered her? Have they called to make an appointment yet to meet with you? My prayers are with you guys, this is stressful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 No appointment with us yet but they just called her last night. She is NOT going to sign anything today. Our realtor said that she tried to find places close to what we have and there is only 1 for sale and the lot is not at all like ours. I am working on getting an appraisal done ASAP as well. I guess it is time to CLEAN and DEJUNK like crazy. I know that house values are really low right now but in our area anything over 5 acres (that magic number for zoning) is still in high demand---as in there are only 6 listed in our area with 4 bedrooms and at least 5 acres and only 1 of the 6 has a barn........and they are still priced high. We will see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Just another update. The guy from MDOT came on Tuesday to meet with me. He gave us a folder of information and that was about it. The timeline is appraisals in April--give or take several weeks, and then buy out in May or June at the latest---again give or take a few weeks. Basically it means I need a new home by the end of summer. We still have NO idea of budget/how much we will get which is making things very hard. We have looked at 6 houses in the area but none fit what we need. We have our eye on 13 acres about 1/2 mile from here that is nice but we really need a budget to know if we could afford the land, building costs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 :grouphug: This has totally got to s*ck! I am so sorry you are all in this situation. My blood is boiling just thinking about it. I agree with the others about getting a GOOD appraisal done. Praying that you can find a similar, if not better, place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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