h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As I've mentioned in passing, we're looking at places again, but that's not what this journal's about.

Then why bother to mention it? Well, the real estate agent we're working with has a blog (which is how I ran into her, though she's also the wife of one of the teachers at the school I work at). So what? you ask. Among the real-estate-specific stuff in it are some great descriptions and photos of Del Norte county, where Crescent City and Klamath are located (as well as Fort Dick, Smith River, Hiouchi and Gasquet--figured I might as well name all the towns, while I was at it) I asked her, and she said it was OK with her if I put a link to her blog here: http://activerain.com/blogs/frangatti

Amy, is your relocation to somewhere local, or remote from where you now reside? Are you seeking to purchase a property or lease one?
Sorry to be intrusive and mean no offence by these questions...



Stephen

I looked at the link, Amy. Do you like the ocean? I have just elocated inland from the coast, for work reasons, but here is a link to my previous city and beaches here in OZ...http://www.neilcowling.com.au/local.htm....

But I am only 6 hours from my kids by car, and for us here that is not very far at all....



Stephen

No problem

Definitely looking for something local--right here in town (or so close that, while outside of the official city limits, everyone thinks of it as being 'inside' Crescent City). We're looking to buy--I don't think anyone has a place lease-with-option-to-buy, and we're tired of throwing money down the rent-rathole. That, and if we could find a place cheap enough, it'd be less than rent anyway. Unfortunately, with our likely pricerange (we haven't gotten pre-approved, but we did something very close last spring) we would need either a rather big fixer-upper, or a mobile home in a park (which depreciates almost as fast as a car). Or land, and stick a cheap mobile on it. The only problem with a major fixer or land is that, in our present circumstances, we'd have to live in/on whatever we bought immediately. It has been pointed out to us that our options would open up a bit if we get a light fixer starter house a bit smaller than we ultimately want, fix it up, live there a couple of years, and sell it. (What we want is something with at least 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, because we're planning on having more kids, and even if we don't have a second full bathroom, at least a second toilet would be nice!)

I tend to prefer to go up to the river to swim--less windy, and generally warmer. But we're walking distance to the beach, and Pebble Beach Drive is a magnificent road to drive along (if Tac were still on h2g2, you could ask him, because when he visited last summer we took him down it, even though it was the complete opposite direction of the place we decided to go to)

The differences regarding home purchase in the USA and here are obvious. No-one buys a block of land then puts a mobile home on it as that is not allowed by law. If you buy a vacant block, then you have many home builders willing to build a house to your specifications. Another option is to purchase a house and land package where the developers can give you a choice of house design to suit your needs. These are all highly reputable construction firms by the way.
Or you can purchase an already established home, which obviously requires a fair bit of checking for something that fits your needs or can be renovated later on as money becomes available. You can even demolish the pre-existing dwelling and rebuild from scratch, if the land is where you want to live. That means living in alternate accommodation at your own expense while your house is being built.
Naturally, all services are provided whichever option you choose.
Typically here you need a deposit of 10% of the purchase price and there are many financial institutions which specialise in home mortgages. Of course you also must prove that your income level can sustain the mortgage repayments.
A typical home loan agreement is over 25years, but you can, without penalty, pay it off as early as you like and thereby save on interest. also the government provides a First Home Owners Grant, tax free, currently $AUD7000.

sorry for this lenghty posting



Stephen

Sorry Amy, but I forgot to mention that there are also a myriad of Federal and State Government grants and reimbursements for such things as solar panels for heating, rainwater tanks to supplement the town water supply in times of drought, free energy efficient lighting. You can even install a wind turbine to supply electricity to your home, and any excess is returned to the grid and the power companies pay YOU for the electrical power!

Oh, there's a lot in common--of course you can have a house built, or buy an existing house--it's just our personal circumstances/finances that won't allow us. We can't afford to pay a mortgage and rent somewhere else at the same time, for instance. And some plots of land aren't zoned to allow mobiles (different than trailers, if that's what you're thinking of--the other name for them is manufactured home). We have tried to look for mobiles on their own land, and found one that we really like the land (and the stick-built garage and shop on the land) but there's no way to get financing on it, because the mobile's the same model year I am () and you can't get a land loan for property that has a residence on it.

Forgot to address the other post-- It's not sunny here often enough to make solar panels practical, I don't think, and there's more than enough water around here As far as getting paid for producing electricity, I don't think it's set up that way here, though I could be wrong.

I think that gypsies started out as people who couldn't afford to rent or buy or anything.

So Paul, did Cavemen rent caves, or was the first realtor a Neanderthal Man or was he a Cro Magnon Man?...



Sir Peeb

And just look at how many fashion trends the Romani have inspired?

You guys do realize that I sent the link to this journal to the writer of the blog? (With a warning of h2g2's addictiveness)

*points at the post before my last*

HE started it, he started it !!!!

Gypsy Neanderthals selling real estate to ancient Romans on blogs.

There, have I covered everything?

(I'll deal with crow filet mignon later...)

*giggles*

Y'know, I think having you 2 in a car could make breathing almost as difficult as when Tac, Mr. C and Paul started playing Questions Only on the way to Hershey Park. (OK, so technically I was playing too, but most of the time I was laughing so hard it hurt.)

The asking price for a three room cave with all mod cons, ocean views and lush rainforest as a backdrop is a complete set of Woolly Mammoth Tusks and the skin of a Sabre Tooth Tiger. An initial deposit of a set of Rubbing Sticks for firemaking will be required.

Andrew Austalopithecus
Realtor
Cave 7
Gondwanaland

That's a bargain.

I bid a fresh pair of rubbing sticks (no soot !!!), and this BIG leaf full of really pretty stones from the beach. I'm not sure what they might be good for, but if YOUR personal DNA is found on 'em in a few zillion years, you might become immortalized somehow, sorta ...

A Cave Neighbour has just shown me his new invention. It is round and rolls along the ground!!!. I grunted to him that it will never be of any use. His name is Fordithecus Mercedesapiotrix So if bothers you, just send him rolling!!

Steve