# Guess we're buyin' a house



## hossthehermit (Dec 8, 2011)

Real estate agent called today,sez fannie mae accepted the latest offer we made, closing 12/27/11 , I guess. Pretty excited, got a lot of work to be done before any move, but, couldn't pass up the chance. Hopefully move within the next couple years, gotta figure out first whether to fix up the house or donate it to the local fire department for a burn excersize, and start from scratch.


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## btuser (Dec 8, 2011)

Do tell.  What type of property we talkin?


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 8, 2011)

Congratulations Hoss.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

4.7 acres, town road frontage, stream frontage, electric, well, septic system, house w/ attatched garage, woodshed, chicken coop, apple trees, deer tracks all over the place. Small town, pop. 800 - 1000, but the place I'm buyin' ain't right in the middle of town, it's out back a ways.


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## webbie (Dec 9, 2011)

Damn gobment - redistributing my money and credit again...to HOss yet!
 :coolsmile: 

Congrats!


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

Webmaster said:
			
		

> Damn gobment - redistributing my money and credit again...to HOss yet!
> :coolsmile:
> !



Yea , whatever, love you too.


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## Dix (Dec 9, 2011)

Congrats Hoss. Sounds nice


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## nate379 (Dec 9, 2011)

Sounds like 99% of Maine, well other than the "small" yard.  My brother bought a place like that this spring, not far from Houlton.  His yard is around 300 acres though.



			
				hossthehermit said:
			
		

> 4.7 acres, town road frontage, stream frontage, electric, well, septic system, house w/ attatched garage, woodshed, chicken coop, apple trees, deer tracks all over the place. Small town, pop. 800 - 1000, but the place I'm buyin' ain't right in the middle of town, it's out back a ways.


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## btuser (Dec 9, 2011)

Apple trees are a good sign.  About the only thing I can grow is moss.


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## Battenkiller (Dec 9, 2011)

Congrats!  But I have to ask, how did you get things moving along so quickly?  We've been under contract since the end of October and we still don't have a closing date.


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## nate379 (Dec 9, 2011)

Other than normal situation?

When I bought my place offer got accepted and I closed 2 or 3 weeks later.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Congrats!  But I have to ask, how did you get things moving along so quickly?  We've been under contract since the end of October and we still don't have a closing date.



Maybe because it's a foreclosure? Originally in our offer we talked about closing in January, fannie mae countered with before the end of the year. Realtor sez probably a quota thing. She also said it was scheduled to go to auction in January if it didn't sell before.


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## SolarAndWood (Dec 9, 2011)

hossthehermit said:
			
		

> gotta figure out first whether to fix up the house or donate it to the local fire department for a burn excersize, and start from scratch.



How are property taxes there?  From what I have seen, if you fix it up you fly under the radar while 1 sq foot of new construction puts a target on you.  I am on my 3rd fix up (total rebuild) but would enjoy the opportunity to build from scratch some day.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 9, 2011)

Congrats . . . which town if you don't mind me asking . . . if I was a betting man and knowing where you live I would guess Orland or Orrington . . . possibly Frankfort or Stockton Springs.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> hossthehermit said:
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Property taxes aren't bad, but the house is trashed. If we give it to the FD for an exercise, we'll probably put in a used mobile home. We're looking for smaller, simpler, one floor living when I retire in a year or two, late spring, summer, and early fall in Maine, same sort of place in Nevada or Arizona for the other 5-6 months.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Congrats!  But I have to ask, how did you get things moving along so quickly?  We've been under contract since the end of October and we still don't have a closing date.



Maybe also because it's a cash sale, we're not waiting on financing.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 9, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Congrats . . . which town if you don't mind me asking . . . if I was a betting man and knowing where you live I would guess Orland or Orrington . . . possibly Frankfort or Stockton Springs.



You'd be wrong, Jake........ Greenbush. Olamon, not Cardville.


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## Gasifier (Dec 9, 2011)

Congrats hoss! All that and a wood shed!  :ahhh:  :coolsmile:


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## jtakeman (Dec 9, 2011)

Congrats hoss,

You know what we say in the mill! No pic? didn't happen! Sounds ducky though!

Gonna miss the old place? I'll miss the sunset's and sunrise's you where posting for us!

Edit:

You gonna take the Revolution with you?


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## GAMMA RAY (Dec 9, 2011)

Good for you Hoss....I do some interior decorating on the side.....if you need me....I will give you a good discount....


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## firefighterjake (Dec 10, 2011)

Good thing I'm not a betting man Hoss . . . nice area . . . one of our co-workers has a place up in 
Greenbush . . . not exactly sure where though.


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## btuser (Dec 10, 2011)

I'm sure its a good area.   As long as you can keep out the Irish- OW! Dang!  Stop hittin' me woman!

Good luck with the new home.


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## hossthehermit (Dec 10, 2011)

btuser said:
			
		

> I'm sure its a good area.   As long as you can keep out the Irish- OW! Dang!  Stop hittin' me woman!
> 
> Good luck with the new home.



My wife is Irish, I learned a long time ago to avoid that sort of remark. I feel your pain.


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## Dune (Dec 10, 2011)

Good fer ya Hoss. My sons are half Irish.


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## hossthehermit (Feb 2, 2012)

Finally closed on it Tuesday, gotta say, I highly recommend Consumer Title in Bangor, if anyone in the area is looking to buy property, they found several issues that caused 3 postponements on this, stuff that Fannie Mae had apparently simply ignored. Nice to find a company that takes pride in their work.


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## Pallet Pete (Feb 2, 2012)

hossthehermit said:
			
		

> 4.7 acres, town road frontage, stream frontage, electric, well, septic system, house w/ attatched garage, woodshed, chicken coop, apple trees, deer tracks all over the place. Small town, pop. 800 - 1000, but the place I'm buyin' ain't right in the middle of town, it's out back a ways.



Congratulations Hoss that sounds like a real piece of heaven 

Pete


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## daveswoodhauler (Feb 3, 2012)

Congrats Hoss. Lookin forward to some pics of the new digs. (Although, I did love the views at your old place)


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## jharkin (Feb 3, 2012)

4.7 acres.... droools...


er. I meant Congrats Hoss!


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## bogydave (Feb 3, 2012)

Great  hoss. Almost 5 acres, some out buildings, stream, deer,  apple trees, sounds great. 
If you go with a wood stove; 2 years gives you time to get the wood you'll need CSS & ready to burn 
Congratulations   Good luck!!


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## Battenkiller (Feb 3, 2012)

jharkin said:
			
		

> 4.7 acres.... droools...
> 
> 
> er. I meant Congrats Hoss!



Yeah, my new place only came with 4.2... I'm jealous.    

Congrats, Hoss.  Surprised the closing took so long, you were supposed to be closing before we did and we were in before Christmas. Anyway, feels great, don't it?

Post pics so we can share in your... wait... I haven't done that yet myself.   :red:


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## firefighterjake (Feb 3, 2012)

I was wondering how things were going Hoss . . . thanks for posting . . . and don't forget the photos of your new place and the views . . . and yes . . . I promise to not come visit you. 

On my own part I think I've convinced the wife to move further north instead of south when I retire . . . she says we can move to The County . . . but only if the house has an indoor swimming pool.


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## eclecticcottage (Feb 3, 2012)

hossthehermit said:
			
		

> SolarAndWood said:
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Check your local laws first.  We couldn't find a place around here that would allow a "park model" home, and most especially not an older "mobel home", on a private lot.  Before we bought the Cottage we were looking at land and wanted to put an older model trailer on it, and found they wouldn't meet fire codes anywhere around us.  We also looked at new small "trailers", one that looked like a small log cabin, but because they were considered "park models", they weren't allowed either.  Mobiles are meant to be movable, whereas a modular is not, so also keep that in mind (I've seen modulars for sale as to be moved from the property, but they really aren't made for that and it can cause problems).

Our taxes aren't terrible considering what local taxes are (a bit over $2k) on the Cottage, but a new build down the street is about $8K (granted it's bigger, but not many people build a place under 1000 sq ft anymore).  We looked at a place down the road, about 9 acres with a cheaply built house on it (newer, less than 20 years but no basement or central heat, 2 bedroom) and the taxes there are about $5,500 a year because of the age of the house.  You can basically reno an interior with no permits and not change your taxes-but build a new place and look out, the tax man cometh.



			
				hossthehermit said:
			
		

> Finally closed on it Tuesday, gotta say, I highly recommend Consumer Title in Bangor, if anyone in the area is looking to buy property, they found several issues that caused 3 postponements on this, stuff that Fannie Mae had apparently simply ignored. Nice to find a company that takes pride in their work.



Congrats!  It's a great feeling when you FINALLY can say it's YOURS.  And glad you worked with a good title company.  Forclosures can hide all sorts of crazy issues...


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## hossthehermit (Feb 3, 2012)

eclecticcottage said:
			
		

> hossthehermit said:
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## hossthehermit (Feb 3, 2012)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> I was wondering how things were going Hoss . . . thanks for posting . . . and don't forget the photos of your new place and the views . . . and yes . . . I promise to not come visit you.
> 
> On my own part I think I've convinced the wife to move further north instead of south when I retire . . . she says we can move to The County . . . but only if the house has an indoor swimming pool.



Hoping to get up there this weekend, maybe get some pics, how come ya ain't gonna come visit?????


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## hossthehermit (Feb 3, 2012)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> jharkin said:
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Yeah, the title company kept findin' issues, so I kept makin' Fannie postpone it. They were the ones in such a big hurry, obviously when they gave out the mortgage years ago, their title company did some pretty sloppy work. But it's apparently all straightened out now, and I ended up with an extra 45 feet of road frontage that Fannie had to buy. Your (and my) tax dollars at work.


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## hossthehermit (Feb 6, 2012)

Got up to the new place Sunday morning, found, walked, and refreshed the property lines, perfect weather for it, about 20 degrees, only a few inches of snow, sure gonna need some work, looking forward to it.

Markin' lines












Lookin' down back






House from the road






Down by the stream






Uh oh, looks like the neighbors have been by






Lookin' at the house from down back


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## bogydave (Feb 6, 2012)

Looks great.
A little piece of "Heaven"


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## GAMMA RAY (Feb 7, 2012)

Awesome hoss....no friggin nosey neighbors to worry about.
When's moving day...and how far ya moving?


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## firefighterjake (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks for sharing . . . how many acres . . . or did you say already?


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## eclecticcottage (Feb 7, 2012)

Looks like a good place to start.  It looks like it has a great view, might need a few trees taken down to really open it up.  Doesn't look all that bad really, from what I can see the roof line still looks straight, no sags on the walls...seems like it's got good bones.  LOVE the property.


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## hossthehermit (Feb 7, 2012)

Bogeydave, thanks, love it where we are now, just got so many people from away movin' in last few years, taxing me right out of town. Waterfront property on the coast ain't for workin' folks, no more.

    GAMMA, prob'ly be a couple years, I'm spoiled with my 10 mile round trip commute to work, up there would be 100. Gotta get this place sold, too, gonna start working at getting some stuff done up there this year, ol' gray mare wants to get a bunch of plants and stuff moved, etc.

   Just under 5 acres, Jake.

   Cottage, no way trees are coming down, got some brush to cut, thin some small stuff, that's it. House problems are fixable, just need to decide whether it's more efficient to renovate or demo and start from scratch.


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## btuser (Feb 8, 2012)

Looks like you've got a decent slope for the lot.   Were the pics taken in the morning or pm?  Southern exposure is good stuff.


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## GAMMA RAY (Feb 9, 2012)

So hoss....tell us about your "heating" situation in the new house......what's the deal?

Inquiring minds wanna know..you still gonna heat with wood?


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## hossthehermit (Feb 9, 2012)

Pics were taken in the am, from the house to the stream slopes down to the SW

There's an oil burner in the cellar, looks kinda old, gonna get taken out anyway. Chimney MAY, repeat MAY, be servicable, but any decisions on that are a ways down the road, we won't be spending cold months there until AT LEAST 2013-2014 season. Plan for what we will have is pellets for primary heat, small flat top wood unit for cooking and bachup heat.


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## btuser (Feb 10, 2012)

What's your finished square footage going to be?  Is this going to be "the" house?   My ideal empty nester is about 1000sqft- with a 5000ft garage.


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## hossthehermit (Feb 10, 2012)

btuser said:
			
		

> What's your finished square footage going to be?  Is this going to be "the" house?   My ideal empty nester is about 1000sqft- with a 5000ft garage.



Who knows? Hope is for around 6-700 sq. ft. , outbuildings, gardens, and another just like it in Ariz. or Nev. for the other 5-6 months each year. Summer, fall here, winter, spring there.


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## GAMMA RAY (Feb 10, 2012)

I would be happy with just 4 rooms....
living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom....
The less square footage, the less you have to clean dammit!
I have a cousin that has a McMansion that is over 8000 square feet....I would not take that house if it was given to me.

I prefer simple...


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## btuser (Feb 10, 2012)

GAMMA RAY said:
			
		

> I would be happy with just 4 rooms....
> living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom....
> The less square footage, the less you have to clean dammit!
> I have a cousin that has a McMansion that is over 8000 square feet....I would not take that house if it was given to me.
> ...



My favorite house ever was a 300 sqft converted chicken shack.  The owner was going to tear it down but he decided to rent it to us instead.  Didn't hurt that it was 20' from the water's edge.  It was so small that if we wanted to have company over for dinner we had to set up on the lawn.


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## hossthehermit (Feb 10, 2012)

GAMMA RAY said:
			
		

> I would be happy with just 4 rooms....
> living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom....
> The less square footage, the less you have to clean dammit!
> I have a cousin that has a McMansion that is over 8000 square feet....I would not take that house if it was given to me.
> ...



Agreed, and kit., lr, and br really don't need walls between. Far as I'm concerned bathroom don't either, but ........


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## GAMMA RAY (Feb 10, 2012)

Actually I would be fine with one big room.....and maybes just a "lil privacy shade type thingy"for the bathroom. :smirk:


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## hossthehermit (Feb 10, 2012)

Most efficient way to heat, never have company, anyway.


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## kenny chaos (Feb 10, 2012)

Wow!  Super sweet, Hoss the boss.  I hear ya about not cutting trees but you will
need to clear a shooting lane back there. ;-) 
It's kinda funny, we got 4.7 acres left to sell with house and barns (PM offers only please).
We'll be downsizing to about 200 sq./ft..  
Any idea what your elevation is there?
Congratulations on maneuvering a necessary evil, real estate transactions.
Be careful and pace yourself-
Kenny


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## hossthehermit (Feb 11, 2012)

kenny chaos said:
			
		

> Wow!  Super sweet, Hoss the boss.  I hear ya about not cutting trees but you will
> need to clear a shooting lane back there. ;-)
> It's kinda funny, we got 4.7 acres left to sell with house and barns (PM offers only please).
> We'll be downsizing to about 200 sq./ft..
> ...



Swamp a little brush will clear shooting lanes to all 3 apple trees back there, won't hafta cut any real trees.
138'
The secret to real estate transactions is to hire a GOOD title specialist.
I useta be a "SAFETY PROFESSIONAL", now I have 2 speeds, slow and "Wow, man, is he still breathing?"


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## eclecticcottage (Feb 11, 2012)

GAMMA RAY said:
			
		

> I would be happy with just 4 rooms....
> living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom....
> The less square footage, the less you have to clean dammit!
> I have a cousin that has a McMansion that is over 8000 square feet....I would not take that house if it was given to me.
> ...



That's about what we have, except we have a dining room too.  Kitchen and DR are open to each other, then to a hallway that the bath and bedroom are off of, into the living room.  Bedroom is open to living room via a large "window".  Basically like an H but the bedroom and bathroom are off the - part.  We do have a sun porch too.


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