Property Makeover: Part 1

We did it, we bought a “diamond in the rough” property! Now that we have it, I will be sharing the whole makeover journey, from start to finish. Let me tell you how it all happened.

From the Start

Well, first my husband, went to a realty office to see what we could do. We knew we wanted land to build on, so he shared the preferences we had. The agent said he couldn’t help us. He said that we would be better off finding property on our own, as our budget was just too low. A bummer, but understandable.

From there, he (my husband) told me to start searching the wide web for suitable, vacant lots with a value we could afford, and just write the owners a letter! I sent 7 letters out that week, and 2 responses came back. Before we could even get to the responses though, a connection through my husband’s work (a friend) said he knew of some property that might be for sale. This is the property we ended up buying. We looked at it that week, and jumped quick at such a great deal!

Before I continue, if you’re searching for property don’t be scared to send letters! Both the people who did respond to us, said they were more than willing to sell. Definitely an idea worth looking into!

About the Property

Before we saw the property, we knew there were pros, and cons. Unfortunately, squatters had come in and out, on our property and neighboring property, it was used as a dumping ground for years, and it just had been very, very neglected. But, here’s the good part.

It is 2.50 acres of flat, buildable land with a high chance of septic and well already on it (we think we’ve found the well). Plus, a very run down little cottage. We looked past all that dirty, and could see plenty potential!

Our Plans:

You may be wondering about our plans after reading all of that. What’s going to happen to the cottage? When are we moving in? What about the squatter trash?

Well, trash can be cleaned! And thankfully, it doesn’t look to be a drug making kind of place at all. Just junk.. Over the next 3 months my husband plans to work like a hound to get us officially moved in, as in, moved in by September 19th. Over the next 2 years, he plans to keep that work routine so we can build a permanent house there.

Our plan before moving in however, is to fix the cottage to make it our extra storage shed, while we live in a camper trailer next to it. Another tiny home of sorts, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier! We will reside in the trailer, until the actual home is built on the property.

What have we been doing so far

So far, we’ve been locating the well, property lines, clearing, and prepping fencing. We have quite a lot to do because it’s still got a lot of ugly on it, but we are so thankful for the support from family and friends who have already helped us along the way. I’m so overjoyed that we finally have a space to soon let our children run around, to have the freedom to plant a garden, and have more animals that can provide a food source for our family!

So many things have happened and are to come, and all glory be to God for it!

Stay Tuned

Up next, we will be working on more fencing, more clearing, and more cleaning. Gutting the cottage will be happening soon. We also will be giving a little TLC to a camper trailer! I plan to share our “on a budget” fencing that we are doing, the cottage demo, the clean up before and afters, and so much more! Let’s get this land, looking like a home.