A LOTS Changed

A few days ago I was feeling fairly low, stressed and slightly in despair about my house and what the future holds. This would be about the time that I stuck my head into the box of Gain (Which is Outdoor Sunshine scent, in case you were wondering).

Today I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Stuff like this just doesn’t happen to ME.

WE PUT MONEY DOWN ON A PARCEL OF LAND!

Well, to be honest, my mother did.

She was looking for an investment as a tax break. She was also very worried that when we figure out what the decision will be about the road and our house, the lots would be much more expensive (They will be) and scarce. This way, when the city decides whether or not they will buy our house to build a road (If they don’t, we can then put the house up for sale.) we will be able to buy the lot from my mom and build.

Think of it as a layaway option for property. It’s a win/win situation. Mom gets a tax break and we have a lot ready to build on. Should something terrible happen to make us unable to afford the lot (Job loss, death, distruction…you get the picture), my mom has a GREAT investment. Although if I don’t live on this land, there are not enough boxes of Gain in the universe that would console me.

See, this isn’t just ANY house lot. Some how, some way, I have found 1/3 of an acre in a great neighborhood, that is my absolute DREAM piece of property.I know exactly what piece of land I am going to spend the rest of my life on.If you knew the depressing housing situation in the state I live in. I know that for many of you who live in big cities, crowded areas, etc. these prices will seem low, but in comparison to the earning wage in Utah the housing and lot costs are RIDICULOUS.

Most developments START at 59,900 for a 1/4 an acre lot with NO trees or view. The median salary for the city I live in is 38,500 per year.

Depressing.

I can’t believe my luck. This property was once a huge apple orchard. You can see this huge pile of old, wood apple crates that are still on the property . There are TONS of trees. Remember, I live in a place where the pioneers had to plant every tree that is here (Besides pine trees). Trees, especially MATURE trees, are an unbelievable commodity. There are huge pine trees, a monster willow tree, hazelnut trees, and of course…Apple trees.

We have squirrels too! You can see one here in this photo. There were about four of them running around together on the branches. I love the shade these trees provide. I will be able to garden without my plants frying to death in full sun.

I just cannot believe we found this. It’s like I’m in a secluded, little Forrest. What is better is it is $10,000 under what the developers wanted for it.
James and Christopher went absolutely NUTS over it. They even found a spotted little puppy to play with while they were exploring.
I am going to live next to a barn.

AN AWESOME, TURN OF THE CENTURY, BARN.

This may be a turn off to some, but I have always wanted to live or own a huge, old barn. Now I will get to see it every day. I am actually hoping that at some point in my life, Jon and I could buy the barn and property…That would be cool.

AND!!

My new street name????

JONATHAN LANE!!!!!!! How cool and appropriate is that????

I am a bit scared, though. I haven’t ever built a house before. We are going to be our own general contractor. All the Choates do this (FIL is an electrician and contractor…Etc.), and many friends and family have done quite a bit of it, so I’ll have lots of advice.

I’m nervous because I am planning on never moving again (Baring disaster).
So I have to try and make sure the house is done right. Scary.
I DO have plenty of time to plan though. We are not expecting to build for about 2-3 years, so I will be able to budget, save and plan.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now. I’m just excited.

P.S. I thought I had a photo that showed the full lot. I’ll post it later.

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