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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Setbacks

Setbacks-plural-as in more than one!

Setback number one: call from nice bank lady, the appraised value of the 20 acres is $40,000. Nice farmer wants no less than $3,000 per acre. If we want to proceed we will have to come up with the difference. Instead of the $7,500 down payment we were anticipating, we would have to cough up $27,500. Yikes. We have it, but it would not leave us much for a house. I am fairly certain nice farmer will not bring his price down, he has said this before. I am fairly certain we will not spend the lion's share of our hoarded savings on land down payment. Delaying the move into a more sustainable home/lifestyle is not something I am willing to do. I am anxious enough as it is about waiting until spring to build/sell our house. I continue to wonder when this house of cards we call an economy will come down around us. I worry about inflation and interest rates. I just plain worry. Time to think outside the box.

Setback number two: actually not a setback but a not moving forward. Less than 1 lb loss last week. I swam 4 times last week, but didn't keep track of food intake. My little shortcut was not helpful and I have learned a lesson. Write it ALL down and have a plan the night before. I was/am pissed for faltering but in a good-strengthening resolve kind of way. Lifting weights yesterday helped alot. I forgot how much I loved lifting, not I just need to find my old Powerman5000 and Metallica cassettes to put in my Walkman- ha, ha.

11 comments:

Kathie said...

Is the farmer selling through a real estate agent? No bank in the world will finance when the appraised value is less than the asking price, someone should have a real heart-to-heart with him. A lower appraised value should work out in your (the buyer's) favor. I know it sucks for the seller, but still, the real estate market is what it is these days. Sending lots of positive vibes your way!

Hickchick said...

Kathie-not through a real estate agent. Just through word of mouth that he would sell if he could get the price he wanted. Mr Nice Farmer has stated in the past he does not need the money and if he cannot get x then he will hang onto it as an investment for the future. He doesn't actually farm it, just owns it and leases it to a large dairy who then hires someone to spread crap and pesticides on the land. Oops I mean farm it. :)

Sue said...

I know you want this land, so I hope it goes your way, but maybe you should look a bit more???

Hickchick said...

Sue -I agree, after the girls go to bed-DH and I will consume a bottle of wine whilst discussing our options. In my mind the farm is still in a 'picture frame'-nothing crazy done in 'wanting' here!

Ruth Trowbridge said...

hope i am not sending this twice, my foxfire crashed, posted a note for you on my blog, you know how i do go on, please come see, peace

Judy T said...

Oh, I hope you can work something out or find something else quickly. I perfectly understand your anxiety about wanting a piece of land to call your own. I was in that exact place this time last year.
Peace to you.
Oh, and I know it sounds trite- but remember that muscle weighs more than fat and it is common to hit a plateau for weight loss as you build muscle mass. The upside of that is that the more muscle mass, the faster you burn energy. Hang in there. It will work.
Judy

Conny said...

Is Mr. Nice Farmer maybe willing to "carry you" for the price difference, making payments to him (he gets the interest instead of the bank). Not sure if that's an option or not. When I bought my 5+ acres, the owners financed us for a 10-year period: they were retired and didn't need the money all in one lump sum so decided they could afford to get it bit by bit.

One way or another, you'll get to the land your supposed to be on.

Good luck. ~ Conny

Ruth Trowbridge said...

oh but they are, aren't they - I suppose you look every week on the internet (for sale by owner stuff)and mls for listings in your area. I have heard land is in short supply in your country. I still look around here. We saw over 100 properties before we bought this. We thought we were going to buy 3 and the deals fell through. We thought it would never happen. But we kept looking, making a game out of finding the faults in the properties. We are so glad we didn't get the first one we wanted. Turns out the house isn't even on the property. Another one only pretended to have water. Your dream place is out there, waiting for you like your husband was. I know you are not freaked out, only impatient and hungry for the change - this is so understandable. Soon you will be exhausted from the work and at the mercy of the weather, lap up that couchie life while you have it my friend. Thanks for letting me get up on my soap box, peace.

Hickchick said...

Connie-ooh owner financed I HADN'T thought of that!
Judy- thanks for the encouragement-I know you have been here before!
Ruth-keep on the lookout for land (for us) -if the climate keeps changing we may need a place in the mountains to stay dry! :)

Anonymous said...

Ack, how frustrating to say the least. The farmer seems a little unreasonable, but I hope there is some way to make it work - you've put in so much effort and planning. Positive thoughts....

Paulette said...

Land hunting is so frustrating, we looked for so long before finally finding something a couple of years ago. Hang in there, the right thing will come along at the right time.

I'm with you on the weight loss, trying to shed a few pounds myself, and those plateaus will drive you nuts. Writing everything down is a key I think. And patience...and that's the hardest for me. Good luck with it.