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drb777
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 12:26pm - Edited by: drb777
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How I purchased my 80 acres in the woods.
Since location is so very personal, you need to apply your own criteria in choosing where "your little piece of heaven" should be. But very many cabin-dwellers agree that one tends to get much more usage & enjoyment when your travel time is within a few hours drive from your principal residence.
For me, I'm 75 miles, or about a 70 min. drive from my "city" home. Easily close enough for a day trip if work or home responsibilities don't allow for an over-nighter or more. So, in my business I have had various tracts of land leased for minerals production for more than 35 years. And through these business operations I've learned a great deal about several different areas and the local residents that inhabit them.
In working with these "locals" I've been able to research and gain some of the local knowledge that otherwise would be almost impossible to aquire. And when one frequents an area over a long period of time, nearly all tracts of rural land eventually are traded, sold or inheirted.
When I eventually decided I wanted to be a rural landowner and part-time cabin-dweller, I had enough direct knowledge to focus on one particuler 80 acre tract of almost untouched wooded "raw" land. Of course my particular criteria would be very different from anyone else's, but it included such things as road access, isolation from neighbor intrusion, availibility of water well strata, and access to power & gas distribution systems (that I already own & operate).
Additionally through my business, I became familiar with this one certain 80 acre tract wherein the family that had ownership had pretty much ignored this one-of-many such land holdings. It had been an allocated Creek-Muskogee Indian plot that no one before me had shown much of an interest (other than the minerals below the surface).
Since I had a minerals lease that covered the tract, I also had a Abstract of Title which gave me a complete history since it was first patented before statehood. That, combined with the local knowledge of it's 50 year history of being surface leased only for hunting rights, and obviously no adverse posession problems, I decided to approach the owner family to propose my purchase.
Realizing that it wasn't actually on-the-market, it took some 8 months of correspondence to convience the appropriate family member that they should make the sale. Eventually they did hire an appraiser to do a comparison of near-by land sales, which gave them some assurance that they received fair value (and kept me from making a "steal").
Over time we negotiated and came to an agreement. Armed with my local knowledge, abstract of title and a trip to the county clerk to check for any leins or adverse title problems, we mutually agreed to simply make the transfer w/o a broker. While this simplified purchase process would not be at all practicle for nearly everyone, it did work well for me and the seller, since they have a lawyer in the family & was able to prepare the deed and thereby avoid lots of normal costs for both parties.
After our "closing" luncheon, wherein I delivered a cashier's check and they the Deed, I immeadiately went by the County Clerk's office to have the deed recorded and pay the minimal taxes/fees.
Fast forward 7 years, no regrets, the land is apparently worth some 50% more than what I paid and I continue to enjoy the many benefits of a part-time rural cabin-dweller. Additionally, I continue to find many benefits to having a local ownership presence and conveniences for my on-going business operations.
In conclusion, when you determine your individual criteria for your land purchase, try to use some local knowledge to further evaluate the particular situation, then make the appropriate effort to approach the current owner, even if it isn't actually on-the-market.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 12:42pm
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Just so you know, paragraph breaks make it much easier to read posted massages, especially when viewing on a small handheld screen.
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drb777
Member
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 01:14pm
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Thanks MtnDon, made the edit, hope that helps all of those that use those handheld screens.
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 01:19pm
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Beautiful cabin drb, that is something like I would want to build on my little 5 acres in Blanca Colorado wow good job!
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drb777
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 01:36pm
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Thanks y2K, the cabin is from Finland and I did a solo assembly and finish-out. They are very do-able for the modestly capable if one is patient and resourceful. See what's available at URL
I've found that most people are capable of much more than they would think, don't be too hesitant/cautious.
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upndown
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 01:40pm
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Haha MtnDon, good call, must have read after the edit.
drb777, great story as well as Beautiful Cabin. Without trying to invade your privacy, what State? Would also love to see some interior pics. Thanks!
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drb777
Member
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 02:05pm
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Thanks, upn', I'm located in Creek County, of NE Oklahoma.
Here are a few interior pics, not all are exactly current, it seems I'm always making small improvements.
bathroom
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kitchen
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livingroom
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sleeping loft
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drb777
Member
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 02:08pm
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Two more pics.
protector of the loft
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during assembly
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Wilbour
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 03:57pm
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That is one different looking bannister/railing.
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upndown
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 06:03pm
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Beautiful! Thanks. That railing is a first for me as well! 
I've seen those cabins while searching the internet. Nice to see one from first hand experience.
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 08:25pm
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You need to put some masonry behind that woodstove before that nice wood wall catches fire.
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drb777
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 08:47pm
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DaveBell, actually it's a sealed DV gas stove that requires only 4 inches of clearence at the back. And with the current 14 inches the back wall doesn't even get warm to the touch. I would agree that woodstoves require such a heat shield, but that's not what I have. All installation requirements were followed and in many cases exceeded. Safety first always.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2015 09:11pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I was going to say, I have a Quadrafire 3100 Millennium flat top and the clearance only needed to be about 4". It is wrapped in a shield, in fact, I cant even get a suntan on my hand if I touch it directly, barley even warm.
Good looking cabin too I might add.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 14 Aug 2015 01:14am
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 thanks for the edit
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2015 11:43pm
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Drb How cold does it get in OK winter months? I don't see any insulation.....In Blanca CO I would need some type of insulated walls but still beautiful cabin !
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drb777
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2015 10:16am
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Y2K, We certainly get down to zero degrees F for short periods in the winter, but not like the altitude of Colorado.
Even though it's not shown in the photos above, I added 1" of R-Max insulation in the roof and below the subfloor which helps. (If in CO it would have been 2".)
This 220 model has double pane windows & doors, and I added weather stripping through-out.
The "milled-logs" are slightly over 1-3/4" thick and are stacked using a tight double tongue & grove joints. There is no detectable air intrusion anywhere, between logs or at the corners.
Stacked "log-style" structures tend to get their low coefficient of heat transfer more from the wood mass instead of the more common trapped-air & thickness approach. I've found that my gas stove easily handles the coldest days, at least at my local.
I suggest you speak with others that have experience with log-style structures, and I think they will also relate much the same opinion. There are many pros and cons to this type of construction, and they may not necessarily be obvious w/o some investigation.
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Kudzu
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:59pm
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Well, me and my dog were driving down a county road and I saw a for sale sign. I slowed down and wrote down the phone number, called the owner, bought the land. It really is a simple process.
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2015 06:16pm
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thanks drb,
I will definitely have to put some insulation in roof and sub floor but im not even close to that point since I am still struggling with the 600 sqft minimum requirement and so many covenants and restrictions in Costilla county CO.....Thanks for the tips
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2015 06:21pm - Edited by: y2kdejesus
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kudzu I purchased my land from colomtland.com Very nice gentleman and beautiful views of Mt. Blanca and yes very easy process. This is my view from the land notice corner stake in pic
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 22 Aug 2015 07:46pm
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Quoting: Kudzu Well, me and my dog were driving down a county road and I saw a for sale sign. I slowed down and wrote down the phone number, called the owner, bought the land. It really is a simple process.
same as me with my Northern Maine camp. I drove all the way to Maine and the realtor showed me a camp. Too close to the road. Then I went riding ...found a small unfinished camp . Plastic FOR SALE sign with # on it. Called them --Bought it the next day!! Cash in TRUCK and met them at attorneys office. Put $$$ in escrow till the title search was done. Closing done in the mail...so simple!!! Plus I bought it less than half of what they were asking as I had cash in the truck!!!
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 23 Aug 2015 12:10am
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That's the way it happens sometimes, you have to be at the right place at the right time, way to go turkeyhunter
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upndown
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# Posted: 23 Aug 2015 11:10am
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Originally I was looking for land, not a cabin. As luck would have it on my way to help a buddy build his place up the hill from me, I drive by this cute cabin with a for sale sign. Never saw anything for sale previously. Stopped and looked around and called the Realtor. Turns out it was a foreclosure and the Bank was asking $XXX made a ridiculous cash offer on the spot. After a little bantering with the bank, I bought it for approx half of what it sold for two years prior. Right place, Right time.
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