Originally, this house was to
be my retirement home. It was near cities and highways. I have owned it for nine years and
live the place. I put a great deal of work into it. Then, I was transferred to Needles,
California... a long way from my property. It is almost impossible for me to care for at
this distance. What’s more is that I have found that this parish would be better
served if I could have a home out here and use the present rectory for meeting space. (It
is impossible to pay for our hall to be used in the summer when air conditioning is so
high in such a small poor community.) I have been given permission to live in my own
home as long as within my time here we eventually get a new house for a future priest. The
present rectory is too big for a priest and all the offices are actually in the house. So
there is no privacy. Because of my age and health problems, it’s more realistic that
I have a home in a warmer climate when I retire too. This will give local parishes a
retired priest in the area for “fill in” work, which is not really available at
the moment.
I have tried real estate
agents. But I have found that they start you out at a price and then work you down. Then
they sit back hoping someone else will sell it so they can get half the commission without
showing the home. One agent didn’t even realize that there was a “man cave”
basement in the cut out area underneath the house with cabinets. She never even looked at
the property she was selling!
On top of that, agents group
together those properties which are “cabins,” even though my home is a fully
insulated “house.” This makes a very big difference when paying utility bills,
especially gas bills in the winter months.
The house
shares a loop driveway with the neighbors. Is this a bad thing? Definitely not! People
don’t think about shoveling or plowing. A snow plow can merely drive in one side and
come out the other. Sometimes the expense has been shared with the neighbor. Other times,
I didn’t even bother.
This house has laminate
floors downstairs and brand new hardwood floors upstairs. The appliances in the kitchen
are all up to date. The counters are Ceasarstone (composite quartz) counter tops that I
had installed. The roof, furnace, and water heater are recently installed. I had all this
done myself for a retirement house.
Even though
the house is on a slanted property, since I have owned it, the back has been leveled and
stepped. It is a “usable yard,” which is hard to find on mountain properties. A
back deck has been added with a retaining wall below it for a BBQ area with cement floor.
This is a great summer party house for there is a deck on the front of the house too.
I have used the house for
weekend rental, which has brought me $300 per weekend. And, I have rented it out monthly
for $900 per month, which is under market.
Is it over priced? It
depends on how you look at it. Most mountain cabins and homes need a lot of work. That
costs money. This house is finished. It is also not as old as most of the buildings on the
mountains.
Again, it is not a cabin as
many are in the area. And, even though I have reduced the price, I don’t want to
cooperate with reducing the price of my neighbors homes by doing that. This is a nice
neighborhood in Crestline. It is a very desirable neighborhood in the San Moritz section.
Internet real estate sites reflect the cost of the house when it was initially
purchased and include none of the additions or improvements. I need to get around $180,000
for the house. I know that is a little high. But nowhere near what it would have gone for
before the housing crash. When all the forclosures are off the market, we all know that it
will bounce back. The person or group of people who purchase this house would be doing it
to help a cause.
Here's a little
video of the house. The furniture may be different though. And, it was before the new
floors were installed upstairs.
About the house: Remember... it's NOT a
"cabin" Built 1986
Living Room Dining area Three bedroom (One currently
used as the "study") One full bath, one half bath
with laundry facilities (Washer and dryer) Recently remodeled kitchen
with Ceasarstone countertops and stainless steel sink. Build Up (Basement) set up as
tools shop and "Man Cave" for special projects. Leveled and Stepped back
yard. BBQ Area Two Decks Furnished Nicely... Will sell
furnished (With few exceptions) Nice sized yard Convenient looped driveway
for plowing.
If you are interested, please sign my
guestbook below and leave your e-mail information and I will get back to you.
