I knew this would be an adventure – buying real estate is one of the most stressful things in our “first world” lives. Even the least expensive property is a big amount of money, more than a candy bar, less than an airliner. But I was determined to keep this process fun. While trolling the internet and working with Agent 007 I thought I identified a few properties that were likely candidates. One on Timothy’s Trail seemed perfect – a log cabin, a view, manageable driveway. Another in a nearby town also seemed pretty close to what I was looking for. I alerted Agent 007 and booked a flight for two days later. She had warned me that if something becomes available I would have to jump on it. “The market is HOT!” It sounded like sales hype and I was skeptical because in my monitoring of the market on various websites I had seen prices dropping and summer became fall and was heading for winter. Yes my Realtor buddy said that if I saw something I should jump on it. He “had no dog in the race”, so I trusted him.
The flight was easy, I rented a car and drove to 007’s office. It was a beautiful day, I was in those beautiful mountains that I love, I felt good, and I was excited to find my cabin. She informed me that one of our prospects was already under contract, so it would be a waste of time to see it. But we jumped in the car and we drove to the other likely candidate. It was the perfect house, a really nice log cabin, but the view was east. That meant two things: the view looked out to Denver and the plains, and that the area would be colder in the winter and snow would not melt as quickly. I wanted a view of the mountains, not the plains. And I know not to fight mother nature – the east exposure wouldn’t make for a pleasant spot for most of the year. Plus the house was way, way up a winding mountain road, at a much higher elevation that would make for problems acclimating to the high altitude, both for me and for the Jersey Girl. And finally, it meant that every bike ride would end with a grueling climb up that road, and in the winter we would be highly dependent on the road being plowed and maintained. This was not the one. It was the right house but the wrong location.
As if to confirm Agent 007’s warning of how hot the market is, as we left another agent arrived, towing a couple who were looking at the property. “It’s all yours” I thought as we got in the car to drive away.
Rather than just admit defeat, get back on the plane and dejectedly return to reality I was determined to make the trip worthwhile. Agent 007 mentioned that there was one property that might have a good view, but it was not much of a house. I was game, I was willing to renovate or build so I was willing to see it. I was out there, let’s make use of the trip. We started down the mountain as 007 got on the phone to arrange access to the property. It turns out the place was right next door to the Dome. Bonus: the Jersey Girl had seen and liked that neighborhood.
The garage door was open when we arrived as though the owner had fled. 007 opened the lockbox and then the front door. We entered to find a cozy old cabin that smelled like cigarettes. And it was full of animals. Stuffed. A giant bull elk, a gorgeous mountain goat, birds, fish…. this guy was a hunter and a smoker. But I wasn’t here to become friends with the seller, I wanted to see the view.
And it was there, a southern exposure and Pike’s Peak was peeking over one ridge. A gorgeous valley in between. The house had a nice kitchen, a big stone fireplace with a propane insert. Sure, it needed work. But….
BINGO!
On the other hand…. it was clearly a single guy’s house. But the house had other desirable features: 10 fairly flat acres, a well permit that allowed animals, a flat driveway, easy access to the highway. And there were no other houses in the view. There was a dilapidated barn, an old cabin, and best of all <irony> multiple outhouses</irony>. On the negative side, the driveway was shared with another house, and it went right by the back of the house. I had visions of people blasting by day and night on motorcycles without mufflers. I imagined a nightmare scenario of some cranky old guy with a shotgun who moved up here to get away from people. Nothing would ruin my dream faster than having an awful neighbor with whom I had to share a driveway. But nothing is perfect. As the great philosopher Yogi Berra said: “If things were perfect, they wouldn’t be.”
Suddenly I felt like I was close to finding THE PLACE! But 007 and I agreed the price was too high. The seller had already reduced the price a couple of times. Could we negotiate something even lower? It had been on the market for a few months, so people recognized the price was wrong. I told 007 I would like to make a low offer. She warned about an offer being too low and letting it slip though my fingers. I thought of the calendar, that it was late October and all the price reductions I had seen across the area over the past few weeks. A hot market gets cooler in the winter. Should I wait until December or January to make an offer?
I said I had some loose ends to check out, but that I would probably be making an offer. My trip was not a total waste. I called my buddy in Boulder and made arrangements to spend the weekend at his place instead of the cheapo motel up in the mountains.
After a nice dinner in Boulder with my buddy and one of his gal pals, a good night’s sleep, the next morning I was back scanning the real-estate websites pondering what to do next and found another cabin. We decided to drive up to look it over before contacting Agent 007. It was about a half hour’s drive west from Golden. It was a good looking cabin from the outside, had a wonderful view, although you could see other houses and the property was steep, the driveway down to the garage was short, but steep, too. If it was icy and you lost control you would smash right into the house. The photos of the interior were attractive, too. We were standing on the road next to the house when a neighbor came by – she had just moved in with her family and was thrilled with the neighborhood. I called 007 and arranged to meet there the next day to go inside.
Sunday was yet another gorgeous day in the mountains, and I met up with 007 at the new prospect. I knew she was hoping I would make the offer on the other place so she wouldn’t be too encouraging about this unnecessary distraction. We went inside and found a strange interior layout, the good view and took time to discuss the place. There were a bunch of negatives: tough access, 12 miles up a long windy narrow road from Golden, the strange interior, the tough driveway, and then the clincher: it was even higher than the other place. I could feel it in my chest, the air was thin. Nope. Not for me. Back to the other place. I decided to make an offer.
Rosemary iversen
It’s not too long. You are a good, in fact, gifted writer. Keep writing.