In the Fall of 2005, we bought twelve acres of land a few miles west of the small town that we live in. The grand plan was to build a house on it. God, The Universe, and the magical unicorns had other plans for us (arrest, bat shit craziness, serious amounts of debt (lawyers), med withdrawal, locusts, plagues, etc. etc.)
So now we own this piece of land that we thought we would never build a house on.
Until I realized a few months ago that we are doing well on paying off debt (knocking on wood now) and that we might actually be able to build a small house for just me and Derek once the kids all move out.
….. and then today somebody sent me an e-mail asking about the land
I feel like crying. I don’t really understand why.
I had the dream of building a house there. I let go of the dream and wanted to sell the land, mostly because we are making payments on it and that money could be used elsewhere, when our world fell apart.
….. but then the dream came back … and I’m not quite sure that I want to let it go again.
Normally I just read and don’t comment but…KEEP the land. It’s always going to be worth $, probably more so in the future. If you went through all that you’ve been through and are still paying for/going through and haven’t sold it, why give up the dream now?
Thank you. I agree. Derek is all “sell it! sell it! sell it!” but I’m all “meh …. not so sure.”
Do NOT let the land go. That is one investment you made wisely. Seriously. Land never goes down in value – always up. Keep the dream alive. Keep it.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Also… an aside for later… have you looked at shipping container homes? They are economical and a perfect fit for a couple who don’t want room for children to move back in.. LOL
It’s funny that you mention that. I was convinced that we needed to sell until I saw an article in Southern Living about a little metal house with a dogtrot (an open porch type area in the middle of the house) and fell in love with the idea. The main house is a combination living room/dining room/ kitchen with a master bedroom and bathroom. We could build that house first and then in a few years build a guest house with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. By the time the kids are moved out, we should have the land close to paid for and we won’t need our big house anymore.
I’m for keeping it, too! No need to let go of the dream if you can afford to keep it. You say you’re doing well with paying off debt, so just keep working on that like you’ve been doing before.
Always remember, just because someone is interested does not mean you are required to sell to them / to work for them / spend time with them / do whatever it is they want. It’s simply an unsolicited enquiry that you are free to refuse. That’s something I’m having trouble with myself, I quickly feel like I’m required to act on offers like that.
Dreams are important. Things like your future little house on an open plot of land are what keeps us going.
Now that I have the house pictured in my head, it’s really hard to let go of the dream. We haven’t heard anything else from the people who looked at it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing …. maybe it just means that we are meant to keep it.