Follow Up

So we went to the Olalla property on Thursday. The owner was not there but his realtor was. He showed us around the house first and then took us out back to see the property.

The first thing I noticed was the house no longer reeked of stale cigarette smoke. The realtor pointed out some things that I didn't notice when I was there before. (The realtor wasn't there at that time so the owner was the one who showed us around.) The water heater and house heater were in awkward spaces. The house really is oddly designed. It didn't bother me so much but my husband is looking for a better layout, especially at those asking prices.

We learned that the well only pumps at 2 gpm, something I was slightly shocked to learn. There is, I believe, a 1500 gallon storage tank that is claimed to pump at 4 gpm. When you're used to 9+ gpm that still seems a little on the slow side. I did check on-line afterward and supposedly 4 gpm should suffice for a household. The pasture area is irrigated using the creek, so that's not a concern of the well.

And speaking of the creek, another thing I didn't know before was that other homes in the area have irrigation rights to the creek and they have easement rights along one side of the property. That probably wouldn't have bothered me too much but then the agent disclosed that there was some bad blood between the owners and quite a few of the neighbors. One reason was in regards to the water rights/easement issue. Apparently they even went to court to settle their disputes.

Another disclosure regarding the bad blood between the neighbors was that the wife had been caught burglarizing a neighbor's home! WOW! The reason this might be an issue is that the bad feelings and ill will could possibly cross over to the new owners.

My husband didn't seem to be as impressed with the other-side-of-the-creek acreage as I was. He commented that it would take a lot of work to get it in good shape (clearing out the berry vines, etc). My thought is that he is not going to find the pristine property we would like at the price we are willing to pay. I think with the price we're looking at we're going to have to do a little manual labor.

Our problem is I want the acreage and am willing to settle for less of a house. He wants a better house and less acreage. We need a "Real Estate For The Sexes" equivalent of "Designing For The Sexes." Well, as one sister pointed out we can always redesign and remodel an existing house whereas it is more difficult or next to impossible to add real estate to an existing property.

We haven't even been here a month yet and once again I find myself getting anxious, similar to how I felt right before we finally sold our house in CA.

I have to remember to: b r e a t h e.