Wow. That’s the only word I can think of right now. After years of dreaming, planning, and persistence, a year full of Covid market craziness, and the longest real estate closing ever, here I am. It’s finally happening!
Wednesday evening I finally moved my Airstream to “my land”—my beautiful 10.5 acres of land—a few miles south of Twisp, Washington, a tiny town in the Methow Valley of Okanogan County at the foothills of the North Cascades.
And here I sit, tucked inside my Airstream on a cold night with a few inches of fresh snow outside, completely in disbelief that despite all odds, one of my biggest dreams came true. I also can’t believe my plan is to live in my RV here this winter. What in the world am I thinking? But we’ll come back to that.
The end of a long journey and the start of a new one.
Sometimes adventure takes on all shapes and sizes. For me, it’s usually exploring on- and off- trail any way I can. My latest adventure though has been quite a bit different. Last year I sold my Seattle condo so I could return to the Methow Valley, a place I had lived previously for several years and yearned to return to. Of course I had no idea I’d end up trying to make a big life change smack in the middle of Covid.
For more than 20 years I’ve dreamed of being a landowner and building my own little home. Recently I wrote a post about my decision to put everything I own into storage, get an Airstream, and take a leap of faith to make it happen. Since June I’ve been bouncing around the Methow, staying in friends’ driveways, working extra jobs on the side, trading flooring installations for free rent, and saving every penny.
I’ve been fairly quiet about my land closing because it’s been a bumpy ride and the real estate market in the Methow has gone completely crazy this year. The last thing I wanted to do was jinx myself or speak way too soon.
Paths aren’t always linear.
Back in June I looked at a beautiful house a few miles south of Twisp with huge views and expansive land. I made an offer but so did someone else, with all cash. I lost.
Over the next month I found a few more places and made some more offers but not a single one went anywhere. I was trapped in a cycle of bad luck and terrible timing. Even my agent said my luck was particularly bad.
One night in early July I called my dad, feeling pretty down that nothing was working out. “Something else will come along” he said. I wasn’t so sure. My original plan was to buy undeveloped land and transform it into a small homestead, but it seemed a daunting project to tackle by myself. I also didn’t have the cash to make a land purchase outright and land loans were darn near impossible to get. Or so I was told.
I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the dream though, so on a whim, I reached out to North Cascades National Bank about the possibility of a land loan. Thanks to paying off all my debt last year and having stable income, they pre-approved me. I was shocked. That same day a friend told me that building her home was one of the most rewarding things she’d ever done.
I realized that perhaps the properties I was looking at weren’t working out because they simply weren’t meant to. I often believe that the right things come along when you start looking for the right things.
Finding my dream.
In early July I started looking at land again, thinking that just maybe, I could still make this crazy dream come true. While perusing listings I saw a 10 acre parcel, still for sale, that I had looked at multiple times in the last two years. It always made me pause. I had visited it a year ago and there was certainly something about this one. It was special.
I had put it out of my mind since at the time, a land loan was impossible. But now? It was worth another look. I returned and quickly remembered why it stuck out to me. The views were incredible! And the energy? Even better. Some places call to you. And this place certainly did. From the first moment I set foot on the land again, I knew. This was the spot.
Along with big views, it had a huge, old, agricultural pole barn, a metal grain silo, and an old GMC grain truck. I’m such a sucker for old trucks that for me, it was perfectly fitting! The land sloped nicely up to a higher bench with stunning views in all directions! The Chelan-Sawtooth to the west, nearby foothills to the east, lower valley farmland to the south, and foothills to the north. It was incredible!
Yet again, it seemed way too good to be true.
And indeed it was. Because it was an undeveloped property, meaning no water, power, or septic, a land loan would require 35% down. While I had saved quite a chunk of cash, I was pretty well short of having the down payment to buy this one.
I stopped by the land a few more times, wishing there was some way I could make it happen. There simply wasn’t. It had been on the market, unbelievably, over two years. Maybe the property would wait for me, I thought. I was spending my summer trading extra side work for free rent and since I paid off all my debt last year I was living cheap and saving every penny.
I told my agent I could possibly have the funds by August. Two weeks later I got a Redfin email saying the property was pending.
Noooooooooooooo!
After all the failed offers and then the loss of this fantastic property, I’ve never felt more dejected than I did that day. This was the place. It was my dream land. And now it was gone.
I had to face reality that with Covid upending the rural real estate market and properties being snatched up left and right, I might have waited one year too long to make my dream of returning to the Methow a reality. I simply could not compete with cash buyers.
Working hard and getting lucky.
I tried to put it out of my mind by working on my friend’s guesthouse remodel. Then a week later, I got another Redfin email saying the property was back on the market. What!? Did the buyers back out!?
I called my agent immediately to find out the details and in fact, the buyers got cold feet. I told her I had to do it. I had to make an offer. I was sure I could make up the remaining money I needed by closing.
And for the first time ever, after a bit of negotiation, my offer was accepted! I was so excited I broke out in dance right on the spot.
From elation to overwhelm.
The next day I realized that although I had looked at the property several times, I hadn’t actually walked the entire property line! So I got back over there to walk the land I had just agreed to buy.
Strangely, my elation turned to complete overwhelm. 10.5 acres of usable land is huge. As I walked I began to panic.
What in the world was I thinking!?
What would I do with a gigantic pole barn?
A grain silo?
An old broken down grain truck?
Could I actually build on this land?
Would I be able to get water, power, and septic put on the land?
What in the hell are you thinking buying a 10.5 acre property way out here all by yourself?
It would take nearly everything I had saved to afford the down payment. Then I’d have to pay to develop the land and build a small home. It would be a year at best before I had the ability to even maybe get a structure on the land. What if I couldn’t get a construction loan? What if I ran out of cash? Maybe I should buy a house. It certainly would be easier.
To be honest, I felt so overwhelmed that my stomach was churning and I felt sick. This wasn’t how I was supposed to feel! But as I walked the property boundaries, a soothing energy came over me, It just felt right. There was no other way to describe it. I sat down and looked at the nature and mountains all around me. This was the land of my dreams. My shangri-la.
“Yes,” I told myself. “You can do this. And maybe it takes longer than you think, but you can do this. If you back out, you will never forgive yourself.”
And so I didn’t.
An exercise in patience and persistence.
My closing was set for September 10th and I spent the next several weeks sending paystubs and documentation to the bank and yet more paystubs and documentation. I kept saving every penny to have the cash for closing.
In late August as I was excitedly ticking down the days to closing and wrapping up my friend’s guesthouse remodel, I got a call from the bank. Land appraisals were running way behind and they wouldn’t get the appraisal back until October 6.
October!?
I wasn’t sure I heard right. I was essentially homeless (again) at the end of August and now my closing had been pushed back five weeks to October 14. Winter was quickly approaching.
Luckily, the seller stuck with me and we signed an extension.
At the end of August, I moved into the Edelweiss guest campground since I was a guest of a friend. I spent about two weeks there until wildlife smoke drove me over to Pearrygin State Park. For most of September I bounced around between Pearrygin, my friends guest campground, and a few other boondocking spots.
Then my agent asked if I’d do her flooring, ha! So I moved to her driveway in early October and worked on yet another side job, continuing to save money and ticking down the days until closing.
Sharing my dream with my folks. And more delays.
I had been talking to my dad and stepmom about a visit. Covid had definitely put a damper on our usual get-togethers and they decided to drive up to the Methow from Reno the week of my closing. I was so excited to see them and show them the property. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my closing than with them!
I booked a week long stay at Pearrygin State Park and they booked one of the little cabins. The first night they got here they actually stayed with me in my little Bambi, which was pretty awesome and also pretty funny! We were all cozy and Hudson loved the company!
The next day I took them to tour the property. It was surreal, standing there with my dad, looking out at the beautiful views of Gardner and the Sawtooths, freshly coated in snow. It really did seem like a dream come true and it was hard to believe it was real. My dad told me he had every faith that I’d figure it out and end up with a fantastic little dream home. I hoped he was right.
To know he had such faith in me really made me so proud. I was so glad I was staying the course.
Then the next day, I got another call from the bank. I would be required to carry an insurance policy on the pole barn and grain silo. The insurance requirement would delay my closing another week to October 21.
Sadly, I would not be closing while my folks were here. I can’t even express how disappointed I was. I kept worrying that somehow this deal would fall apart. It really was too good to be true.
But, we made the most of it, the seller yet again hanging in there for another week. Without the closing lingering over my head, I spent a wonderful 10 days with my folks, hiking all over the Methow, enjoying the Valley’s first snow event, and soaking up some much needed family time. We even celebrated my dad’s 1,900th peak! Yep, 1,900 peaks climbed! Amazing!
And finally. The dream comes true!
My folks hit the road back to Reno on Monday before incoming winter weather. I went back to work, biding my time until my closing on Wednesday. Never has three days seemed so long!
On Monday, escrow called to schedule my closing appointment and I drove to Omak on Tuesday to sign documents on October 20, 2020. Somehow that seemed like a magical date to sign for my property!
Wednesday was another full day of waiting and finally, at 4:30pm on Wednesday, October 21st, the Okanogan County recorder’s office made it official. I was a landowner!!!
Moving to my property.
An early season winter storm was forecast to hit in just over 24 hours, threatening several inches of snow and single digit overnight temps. All week I deliberated about whether I should head to the RV park in town with full hookups and power, or head to my property, where I’d have no power or infrastructure except for a tall pole barn.
I just closed on my very first property! I certainly couldn’t pass up going there and decided that the cover of the pole barn, despite having no power or water, would be awfully nice. Earlier in the week I bought a 3000W generator from Harbor Freight to have a second power source other than solar. I hooked up my Airstream, packed my truck to the brim with a 100-pound generator, 50-pound solar panel, 46 gallons of water, 20 pounds of propane, and all my winter and ski gear in one fell swoop.
I tell ya, the Tacoma gets five gold stars for towing it all! I knew I was getting pretty darn close to maximum towing capacity because it felt like driving a whale down the highway. I also have many thanks to a new friend in Twisp who met me on the land and helped me unload my heavy generator. By sunset I was settled under my pole barn for my first night on “my land”.
It felt surreal. It also felt really disappointing I couldn’t be celebrating with my folks.
That first night I couldn’t get over how quiet and peaceful it was. I’ve never slept better! I was filled with so much gratitude for all the people who have helped me the last few months. It’s really been humbling and I couldn’t have done it without all of you: my friends, my agent, and both old and new local friends. Y’all know who you are.
The feeling of waking up to my first morning on my own property with gorgeous views of the mountains isn’t one I’ll soon forget. Even before I had breakfast and coffee I grabbed Hudson to walk up to the upper bench and take in the views. I kept pinching myself because I couldn’t believe this was real!
After walking, I knew my relaxation would be short-lived because the winter storm I mentioned was incoming that evening. It would be my first time weathering snow and possible single digit overnight temps in an RV without full hookups. Despite getting a generator and preparing as much as I could, I worried that I wasn’t at all ready to survive snow or single digit temps.
Next chapter coming soon…..