Didn’t think I’d be saying that for years! That means no more mortgage, completely debt free. We didn’t really plan for this to happen, but karma was really in the air on this series of events.
My wife’s last day of work is October 15th and I had planned to work all next year, but that has now changed and my last day will be in early January. I’m boxing up things, selling stuff on eBay and clearing out the attics this weekend. Tomorrow I’m working on the 69 Corvette and will be putting that up for sale next weekend. We have a ton of stuff to go through and move.
Some background on how we made this choice. The wife has always wanted to live by the water, OK ocean front is too expensive, and I promised her we could someday, maybe in about 10 years. Last year she sends me a link to a property in Squim, WA, that wasn’t quite on the water but within walking distance. Said it had my name all over it. So I clicked on the link and the realtor page title is something like:
4,000 sq ft home on 2 lots with garage space for 17 cars !!!!
This place was outstanding (17 garage spaces and a lift), 3 different buildings, and it had a 20x40 shop. But alas, I didn’t want to live in WA. She sends me other links along the way and then just last month she sends me a link to a property in No. CA that overlooks a lake. OK, I could do that. Clicked on the link, great house up on a hill on 60 acres! We thought seriously about that one but ultimately talked ourselves out of what would we do with 60 acres.
Over the Labor day weekend we spent 7 days in Lake Arrowhead. We went to 3 open houses she had scouted out and were driving back to the timeshare when we saw another open house sign and followed it to the top of a hill. This was the beginning of a life changing event!
The driveway can park 10 cars and there’s a spot for our RV that includes electric, water and sewer hooks ups, never even thought of expecting that with a house. The view is just fantastic. We look out over the Lake Arrowhead County Club golf course and Grass Valley lake. The house is 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, living room, dining room, kitchen and family on the main floor, with an unfinished floor below the main floor (sort of like a basement, but the house is on a slope so only one side is not exposed). She loves the view and the house, but it was the 1400 sq ft unfinished floor that sold me.
I plan on building on the unfinished floor:
250 sq ft sound proof band rehearsal studio !!!!
Let me just say that again - 250 sq ft sound proof band rehearsal studio !!!!
250 sq ft wood shop
fifth guest bedroom
600 sq ft entertainment room
small kitchen area.
Once built out, it will be a 4200 sq ft house on 3 floors, and there’s another 200+ sq ft of storage below the unfinished floor. There is over 800 sq ft of decking around one side and the back (2 story deck) and I plan on putting more around the other side such that you can walk around the entire house on decking.
The house is at the end of a cul de sac with an empty lot on the east and north side. Our property line to the west is a national forest. So now we’ll have 10s of thousands of acres of nothing next to us but no responsibility to take care of it. This place had our name written all over it. We made them an offer the next day. We are in the Lake Arrowhead HOA which means we have access to the lake (it is privately owned) and its about a 10 minute drive to it. Needless to say we are both excited.
My wife’s last day of work is October 15th and I had planned to work all next year, but that has now changed and my last day will be in early January. I’m boxing up things, selling stuff on eBay and clearing out the attics this weekend. Tomorrow I’m working on the 69 Corvette and will be putting that up for sale next weekend. We have a ton of stuff to go through and move.
Some background on how we made this choice. The wife has always wanted to live by the water, OK ocean front is too expensive, and I promised her we could someday, maybe in about 10 years. Last year she sends me a link to a property in Squim, WA, that wasn’t quite on the water but within walking distance. Said it had my name all over it. So I clicked on the link and the realtor page title is something like:
4,000 sq ft home on 2 lots with garage space for 17 cars !!!!
This place was outstanding (17 garage spaces and a lift), 3 different buildings, and it had a 20x40 shop. But alas, I didn’t want to live in WA. She sends me other links along the way and then just last month she sends me a link to a property in No. CA that overlooks a lake. OK, I could do that. Clicked on the link, great house up on a hill on 60 acres! We thought seriously about that one but ultimately talked ourselves out of what would we do with 60 acres.
Over the Labor day weekend we spent 7 days in Lake Arrowhead. We went to 3 open houses she had scouted out and were driving back to the timeshare when we saw another open house sign and followed it to the top of a hill. This was the beginning of a life changing event!
The driveway can park 10 cars and there’s a spot for our RV that includes electric, water and sewer hooks ups, never even thought of expecting that with a house. The view is just fantastic. We look out over the Lake Arrowhead County Club golf course and Grass Valley lake. The house is 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, living room, dining room, kitchen and family on the main floor, with an unfinished floor below the main floor (sort of like a basement, but the house is on a slope so only one side is not exposed). She loves the view and the house, but it was the 1400 sq ft unfinished floor that sold me.
I plan on building on the unfinished floor:
250 sq ft sound proof band rehearsal studio !!!!
Let me just say that again - 250 sq ft sound proof band rehearsal studio !!!!
250 sq ft wood shop
fifth guest bedroom
600 sq ft entertainment room
small kitchen area.
Once built out, it will be a 4200 sq ft house on 3 floors, and there’s another 200+ sq ft of storage below the unfinished floor. There is over 800 sq ft of decking around one side and the back (2 story deck) and I plan on putting more around the other side such that you can walk around the entire house on decking.
The house is at the end of a cul de sac with an empty lot on the east and north side. Our property line to the west is a national forest. So now we’ll have 10s of thousands of acres of nothing next to us but no responsibility to take care of it. This place had our name written all over it. We made them an offer the next day. We are in the Lake Arrowhead HOA which means we have access to the lake (it is privately owned) and its about a 10 minute drive to it. Needless to say we are both excited.
you cant touch the 60 acres-- if you so much as paint one tree limb you will be court martialed at noon
