Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Starting over, Completely

What would it take to sell your property and start over ? I doubt this applies to those who live at their ponds, this question is mainly for remote property owners. If you could double your acreage, would you be willing to start all over ? I received an offer that has me looking to upgrade...would you take the chance of recreating your dream pond ? Just exactly how much do you think a 3 acre "lake" adds to the value of your property, would you believe $70,000 ?

You would not have to line up a whole bunch of planets for that to be realistic. Heck, location, location, and location would be the only 3 necessary planetary triplets required to get there.
I have always kept my eye on other options for our project. I am a firm believer that everything is for sale. I laid out the entry drive and some other logistics to allow for 3 - 4 prime, estate vacation building sites on a 5 acre pond. Never say never. Show me da money.
My parents did this a number of times. They would buy a small acreage piece of nothing, cobble together (with their own hands) a little vacation home package that they were sure would be their retirement home....then sell it. My Dad says there are 2 basic elements to remember if I follow in his shoes. Make sure you are near a good hospital and you better be where ya wanna be in the end by the time you hit 60. I still have a few more years to maneuver.

If I had plenty of land, no.
If I didn't have plenty of land, yes.
Definition of plenty is by each person.

I would want to have the new piece of land/pond already identified and locked down before I sold my current place.

Then I'd have to get my fish guy in with his truck and get serious about catching a heck of a lot of my better fish out of the current pond for transport to their new home.

I wouldn't fish my existing pond dry so as to keep it attractive to another person who wants a great fishing pond.

You have to be able to wait for a buyer who values your pond, not just the land (unless they are going to develop your land).

BTW, Lance, I love the last line in your signature bar. That says it all.

Eastland it depends. How much acerage will you pick up and will the new land be as good and closer to home? It varies from place to place but a 5 acre pond can cost 70 thousand to build and stock. I would not be against starting over but only if the new place was better and bigger. However if I recall you have family history there that would be hard to give up.

Doubling the acerage would get a serious consideration from me. Everything I own has a price.

Gator

I would, but only if I could sell for enough money to dig a bigger pond on a larger piece of land.

Every thing is for sale, trust me I know

ewest, I guess this is one of those "good" struggles. I have owned my place for 10 years, and there are a lot of memories there. After I bought it, it took me another 5 years to finally complete my pond without having to finance it. I have selected 4 potential new sites if I decide to sell, now I need to do my homework on watershed & soil. The best opportunity would expand my acreage from 50 acres to 130, adding about an hour to my drive time. It has an existing pond (see pic), I would have about 10K left over for bulldozer renovation.

Eastland, where is your current location? The new place looks awful arid, I'd worry about annual rainfall. My drive from home to farm is 100 miles. In my case the drive makes all the difference in the world. I could also sell and upgrade but I'm afraid the drive would wear me out.

Eastland, as I recall, your current drive is already brutal.

Adding another hour would be too over the top for me.

Eastland - Our place is for sale for $1,500,000 (if you are interested in fly-in type experience in Minnesota). The price includes a helicopter (engine needs repair, no props)

Ah yes, reminds of Clear & Present Danger.

"We don't rent the Huey anymore, but it's for sale."

"How much?"

"Two Million Dollars."

"My pilot would need to take it for a test ride."

"No problem...you just have to leave a deposit."

"How much is the deposit."

"Two Million dollars."

Eastland:

I'm not your intended audience, since I live at my pond. Home is also only 3 miles from my parents and 5 miles from work. I will be happy if I get to spend the rest of my life here ...

... BUT, I have a price for the place, a ridiculously high threshold that is what it would take to get me out of here. It has to be enough for my wife and I to buy 3 to 5 times as much land in a more economically challenged part of Ohio, where taxes are less. It has to have hunting acreage and pond sites; if there are any ponds on them that would be a plus. The big kicker is we'd have to get enough for our place to let me quit working for the man and spend the rest of my life farming, building, fishing, and hunting on my own place.

I may go into town once a week to go to Walmart.

electricity on site, plus column.

where is the old place/new place?

Gator

Theo Gallus - We would be happy to live the rest of our lives at our place too.

I walk to and from work every day of the year no matter how horrible our weather may be. 100 feet one way.

Sunil sure must watch a lot of movies! :p

"ditto" Theo

My place all ready has all of the features on Theo's wish list including being close to Walmart, except I'm still working for the man. If someone comes along and makes and offer that frees me from the man it's theirs. I miss mesquite trees and would love to move back home some day.

Eastland I was born in Breckenridge and raised just north of there in Throckmorton county.
Land that once sold for 350$ and acre 5 years ago now sales for 1200$ to 2500$ and acre. It's not ponds driving up the price it's Deer Hunting.
Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Brettski,

I agree with your Dad's approach, but would add one more requirement...be within 1-2 hours of a major airport. With commercial air availability and the internet, the world is at your doorstep.

if the price was right :rolleyes:

who wants to help me move my rocks?

i reckon i'll be here a while

Gator, your comment about the "plus column" was brought up by my Pop and others as well. I'm going to weigh the positive and negative side by putting everything in ledger form before making my decision...after all, time is on my side. There's enough city boy in me to know my property needs will remain recreational. My wildlife/pond goals weigh the same, a decent drive to seclusion is mandatory from DFW. Moving from Eastland County to somewhere near Coleman would be a 40 minute addition to my 183 mile trip...It's not as bad as it sounds, my trips out generally last 3 days. I sure like the thought of seeing more deer in a 5 limit County...now, if I can only couple that with an agricultural sized well ! and a cabin, and a draw that a bulldozer could close and double the size of my current pond...is this the "dreaming" thread ?

On the first place we seem to take what we can get and do the best we can. Next time around, we understand more about what we really want and what it takes to get it.

It's not dreaming, unless you now have enough experience to dream.

My dreams do need detail.

The drive would go in the minus column, IMO. A 5 deer county a plus...lots to think about.

Land within 2 hours of DFW has been going nuts up until recently.

good luck on the decision.

Gator

DIED, If you move to Texas, I will loan you a few of mine, I have more than enough!