I might equally title this "November and December 2025 Ranch Update", as it occurs to me that I posted nothing last month.
We had a bit of a set back in the pumphouse by The Cabin. Usidean Ruadh was having a bit of a faucet problem and so he called The Young Cowboy, who went and took a look at it. On a whim they checked the pumphouse and found that a fitting had failed and had been flinging water at pressure for perhaps up to two months (the last time Uisdean Ruadh remembers going in was sometime in October, so it could have been up to two months). There was two inches of water on the floor.
They got it shut off and The Young Cowboy very kindly resolved the issue. That said, we now have a pumphouse with mold on the sheetrock (and into the insulation as the leak went straight into the wall) that will need to be remediated long term - The Young Cowboy sprayed it down with bleach so at least the immediate need is met.
Not exactly the development we were hoping for.
As I had mentioned, our agent had suggested taking the property off the market for the Winter, which sounded reasonable as we had no interest (and things are slow in Winter anyway). The individuals that had made the low-ball offer came back asking about renting the place for six months. We had a difference in the nature of the conditions - they wanted the barn cleaned out and the cattle gone within one month of the start of the lease, my expectations (for what they were offering) was the house/garage only. We have not heard back from them after we countered.
Given all The Cowboy and The Young Cowboy have done for us, a short turn around time a renter seemed not right to me. Also, for the size of the property, what they were offering seemed a little....low.
My Aunt continues to hang in and do well. She is between chemo treatments for the holidays. Her spirits are high, she is fairly mobile, and she is always engaged in the conversations. Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and prayers.
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If anything, these past few months have convinced me that the decision we came to was the right one. Trying to regularly keep with a property that is far away is mentally tiring - let alone worrying about what random failures are going to happen.
I look back now and wonder if we just should have cleared the house out and rented it as soon as it was clear my parents were not coming home. I do not know that I could have done that then, but part of that was a fair amount of sentimentality on my part, sentimentality that was not really driven by giving consideration to the facts on the ground (in this case, the fact that I was likely not going to be able to move there for years yet or even if it were realistic to do so). I will say that, in general, this is causing me to reconsider a great many things in my life and ask the same question.
I will always have a heart for The Ranch, knowing at the back of my mind that someday, the visits will be very infrequent indeed or even cease entirely. But there is also a part of me that will be glad to lay this down once and for all.
Bit of a bummer about the leak/mold TB, more remediation down the line......arrgh! Keep an eye on the low-ball folks, they have an interest that smells a bit to me.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, it is. Certainly it is covered with what the estate has (maybe an insurance claim is in order), but still unlooked for.
DeleteInteresting you suggest to keep a weather eye. Something about this whole experience has bothered me as well. In theory - or at least by demonstrable evidence - they are interested in the property, just not enough to pay asking. The request to have the whole property for essentially what is close to what we pay as an apartment rent seems a bit of a presumption as well.
Yeah,Nylon got it. In that state, check the squatters rights laws. They may want a toehold, then try and take it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, STxAR. That said, it seems highly unlikely that anything will come out of it as we have not heard back from them. I suspect we will hear from them again when the property is relisted with another low offer, just to see if we are done.
DeleteSquatters don't call. They just move in. I am glad that The Cowboy and The Young Cowboy are nearby. If you rent, give them first option perhaps.
DeleteLinda, I am very much glad that they are still around. It is worth more to us than the income we would have for the rent.
DeleteIs the Ranch in an area/state that is experiencing a population decrease? I read about areas where housing sales are struggling. Years and years ago I had a house for sale in an area described as a buyers market. When I finally got a contract on the house, the buyers became very demanding, trying to push ordinary buyer's costs off on me. I finally said no and they bought anyway, but they certainly seemed to hope they had me over a barrel. I say you're better off without renters like that.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, it is a " yes and no question". Overall the state is losing inhabitants, but the county is growing (at least part of the county).
DeleteYour experience sounds like what these buyers were. Honestly, I can see STxAR's point above about even renters that would get in place and then game the system. We do not need the sale or the rent that much.
I'm glad I happened to look today. Sorry to see you selling, but I do understand. I remember 4 years of driving back and forth between North Carolina and here before hubby retired.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remember all the trouble the brother-in-law had with people who were "renting" but not paying before he decided to sell to my husband.
Very glad to hear about your aunt also. Will keep her in my prayers.
Merry Christmas to you all, TB. God bless.
Linda, the original post on it is here: https://thefortyfive.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-ranch-update.html
DeleteThe back and forth is very much like what you remember. We are able fly and are now relatively close, but things like the above incident remind me that unless you are there every day, the smallest thing can create an issue.
Renting is very much an active management situation, and I do not want to actively manage it. I have enough on my plate.
Thank you for the prayers for my Aunt. She continues to do well. And a very Merry Christmas to you as well!
In my experience, with the absence of inhabitants, buildings seem to fall apart more quickly. I think it is partly because there is nobody there to just keep an eye on things and to do those little tasks that might prevent bigger issues from cropping up. It is also because when someone does arrive to check on things, there is just so much to check on things get missed and then bigger things happen.
ReplyDeleteIt has also been my experience, that renting buildings out, especially those that are well removed from other people like a country ranch house, only accelerates the deterioration of a place. Without an invested interest, things often get missed or ignored as well until they become bigger issues.
Hopefully the right buyer will come along in the spring.
Ed, I think you are right on the money with both comments. Little things do become big things when you are there for a short period of time and have limited abilities to complete actions. And only the best and most conscientious of tenants will leave things is as good or better condition than they found them.
DeleteWe are hopeful as well that things will improve in Spring.
TB, I assume your realtor (or a financial advisor) has advised about capital gains taxes. I barely remember the details, but I know there was a window of time after my brother passed that I needed to sell his property to avoid these taxes. Not that I even considered hanging onto his house - there were other heirs that had to be taken into consideration - but that is when I learned about these taxes. My apologies if this is irrelevant, or if you are fully informed. It's just what immediately came to mind as I read this.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to read about the water damage. But glad the cowboys were able to find and fix the problem.
Becki, I am not well versed in inheritance law, but I believe that vehicle that my parents had for their estate covers that potential. I know that for our own house, we have 3 years after it is no longer our personal address before we have to pay capital gains.
DeleteI have sure that having to do that added a level of stress to the whole thing for you.