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A Farm of My Own:  Prepping for huge changes  |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 07:42:08 AM
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The backstory: So we bought our first home four years ago here in western Washington. Since then, we've discovered lots to love about homeownership, and a lot NOT to love about a house built in 1923 with inadequate heating and no secondary heating system. We also don't love living in town and, although it's a little town (population 14k), traffic is nuts if you're trying to head to the highway - and you have to get to the highway to go anywhere. (Our synagogue, where we spend a lot of time, is about 25 miles away down in Tacoma, and we spend about half the commute time just getting to the highway.) Also, the cost of our mortgage and - even though we live 15 miles west of Seattle - property costs are SO HIGH here. On the positive side, after four years of owning this place, we have between $80k-$100k in equity available if we sell (providing prices hold).
The plan: So we have a plan! We want to live in the woods and we want to put ourselves in a position to have less of a monthly mortgage payment. Since we've been in the PNW, nothing makes me happier than being among the tall trees. We're looking at buying 3-5 acres about 6-ish miles south of our current home. We will have to drill a well and put in septic but there is money in logging just enough trees to make room for our home.
We've selected a 2 bed, 2 bath 990 sq ft single-wide manufactured home that we toured last weekend and absolutely love. (I've included a picture of the kitchen below for reference.) It has a massive walk-in shower, the largest guest bathroom I've ever seen, and we're going to have a large porch (12+ feet) built at the time the home is installed on the foundation.
So we're spending then next 12 months prepping our finances, reducing debt, and getting our current house ready to put it on the market. At the end of it, thanks to the equity and a bit of inheritance money from my grandmother's estate that I have in savings, our mortgage should be between 25%-50% of what we currently have. And we will FINALLY live in the quiet woods!
 
Farmgirl Sister #127
My blog: http://14thandoak.com
"Nowadays, even living simply - working only to acquire life's most basic necessities, demands so much." - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
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Edited by - RachelLeigh on Nov 07 2019 08:08:26 AM |
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Nancy Gartenman
True Blue Farmgirl
9093 Posts
Nancy
West Seneca
New York
USA
9093 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 08:05:39 AM
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That really pretty Rachel. I would be excited too.
Nancy Jo
NANCY JO |
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Tumbleweed
True Blue Farmgirl
1036 Posts
Nancy
Texas
USA
1036 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 11:55:31 AM
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Hi Rachel,
Hope everything goes well as planned for you. One word of advise though. Check to see what your homeowners insurance will be for a MFG home. We just bought a stick frame pier and beam home. We got insurance but then got an email stating they require our final payment on a policy no longer enforced. I called (after calming down) to ask why are we cancelled. They said they did a driveby and noticed our new home is an MFG. I informed them it is not. I sent them by email the tax appraisal showing our home is a traditional structure home. Got another email stating they need more proof that this is not an MFG structure, that the document I sent isn't sufficient. I called the title company and they said the insurance company is wrong. In my county if a home is MFG it clearly states it. I will have to call and speak with a supervisor but meantime we are shopping for another insurance company.
I don't get it why MFG homes are looked down upon. MFG home since 1976 have higher building codes and standards then stick frame homes. They also have to meet federal codes and standards which S&F homes do not.
Rachel and any other Sisters, I hope you have better luck then we are right now. I am not worried though. There are plenty of MFG homes out here in Upper East Texas that have quality insurance. I don't need an insurance company that won't listen. They cancelled us before even notifying us.
TW
STAND FOR THE FLAG...KNEEL AT THE CROSS !
Grateful, Thankful and Blessed!
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 12:00:27 PM
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Nancy, your experience sounds so frustrating! I appreciate the advice as I'll engage with my insurance agency pretty early on in the process now that I know this a concern.
Here in Washington, manufactured homes have to be constructed exactly like stick-built homes, including drywall for the walls instead of trailer board. They're very quality built, and the company we're going with, Clayton Homes, seems to make a great product. We played with the idea of building a small stick-built and decided that we were going to go with manufactured, regardless of what the "stigma" may be associated with them, because it works best for our financial goals.
Farmgirl Sister #127
My blog: http://14thandoak.com
"Nowadays, even living simply - working only to acquire life's most basic necessities, demands so much." - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6663 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6663 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 3:40:39 PM
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Rachel, this new plan sounds exciting! I hope you will easily find buyers for your current home and be able to move on to where you really want to be. Keep us posted and good luck!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015
FGOTM- October 2018 |
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Tumbleweed
True Blue Farmgirl
1036 Posts
Nancy
Texas
USA
1036 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 4:38:55 PM
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Rachel,
I agree with you. MFG home are gorgeous and very well made. I don't undetstand the stigma.
TW
STAND FOR THE FLAG...KNEEL AT THE CROSS !
Grateful, Thankful and Blessed!
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Audra Rose
True Blue Farmgirl
2278 Posts
Vanessa
Brooksville
KY
USA
2278 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2019 : 5:44:26 PM
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Loving where you live will make all the preparation and work worth it.
Farmgirl Sister #6754
Doxie Mom - Everyone loves a Weiner!
There's no place like home!
Dorothy Gale
Nature speaks in symbols and in signs.
John Greenleaf Whittier |
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HollerGirl56
True Blue Farmgirl
1334 Posts
Barbara
Flat Top
WV
USA
1334 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2019 : 02:32:18 AM
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I love this kitchen! I hope your plans all go well. Very exciting for sure. I live in the woods and it is wonderful----although I felt scared and isolated when we first came here. I hope you achieve your goals and good luck .
Old Age Ain't No Place For Sissies!------Bette Davis |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7108 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7108 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2019 : 05:29:40 AM
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Rachel, the home you are looking at is beautiful. Here's to successful planning; prepping; finding the right place; and being happy in new home. New adventures are always exciting and tad scary but that's what makes them an adventure. Enjoy every step of the way.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015. & Feb 2019
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
7227 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
7227 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2019 : 3:02:45 PM
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Rachel, that kitchen is beautiful! I can only imagine how peaceful that will be. I hope everything goes smoothly and to plan for you. It will be an exciting new adventure!
Krista |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2019 : 10:00:23 PM
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And make sure you can get a loan on a manufactured home. Most people I know have had to buy cash. I really don't know about that. Great looking place! Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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treelady
True Blue Farmgirl
2325 Posts
Julie
Medina
ND
USA
2325 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2019 : 06:35:48 AM
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What a beautiful kitchen. I hope everything works out as planned and you find your forever home.
A little rain can straighten a flower stem. A little love can change a life.
Max Lucado |
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Cissik
True Blue Farmgirl
582 Posts
Sylvia
Kent
WA
USA
582 Posts |
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A Farm of My Own: Prepping for huge changes |
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Prepping for huge changes
