# Off-Grid Solar Home on 60 acres in Chelan, WA



## Gray Wolf

We have decided to move to a retirement community from our beautiful off-grid, solar home on 60 wooded acres backed by DNR and National Forest on two sides. We have internet and wifi via satellite uplink-downlink dish and another dish for tv. We have no landline phone, and cell coverage is via antennas and amplifier system.

We had the shell of the 3400 square foot, two-story home finished for us in 2004, and we have been slowly completing the interior which is about 80% done. 

The downstairs (1700 sq ft) is finished with a huge family room, pool table, stone fireplace with cooking crane, and wood stove; guest kitchen; 8x12 walk-in pantry; battery/storage room which also holds the inverter for the solar panels; shared full bath; vanities in the two downstairs bedrooms; and floor tile throughout.

The upstairs (also 1700 sq ft) is partially finished with drywall and paint throughout. The kitchen/great room is 900 sq ft. We are currently working on the main kitchen area which will be approximately 500 square feet and tiled. The kitchen has a professional, 6-burner stove with griddle, salamander and two ovens. There will be enough room in the open kitchen area for a large table in front of the upstairs stone fireplace with cooking crane. The great room, with its own wood stove, opens to the front deck and has a powder room off the hallway leading to the master suite. The covered deck is 10x42 and overlooks the valley to the north. The master suite is approximately 550 square feet and includes a walk-in closet, a separate toilet room, large (unfinished) shower stall, and space for the vanity and soaking tub. Except for the tiled kitchen, powder room, and master toilet room, there is no floor covering on upper floor.

The 560 ft well is tested pure and never fails. The large shop contains wood, auto, and metal working tools. Kubota Tractor has 6' snowblower, backhoe, pallet forks. There are working chicken and duck houses with solar-electric fenced yard.

Our home is about 3 miles up an unpaved county road. We are about 1500 feet above the town of Chelan in elevation. Hiking, hunting, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, painting, star-gazing, photography, gardening, writing, and reading are good activities in the area as well as watching for the wildlife that live in the area including deer, coyote, wolves, bear, big-horned sheep, owls, cougar, eagles, hawks, and a multitude of other birds.

Designated as an American Viticulture Area (AVA) in 2009, Lake Chelan offers a one-of-a-kind wine tasting experience featuring over 20 wineries, many of them award-winning. There is also a blossoming art/music scene.

The town of Chelan (15 minutes away) is at Southeast end of Lake Chelan, a crystal-clear, 55-mile long, 1486 feet deep lake, 3rd deepest lake in U.S. The mostly wilderness surrounded lake is landlocked, and annually stocked with nearly 900,000 fish, making it a fisherman's destination.

$525,000 -- Please contact -- [email protected]


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## Gray Wolf

Here are a few pictures.


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## ChristieAcres

Looks like a great place! Wish you the best in your sale and upcoming move...


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## Gray Wolf

For those not inclined to live off-grid, power is about 1,000' from the property down the county road.


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## Gray Wolf

Storm and part of the east patio, and Kathe with some of the birds. We have Muscovy ducks and Black Jersey Giant chickens.


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## Gray Wolf

Storm on part of the east patio in the snow.


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## Texasgirl72

What a beautiful place. I hope you can find someone who will appreciate it. I'm sure you hate to let it go.


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## Gray Wolf

Thanks Texasgirl. Coincidentally, our goal is to move to Georgetown Texas as soon as we sell this place. It's been very rewarding and lots of fun living here but it's time to take it easy and let someone else feed the chickens, .......


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## Texasgirl72

Well, Yeehaw then. I like Georgetown. Close enough to Austin and the Hill country and far enough away all the same. I make hubby feed the chickens. They mostly eat bugs and Lord knows what else in this climate.


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## Gray Wolf

8' x 8' duck house with nest boxes.


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## Gray Wolf

And here's the 8'x8' chicken house.


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## Gray Wolf

Kathe in Chelan with one of the annual "Fire & Ice Festival" ice sculptures that are around town until they melt. Just one of the art festivals in town.


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## Joshie

Beautiful place! I don't know how you'll be able to leave such a lovely place.


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## Gray Wolf

Three generations getting a Christmas tree a couple of years ago.


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## Gray Wolf

The south side of the house in warmer times.


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## Gray Wolf

That's an old cast iron school bell on the tall post. The cross arms are to hang BIG wind chimes on. Biggest ones I've made so far have 6' tubes and we'll have to see what this summer brings.


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## Gray Wolf

The first floor is set up to be a self-contained unit: two bedrooms, kitchen, 20'x36' living room, full bath, level entry, own parking area at the same grade, handicapped-accessible, wood stove and 4' fireplace, 8'x12' pantry, etc., with total area of 1,700 sf. We thought about renting it out, but didn't, or starting a B&B, but didn't.


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## Gray Wolf

Kubota 3710 tractor and six foot snowblower go with the house too.


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## Gray Wolf

Oh well....


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## Gray Wolf

Here's what you need to live off grid - tinfoil, duct tape and a sense of humor. This is me testing locations for a cell phone rebroadcast antenna inside the house. I taped the antenna to a cookie sheet, to avoid feedback to the outside antenna, filled in some gaps with tinfoil and tested it. And made myself a hat while I was at it. The battery room, behind me, wasn't the best location but I WAS protected from those pesky alien signals... for a while at least. Sorry the picture is blurry, we were both laughing pretty hard.


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## Gray Wolf

Upside down. Sideways. They were right when I selected them. Is it an ipad thing of some sort?


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## ChristieAcres

No problem, just tip your head sideways to look at pic... Or if you have an I-Pad, lay it down on a table, and walk partway around the table, there you go


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## ChristieAcres

Or, here you go:


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## ChristieAcres

BTW- I WANT THAT TRACTOR  You think you could just "mail it to me...?!"


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## ChristieAcres

Dog right side up


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## Gray Wolf

Thanks. How'd you do that?


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## ChristieAcres

Gray Wolf said:


> Thanks. How'd you do that?


Magic :wizard:

I'll PM you...


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## katy

Magic, indeed ! thanks Lori, tipping the head a bit makes the neck hurt. Great pics gray wolf. What a beautiful place you have there.


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## Gray Wolf

Days are longer and the snow is starting to melt. 
Chickens are back at work. 
Spring?


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## gypsystorm

What an absolutely beautiful place! I'm going to start working on getting together a downpayment!


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## gypsystorm

Btw, do the chickens and ducks come with the place too?


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## Gray Wolf

Thanks for your interest and good luck on rounding up a down payment! Holler when you are close and we'll set up a visit.

Yes, the ducks and chickens go with the place, IF you move in within a couple of days of when we move out. They are good for 4-5 days alone but then need food & water. If the place will be vacant, or nobody is coming up to take care of them in the interim, we will give all them to the closest neighbor who lives up our valley, aout 1/2 mile from us. They have said that they really want them if given a chance.


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## gypsystorm

Ok, that sounds reasonable. I have two more questions, and probably a lot more as I think about them. First, is the property on one parcel and if so, can it be split up into separate parcels? Also, where, on the property, is the house? If the property were to be split, would it all be usable? Also, could you send me more pics? Oops, I guess that's more than two questions! Lol!


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## Gray Wolf

No problem. The property is three rectangular 20 acre parcels. The house is on the middle one. The total property is a rectangle about 1,300' north-south and about 2,000' east-west.


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## Gray Wolf

I forgot to answer part of your question. 

"Useable" depends on what you mean. 

All three are wooded. Ground is fairly smooth and uniform with few rocks sticking up.

Except for trees and logs, I could probably drive my pickup over about 30% of the east parcel and the tractor over another 20% or so. Rest is too steep for me.

Middle parcel where the house is, maybe 50% and 20%.

West parcel, 60% and 20%.

If we had ATV's, and knew how to ride them, probably closer to 100% everywhere.

Hard to tell as I've never tried to do that and have no way to measure anyway.

For what it's worth, I run the 6' brush mower over maybe 30 acres every other year. Takes a few days to 'mow the lawn'.


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## Gray Wolf

Where we had the well drilled on the middle parcel, it was 240' of dirt before we hit rock. Well is 560' total.


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## Gray Wolf

We're going to try it on our own for a couple of months before we list it.

Does anybody have any ideas for other web sites that might help us sell our place ourselves?

Thanks


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## Gray Wolf

Hi all. 

Finally found the blueprints and made it to town to have the floor plans scanned. The two PDF files are about 3mb each and too big to put up here. Please PM me with your email and I'll be happy to send them to you if you'd like.

Thanks for your interest.


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## ChristieAcres

Have you had any more inquiries? Great place you have there, surprised it is still for sale!

What is your property address? Have you posted your property for sale on Zillow? That gets a LOT of traffic.


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## CJ

That's a deep well, what powers it?


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## Cyngbaeld

You can buy an ad on lands of America.


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## Gray Wolf

Had a few interested people look on-line and ask a few questions but nobody serious so far. 

Don't want to put on Zillo or publicaly post address for a couple of reason: 

First one is that we don't want to put up the address anywhere until we have to. We haven't had anyone we don't know come up our drive in 3 or 4 years and we like it that way. We have a driveway alarm that signals when a car comes within 500' of the house. We have a PO box in town for the same reason. We like our privacy. No neighbors. No curtains on the windows. No house in sight. No problem. We're not hermits or antisocial, we use to live in town and will again when the house sells, but just enjoy the heck out of it the way it is

Second is that if/when we list the property in the spring when the snow melts, we don't want zillo to say it's been on the market for more days than it really has. 

The well: It's 560' deep and then pumps another 200', or so, up the hill to our burried reservoir for a total lift of somewhere around 750'. We decided to keep the house, shop, well wiring as conventional as we could for simplicity and economy. The well had two choices - a very low flow solar powered pump or a normal 220 volt well pump. (As far as I know, a 110 volt pump does not exist for this lift.) We went the cheaper 220 route since I needed 220 in the shop to run welders anyway. I pump water whenever I'm over there working on a metal project or whenever the tank runs low, about every week and a half. This keeps run time down on the big generator. (We have smaller ones that we use to charge batteries if the sun doesn't shine for a few days.)

Thanks for the tip on another site. I'll check them out. We'd like to sell it ourselves without a parade of lookers so we're putting off signs and newspaper ads and agents for a while.


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## ChristieAcres

I am not aware of any other reputable high traffic site allowing properties to be posted without addresses although I do understand your reasoning. HT is probably your best one, taking into account all considerations. Right now, there are 45 people (1 Member and 44 Guests) viewing this thread!

When I list homes, owner occupied, appointments must be scheduled. Below the listing sign, there is a "By Appointment Only" rider. You have a gate on your driveway, don't you?


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## Gray Wolf

Can a person list a property and not have a sign out front?


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## Raven12

Yes, you are not required to have a sign unless it is a state law.


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## ChristieAcres

Gray Wolf said:


> Can a person list a property and not have a sign out front?


Since I am licensed in WA and actually know... Yes, you can list a property without a sign! That requires a letter, which is attached to the Listing, actually called, "Letter on File."

However, when it is listed, the address is on the MLS. That being the case, the property will show up on many sites.


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## Gray Wolf

Understood. Don't want a sign as there are only two people who live beyond us, and the road dead-ends about 2 miles past us, so drive-by traffic will be limited to the seriously lost. We know that the address will have to be in the listing but want to put it off until/if we put it on Zillow ourselves or break down and list it.


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## ChristieAcres

Gray Wolf said:


> Understood. Don't want a sign as there are only two people who live beyond us, and the road dead-ends about 2 miles past us, so drive-by traffic will be limited to the seriously lost. We know that the address will have to be in the listing but want to put it off until/if we put it on Zillow ourselves or break down and list it.


I don't blame you and understand completely. I am teaching a Homesteading Type Gardening Class (best way I can term it) and I will be going over a lot of info in an overview fashion. The class will be at my friend's Dance Studio. I have a Nursery license, sell plants, seeds, Comfrey products, and this year, may be selling some produce. That all said, our property is private, don't want any tours, people here, etc... So, our address isn't public and there are no signs. How I sell everything is either online or at another location (don't do Farmer's Markets). Some of my products will be available at my friend's biz, too. Our business cards don't display our home address, either.

In addition, I get the point you are making about a property being for sale for a known length of time. Often Buyers and Buyer's Agents try to make that a case for offering less!


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## Gray Wolf

lorichristie said:


> I don't blame you and understand completely. I am teaching a Homesteading Type Gardening Class (best way I can term it) and I will be going over a lot of info in an overview fashion. The class will be at my friend's Dance Studio. I have a Nursery license, sell plants, seeds, Comfrey products, and this year, may be selling some produce. That all said, our property is private, don't want any tours, people here, etc... So, our address isn't public and there are no signs. How I sell everything is either online or at another location (don't do Farmer's Markets). Some of my products will be available at my friend's biz, too. Our business cards don't display our home address, either.
> 
> -------------------------------
> 
> We are both artists, I make small-scale metal sculpture and my wife does charcoal drawings. We sell in a local gallery but also work the farmers market and art fairs in the summer to sell minor pieces. Fun and a semi-profitable hobby. Our cards just have a cell phone number and an email address that we use just for art. Most of the other artists we know do the same thing.
> 
> I think a lot of people don't want a mailbox down on a paved road miles away from them and just have a PO box for privacy too. I wonder if it's a "country thing" or if people in towns these days are getting more privacy sensitive too?


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## Gray Wolf

Snow is starting to melt so I shoveled a path from the poultry house over to under a tree. Ducks and chickens are having fun again. And we are getting eggs again!


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## SCRancher

Super nice place and if I was looking to move back to Washington State I would give your place a serious look!


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## Gray Wolf

We've gotten a few serious lookers but have been thinking things over and decided to drop the price to $495,000 to get under $500 and access people who have search filters set to $500,000 max.

Price is now $495,000 with $300,000 down and we'll carry the rest.

We may bump it back up next month when we list it but dropping it now might help us do it ourselves. Fingers are crossed!

Thanks,


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## Pearl B

Whoever buys that is in for a treat. Thats one of the best places in Wa state.


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## Gray Wolf

Thanks for the nice words. It is a very unique place and we'll miss it when we have to move to a house in town.


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## Gray Wolf

Joseph M. We got your email asking for more information but our responses kerp bouncing back as non-deliverable. Please shoot us a different email address or let us know how to reach you. 

Thanks,

Don


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## Gray Wolf

Hi everyone. Thanks for your interest in our home. This is the family kitchen area of the upstairs 21' x 42' great room. It still needs work done but it's coming along. 

To give you a sense of scale, the solid stone fireplace is 8' wide, the Garland range is 5' wide, the stainless countertop/shelf is 8' long, and the butcher-block countertop is 13' long.


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## Gray Wolf

Another picture


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## Gray Wolf

And one more.


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## Gray Wolf

Chickens and ducks are back to laying every day now that the days are longer. We were glad winter was over a couple of weeks ago and we could quit using 'store eggs'.

Aside from everything else, homesteading tastes better!


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## HOTW

WOW nic eplace..too bad it is way over ont he other side of the country..actually for moi in the wrong country!LOL I love love lvoe th ekitchen!!!!


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## EscapingToronto

I'd buy this in a heartbeat if I were allowed to stay in the US... care to sponsor my citizenship? :grin:


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## Gray Wolf

EscapingToronto said:


> I'd buy this in a heartbeat if I were allowed to stay in the US... care to sponsor my citizenship? :grin:


Ahh! My long lost son (or daughter) is found at last!

The family home awaits your move-in just as soon as the check clears. 

I'll even give you the master bedroom and your very own key!


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## Gray Wolf

Thinking about posting our house on craigslist. Anybody had any luck selling your house by yourself using it?


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## cindy-e

completely and totally love this place. Can't afford it, and it's too far from dh's work but WOW! It's awesome! I can't believe you haven't sold it yet!

Craigslist... I have found rentals (that I wanted to rent) and I have looked for houses to buy on it. I have never sold anything on there tho... But I do think that the real estate page gets pretty good traffic. 

Anyhoo... good luck! 

Cindyc.


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## Oat Bucket Farm

LOVE the place! So far out of my price range it might as well be on the moon, but still worth drooling over.

Have you tried Hannah Realty up there? They handle a lot of properties like that in that area.


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## Gray Wolf

Selling such a unique place using our own advertising seems to not be reaching very many prospective buyers, so we are planning on listing our house with an agent sometime in the next week or two. We will raise the price when we "go public" another $30,000 or $40,000 to cover commissions. Holler if you might be interested at this time and we'll hold off on talking to agents.


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## Gray Wolf

Anybody have any experience using LandsofAmerica to find or sell their place? Thinking about trying them but they have so many ads I fear we would be lost.


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## SilverFlame819

I search through LOA frequently, just drooling over the properties I'll never have.


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## Gray Wolf

Excuse the mess. Hobby and construction zone! Master suite is 42' long and pretty much is the east half of the main/upper floor.


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## Gray Wolf

Well, that was clever. Wonder where the rest of the pictures went. 

Anyway there IS more to it than this!

Stay tuned.


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## Gray Wolf

One more time..... Maybe.


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## Gray Wolf

Only one at a time?


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## Gray Wolf

Well, we have decided to break down and list it at the end of the month if we don't sell it ourselves before then. The agent we interviewed said to jack the price up enough to have 10% we could drop. Isn't 10% a lot for a buyer to ask as a price cut?


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## Lizza

Gray Wolf said:


> Anybody have any experience using LandsofAmerica to find or sell their place? Thinking about trying them but they have so many ads I fear we would be lost.


We did most of the main online type places (including LOA) and basically got nothing but a few looky-loos. We put it with an agent and it had two cash buyers at full price within 3 weeks, it just closed on the 1st. This was bare land with buildings and well/septic/electric and priced right below $200k and in Oregon, so our situations I'm sure are different but we couldn't move it at all without an agent. 

You have an amazing place, if I had that kind of money I would be there in a second!


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## Lizza

Gray Wolf said:


> Well, we have decided to break down and list it at the end of the month if we don't sell it ourselves before then. The agent we interviewed said to jack the price up enough to have 10% we could drop. Isn't 10% a lot for a buyer to ask as a price cut?


This is the Willamette Valley Oregon and our real estate market is pretty tight but I bought my new place last September and offered full asking price and we just sold our old place (see above post) and had two cash full price offers. So I would say here it would be unusual to ask for a 10% reduction. Both properties were priced right for the market though and maybe since yours will be closer to $600k the agent feels it is more usual to ask for a big reduction? Both my properties were between $190k-$245k, a much different market I am sure.


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## Gray Wolf

If there is a winner in this so far, it's Habitat For Humanity, kids and adult grandkids starting households. We are sorting through 33 years of "stuff". The end is in sight! For the house at least. 

We should be ready to list the place as soon as I do the same with the shop and farm equipment and skim out what little I will need in the retirement community. Current thinking is to include automotive tools, woodworking tools, tractor, welders, log splitter, mowers, chainsaws, snowblower, and the like together with the house. 

Stay tuned.


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## Gray Wolf

Listed it yesterday. Stay tuned.


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## Gray Wolf

Managed to talk the agent into not putting up a sign so that part went well at least. Now comes the pain of promptly doing the dishes, making the bed and getting dressed every morning.


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## IAmMyBeloveds

*Wishing you the best! Beautiful home!*


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## Gray Wolf

Springtime at last and working on finishing the house trim and some "yard" work removing some tree stumps that can be seen from the house. 

Not time to mow yet - it takes about 3 long days with both of us on machines so we only do it about once or twice a year. Wildflowers are nice anyway.

We also have this winter's logs stacked by the woodsheds. We did a little thinning on the east 20. We or new owner will need 6-7 cords so might as well have it in rounds at least. I'm going to hold off on splitting and stacking for a few months hoping it will sell before I get around to it.


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## Gray Wolf

Nice rainbow this evening. We're thinking it means that some short person with. Funny hat and all dressed in green will pay the full asking price with gold coins. Or a lifetime supply of Lucky Charms.


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## Gray Wolf

Great room.


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## Gray Wolf

Got a new phone. Better pictures.


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## Gray Wolf

21' x 42' great room.


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## Gray Wolf

In case anyone here is interested, or just curious, the MLS number for our Chelan, WA house is 1000599.


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## d'vash

What a gorgeous home! All the best in selling your place!


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## Gray Wolf

Thanks to all who have helped keep us safe and free in this great country.


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