# TisaWee Farm for sale - NW Ohio



## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

3.36 acres. Saltbox-style house currently in the process of being built...all the hard work is done! About 2200 square foot, counting the full 9' high basement with lots of windows. 2 bathrooms, bedrooms still to be "divvied up". Open floor plan on 1st floor. Open lofted area to large upstairs with 13' cathedral ceilings. 12x12 dormer and 8x8 dormer upstairs, also. House needs ALL interior work done yet, and siding installed. Very energy efficient, 6" walls, lots of southern glass (I think 12% of square footage is in southern glass). Located 7 miles from Findlay. Plentiful jobs in town. Good location for truck farm or roadside market.....highly traveled main road.

Property has NEW (2008) 30X50 barn with 8', 9', and 16' overhead garage doors. Also 8X12 chicken coop (taj-ma-coop). Young orchard with producing trees....apple (gala, golden, etc.), peaches, plums, sweet cherries, sour cherries, etc (at least two varieties of each). Also elderberries, rhubarb, and strawberry patches. Huge thornless blackberry patch that gives me gallons and gallons of huge blackberries all summer long. Small nursery of blue spruce and american cranberry trees. 

New well.....good producing, plumbed to house. Septic installed three years ago - never hooked up yet. Sized for 3-4 bedroom house (1500' leach). Electric at the pole but not hooked to house yet. (I have a breaker box on the pole that runs the security light, chicken coop, and power tools, plus an extension cord to the house).

Might even throw in the kubota tractor and my small flock of buff orpingtons. 

A true handy-man's project!!!! Will be listed within the next week or so for $120K, but will sell for $100K to HT'ers if we don't have to go through a real estate agency. (Saves me their percentage). Not counting my 3 years of labor on it, I have nearly that much in it in expenses - counting the land, septic, well, driveway, coop, barn, orchard, basement (contracted out) and lumber for the house. 

I can send pictures once I figure out what my flickr account address is! Or email me. You can also read about the building of it on the courier newspaper blog at http://thecourier.typepad.com/tisawee_farm/2008/09/minor-setback-a.html

Chris


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

Chris, what changed? I thought you loved that place?


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

Yeah, why are you selling? =/


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

I DO love the place and I'm really torn. I'm also REALLY tired. I've spent the last three years of my life working on that place and I still can't move in. I can't get help, I'm out of money, and I'm just plain.....tired.  I've spent every cent I own on it and now I'm struggling to keep up with my other expenses (being single - and secretarial wages - doesn't help the matter). It's all my fault....I'm not blaming anyone else. I thought for sure my house in town was going to sell, so I put building materials on a credit card (12 months same as cash). The sale fell through, so now the credit card is coming due. I've used up every bit of money I had in savings to pay for what I've completed so far --so TisaWee is all free and clear -- but it isn't liveable until I can get plumbing, electrical, and insulation in. I have some insulation, but have no clue how to do plumbing and electrical (yet... I usually have to learn as I go). I also need to dig the trench to get the plumbing TO the septic tank. Just so much to do yet. 

And the house "grew" as I went. It isn't the cute little cottage I had envisioned when I started. It's a full-sized home now. It's a castle on the hill instead of a little ivy-covered cottage tucked into a garden. Not sure how it evolved that way, but it did. I think it's because the kids kept saying, "but Mom, don't you want to add the sunroom now? And while you are at it, extend the basement, and maybe throw up another 12X12 dormer to open up the bedroom more?" It just kept growing. And of course, getting more expensive. I thought originally that I could build the entire house for the price that I've got in the lumber and basement so far! (Of course, my original plan was built on posts/piers.....that would have saved 13k!!!!!) 

In the meantime, I've found some other properties that are smaller and cheaper that I could afford if I sold this. I can't sell my house in town because it is being zoned commercial so won't sell as residential any more. So I have to wait until someone "commercial" wants it. TisaWee is the only other asset I have. I've sold off everything else that I don't need, except for my summer car. That's my ace-in-my-pocket. If I wait til spring again, I can probably get $4K out of it. I had a dozen offers on it this summer, but I kept backing out because it's the last vestige of "me" and I just wanted to see if I could make it without selling it. 

In the meantime, I'm looking for a part-time job, or a better paying full-time job. I make pretty decent wages for a secretary (20 years experience), so it's hard to find something better. But a single income just doesn't cut it anymore. Part-time jobs that pay anything are hard to find, too. And it's a circle....if I work more part-time, then I don't have time to work at TisaWee and I need to hire more help. 

So, maybe I'm being short-sighted, but like I said..... I'm tired. The opportunity to sell it and move into something that is smaller and more suitable looks pretty good to me right now. Even if it means I failed with my original dream. 

Sorry to ramble, but I know you guys understand!!!


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## peaceandquiet (Oct 5, 2008)

So sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds like you took on a large project.

I will take away from this a good lesson... find a nice piece of land, start small and stay within my means.

Best of luck selling what sounds like a beautiful place.


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## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

Rats, Chris - that makes me really sad.... You've worked so hard on that project!

Don't count out your house in town being sold as a residence, though. My house has been zoned commercially for years before I bought it. That was actually one of the deciding factors for buying (and recently it was upgraded to C-2)- the commercial zoning can add value (depending on what's going on around it) to a potential buyer that might want to live in it until they could find a buyer for it that wants it for a commercial use. Unless your zoning regs are radically different than mine....


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

peaceandquiet said:


> So sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds like you took on a large project.
> 
> I will take away from this a good lesson... find a nice piece of land, start small and stay within my means.
> 
> Best of luck selling what sounds like a beautiful place.


You've got it. I started small....nothing but a barn, chicken coop and gardens/orchard until I could afford to do more. 

The problem was being too optimistic about the time frame. And too optimistic about the amount of help I'd have. Remember the chicken little story??  No one wants to help, but they all want a piece of it when it's done.

It's been such a rewarding experience, for the most part. Well, the sprained ankle wasn't so great....but the rest of it was! And I've learned alot. 

Good luck with YOUR ventures!


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

bill not in oh said:


> Rats, Chris - that makes me really sad.... You've worked so hard on that project!
> 
> Don't count out your house in town being sold as a residence, though. My house has been zoned commercially for years before I bought it. That was actually one of the deciding factors for buying (and recently it was upgraded to C-2)- the commercial zoning can add value (depending on what's going on around it) to a potential buyer that might want to live in it until they could find a buyer for it that wants it for a commercial use. Unless your zoning regs are radically different than mine....


Well, I haven't given up yet. Things might still turn around, and you never know! Maybe I'll find the perfect cottage somewhere and be even happier. 

I *could* sell my house in town as residential, maybe. I'm not sure anyone would want to raise a family in this location, however. It's next to a trucking company and a trailer court. And if I DID sell it as residential, that's only worth maybe 2/3 of what it is worth as commercial. I'm better off to just hold onto it as long as I have to, and then sell commercial. Especially if they intend to tear it down and I can get salvage rights. I have some beatiful cabinetry, appliances, etc., that would be removed. 

I guess I'm just trying to look at all options. I teach music at festivals on weekends and I haven't spent a single second working on that, and I dropped all private lessons three years ago so I could work on TisaWee. It seems like my life has revolved around building TisaWee, instead of ENJOYING life. Of course, I've enjoyed the journey, too, but I'm weary of it. I'm ready to be able to relax in the evening instead of running, running, running..... and worrying about where the next $1 will come from so I can keep going.


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## Elizabeth (Jun 4, 2002)

Seems a shame that you can't get some help with the house. Sounds like a great opportunity for an HT house-raising party- wish we lived close enough to pitch in and help you.


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

Thanks, Elizabeth.  

I thought I'd have more help from my family, but they have families of their own and are busy with their own lives. My son helps out TREMENDOUSLY, but isn't available as much as I need him to be. Other than that.... hmmmm..... the dog isn't much help.

I'll make it somehow. A step at a time.  I appreciate the sentiment, however!


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

I'm sorry to hear that your dream is hitting some snags. Sounds like a wonderful place and know it must hurt after you spend so much time, money and energy getting it to the stage it's currently in. Keep faith...something good will happen as a result and perhaps all is not lost! I will keep you in my prayers...


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