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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Dec 30, 2017 - 01:23pm PT
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Your biggest concern is distance to water tie in.
Trucking in water is not possible for new developments.
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StefanS
Trad climber
Leavenworth WA
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Dec 30, 2017 - 01:33pm PT
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Hey Happie
If the lot sizes and zoning are equal, the difference is probably in site development or location to existing utilities. A drain field or well could easily cost as much the difference in price.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:02pm PT
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The valuation on tax rolls is based on the last sale plus one percent per year increase in value allowed under prop 13. Has no real relationship to actual value as property is not reassessed unless sold.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:05pm PT
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Buying JT's biggest dump with a roof and a working toilet is probably going to be a better short and long term investment than messing with bare sand in the desert.
Developing a piece of land to any extent beyond parking a rusty camper on it is for realz and can be expensive, requiring a lot of hard cash in your pocket to move things along.
If it were otherwise, everyone would be doing it. You're entering a higher stakes game. Thinking it's actually a less expensive and lower risk game because of the entry cost of the dirt is an illusion. Call the person selling the land and ask them why they bought and what actually happened leading them to sell. Call a few and put it all together yourself, the incentive to lie is high.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:20pm PT
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Jon Beck and JPL are exactly right.
Also, it is all about location. The further you get north of 29 Palms Hwy, the sketchier your neighbors.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:31pm PT
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Yup, buy a dump fixer upper. Drywall and paint are cheap. Putting in utilities is not.
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:55pm PT
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Thank you all for your input. Already learning from you!
I have an idea how prohibitive building is. Even the building permit alone is beyond my ability. Or desire, at least for several years. Even to have a house with a roof and a Certificate of Occupancy is not what I am wanting to do.
For now - I just want land, and a prayer for neighbors who won't go crying "There's a van on that lot too many nights as per law." Optimally, I would like Rec Cabin designation, but I am considering parcels that don't have it.
I know about the water deal. And the electricity pole deal. And that you can't have either without a building permit.
Someone told me it could cost over 100K to build a home that meets the basic code requirements, on an undeveloped lot. So, I understand why the raw land sits unsold.
However.....
I saw a comment on the JT Homesteader blog that piqued my interest(this person bought rec cabin parcels at tax sale and now Air BnB's them out). Apparently this person used to do workshops where they imparted their knowledge as to how to get JT area land cheap. Anyway, the comment was that they no longer did those w/shops due to the fact their tips no longer worked, but(this was the part I was piqued by) they said "they're(San Bernardino County, I assume) talking about making the little cabins legal. That will take some years, but it will change everything."
I intend to reach out to that person and ask for clarification, because "the little cabins" ARE legal, so long as they are up code. So what I was wondering is if that person might have been referring to the potential for the allowance for "Tiny Houses" in the county. Anyone have any info on that?
Currently, a house here needs to be almost 800 sq ft, which ain't tiny by the definition. I know that across the country there has been an upsurge in desire for the tiny houses, but out here the closest you can get is if you do have a Rec Cabin, and go that way. Those are getting snapped up as soon as they hit the market, and unless there is a bust, it's only going to get worse. I have a friend who has told me a few Rec Cabin flips that have happened. Good way to make money, if you have it and good contractors, looks like.
Anyway - that's Q2 - any word on zoning changes in the air for smaller houses?
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:56pm PT
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Good advice from everyone. Buy, don't build. We considered buying a lot in the mountains but then factored the costs of utilities, hiring a contractor, the time and cost associated with each. It was cheaper and alot more immediate gratification to buy an existing place. I understand your concern about prices out there though. Meth dens in bad areas are listed at ridiculous prices. For example: https://www.remax.com/realestatehomesforsale/521-cypress-road-joshua-tree-ca-92252-id304374935.html
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 02:57pm PT
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Oh! Question 3 - Suppose you have seen a For Sale sign on a parcel that piques interest, but are not ready/able to move on it. Is it really stupid to even call the realtor listed on the sign? Should you hold off on making any contact with a broker until you are able to follow through?
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 03:00pm PT
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It's my understanding that if a house cooked meth, it is a biohazzard cleanup to occupy. Thousands upon thousands of dollars. That would be a big "need to know" consideration, if purchasing the crappiest place with a roof and a working crapper.
edit: and yeah....that listing shows just how booming the real estate is here. 80K for 2.5 acres land and a house that needs a complete rehab.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Dec 30, 2017 - 03:39pm PT
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IMO, you're really naive to the costs involved and asking a lot of basic questions. You don't seem to understand what "investment" means.
It's definitely okay to call real estate brokers when you have no money. Ask lots of questions. Be sure pitch your van out in the dirt idea, see what they say, get some reality checks.
Build a spreadsheet and put real numbers to your options.
By the time you get a working toilet on some bare land, that meth house might be going for $1 million on a $100k invested, your van on a bare plot with some utilities dead ending on the lot line might at the same time go for $100k on $100k invested. That's the game you're playing. Or not...
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 04:22pm PT
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JLP - Thank you for your insight. Not for your sarcasm, though. That, I find annoying. But when one comes to ST for advice,it's to be expected.
Locker - that listing is Rec Cabin. But way too far away.Maybe Johnson Valley will someday be a in boom but.....that might be a while.
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 04:50pm PT
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Locker - It's ON 247. No 4wd required to access the land. The listing was selling the idea that the land was something ORVers might like.
Interesting that the listing implies you can haul water and use a generator for a power source. After seeing that, I looked around a bit and see there has been a brouhaha brewing on the "no water hauling" change, especially for places where a well is unlikely to produce enough water.
Edit: The for sale signs I saw were actually for Sharon Rose. I was able to locate the Parcel Information on the property(ies) I saw, and learn what was available in that database.
Thank you for the recommendation. I will wait until I am ready to take action before calling her, but having someone vouch for them is reassuring.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Dec 30, 2017 - 05:13pm PT
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Drilling a well could be dicy on the North side due to the geology. The aquifers are better on the South side of 62
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Dec 30, 2017 - 05:16pm PT
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Seeing that typical homes in JT are going for $500k and up makes me want to sell all my stocks for cash and put it under my mattress for the coming apocalypse. All that free money from the past decade is going to come due at some point.
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Dec 30, 2017 - 05:21pm PT
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I told you it was in a boom! How much longer can it go is the question, and when it goes, what will happen with all those loans, and all those little AirBnB hopeful dreams that can't bring in enough to pay the money lent against them.
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seano
Mountain climber
none
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Dec 30, 2017 - 07:15pm PT
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Betting on Cali real estate seems a lot like betting on Bitcoin and other crypto nonsense. There's money to be made, but if you have to ask, you won't make it.
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
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Dec 31, 2017 - 07:04am PT
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Happy, I think the answer to your original question is that the difference in assessed values resulted from the properties being assessed at different times. Property is generally only reassessed when title is transferred so more recently transferred properties typically have higher assessed values.
As for unsolicited advice, I suggest southern AZ for cheap warm real estate. Better climbing thrown in to sweeten the deal!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Dec 31, 2017 - 07:31am PT
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i would have thought, given that you lived in the Clove Valley,
with all those nice snots who got theirs cheap,
then stood for a building moratorium, for what? 20 years?
in effect the oldest saw in real estate holds true
and the long and short of it is that (without wheel-barrows full of cash)
location
location
location
aint J Tree fun?
if it only had a beach, an ocean ,
it would be
San Diego.
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