OT: Time to move?

I am buying this little 5 acre patch contract for deed, living in a 14x70 1985 mobile home. Barn is over 100 years old with lean to's attached. Anyhow, I can't get insurance anymore, trailer and barn are both too old. Barn itself OK, but lean to's need to go. 15 years is the oldest a trailer can be written, never mind we have updated a lot in it. By the time I get a new enuf trailer and all the changes to the barn I am looking at about 50K. I am also still going thru a battle with the road commissioner regarding drainage problems because he won't put a new culvert under the township road, would rather just leave me with one driveway instead of my circle drive and let the water run in front of the house, in effect shutting off access to the barn and pasture unless I spend the money to culvert it myself. With what I still owe and the money I will need to spend I think an existing stick built home may be cheaper in the long run. Won't elaborate on possible houses except to say I can buy 7.63 acres with a 3296 square ft house and steel building, or 40 acres with two Morton type buildings for only about $200 a month more. If I went the 40 acres I would need to possibly move a house there, it is currently a Morton with living quarters and the wife says she won't live that way. DOUG

Gee Honey....I'm gonna miss you.....

Yah, out of IL Try AK do what you want when you want. No tsp. cnty. or state problems.
Just stay out of the city.
How do you people put up with all that BS.
Any one down that way have a life?
Oh by the way it's a balmy -48 here now.

I'm in western Ill., Rock Island County to be exact. Only 2 places in Ill that have stricter building codes than the state itself, Chicago and Rock Island County. After we bought 65 acres that used to be my grandparents, we decided to put up a house there and sell other place. Decided on a Design Home from Prairie Du Chien, Wis. Was at the show lot in Burlington, Ia and found 1 my wife liked. If you shop around, when they want to put a new house on show lot, they put huge discounts on the demo homes. Ours was $7000 off and still moved and set on our foundation. I put $2000 down and started getting things in order to have it moved. 2 days later, the salesman from the lot called and said he couldn't sell us the home. It is built to meet state of Ill building codes, and RI County won't pass inspection on it. Went to zoning office, anything 40 acres of larger is considered a farm, and building codes do not apply. The guy in the office said we could move a used trailer house onto the property and they couldn't do anything about it. They had to send a letter to Design Homes saying we could put the house on our farm before they would sell it to us. Anyhow, The house was built in Dec of 99, we bought it in Feb of 02 and it was set in April of 02. 960sq ft, came with curtains, central air and heat, moved and set for $43,000. Were we going to attach a garage? I said not right away, but that was the future plan. Salesman said that the siding on the home was discontinued, we would never be able to match it, so they resided the home after it was set. Point is, shop around and don't be in a hurry, there are good deals out there. Insurance. Check for a small local insurance co, there are lots of them around the state. I have never heard of a barn being too old to insure, not sure about a trailer house, I would call my agent and ask if you want. You need to avoid large nation wide companies like the plague!! The other possibility would be to buy a house that is in the way of construction and have it moved to the new place. Not cheap, but could be 1000's of $$$ cheaper than buying a new house. I assume you mean you can't get fire insurance? I guess the other possibility would be to move your trailer to the new place and not have fire insurance and just take a chance on it. You said that one of the morton buildings had a living quarters in it, can it be remodeled or fixed up some to suit your wife? Just a few things to think about and check into. Good luck, Chris

Funny thing is a Morton or any pole building is WAY stronger then a house trailer. Several places around me that have pole building homes that look very nice. Even 2 story.

I'm not a fan of being in debt. I scratch and claw trying to get out everyday. Is what you have now sufficent for your needs?(not wants) Answer honestly, then find a different insurance company. If it's a county/city owned/maintained road I would aggrivate the road commissioner to no end eventually he will get tired of hearing from you. It is cheaper to build your own home the way you want it on property that is paid for, instead of trying to turn an already built home into something you like all costs considered. $200 more per month for how many more years? Too many people think with the wrong head. If your woman wont come live with you in a cardboard box, dont let the doorknob hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'.

If you can't get HO insurance maybe personal liability ins. is available. If the buildings burn or fall down your not out much anyway.

Our mobile home is a 16x85 and it is a 1989. We have it insured!

no offense here but the living in the morton from my experience would probably be whole lot warmer than the trailer you are living in. Been ther done that so to speak.With insulation and drywall she won't even know shes in morton. Have you seen the homes they put up very nice.
otherwise you just need to find another insurance agency. aren't you mail carrier

Come on up to beautiful Michigan! This state's been in a 30s style depression for so long,you can name your price on most any kind of real estate you want to buy. There are nice rural forcloseres here going for whatever you want to give. A house on a 2 lots here in the village of Sheridan sold at auction a few weeks ago for $4000. Yea,not a misprint,four thousand dollars.

There's a town named Morton in my county, and, if its any consolation, my wife wouldn't live there, either.

"But seriously, folks"- The key is whether the extra $200 a month is affordable for you. There's not much upside on a 25 year old single wide and a barn that needs work- the other two deals have some potential. Could the 40 be subdivided and a piece or two sold off? That would probably get you in better financial shape than you are now. Maybe wife could be a little flexible for awhile, if there's the promise of better things on the horizon. One thing I have learned in real estate- you've gotta stick your neck out a little to make any money at it.

I see so many problems with your post. " With what I still owe" AND you're thinking of buying more or building more for only about $200 a month more + taxes + insurance + wife still isn't happy. Step back and read your post and then analyze your life style. Your kind of thinking is one of the reasons for the present foreclosure/lending/banking problems. If you have to borrow to get it you don't need it you want it to impress (friends, family,wife).

Garytom has a point, but within limits; what's important is not getting in over your head. Nowadays the important thing is how secure-or unsecure-your income is...
If you're living off farming, what's the future consensus (always a guess) about your crop/product??
If working on comm or wages, what's that look like??
If we all saved cash until we had enough to buy cars, houses, etc, we'd be living a much more bare-bones life, and the reason so many people aren't is that while it might be wonderful for your character, it's not much for comfort or being able to enjoy life. The trick is, as stated, not to get in over your head.

I DON'T want to move, just trying to figure out what is best in the long term. My main income is as a Rural Mail Carrier, but USPS tells us mail volume is down. It is NOT, but they are still trying to get in our pockets, will figure on about 10 percent less for wages. If push comes to shove I guess I could sell my 80 back in Nebraska, but that is a last resort. I just need to be able to get insurance and it won't happen until the lean to's are gone from the barn and a newer trailer. How much money should I dump in to still living in a trailer? DOUG

Doug, with all due respect, you're the only one that can make those decisions; it's always a gamble, either way.
Computer ordering, especially in rural areas, could well increase mailing (job security); the PO could also consolidate routes, cut out daily delivery (like more and more newspapers) (reduced or no income).
Everything about this economy is unprecedented: public debt, private debt, gov't bailouts, 2/3-3/4 of the economy consumer based, junk paper sold to half the gov'ts of the world,etc etc.
Like anyone else, all you can do is pencil out what staying looks like, and what moving looks like, and choose what seems to be the best at the time. I wish there was a better answer. Good luck.

Look for other insurance companys

Too many people lost every thing buying homes that were way beyond their means.My Dad and I built a small house in 1958.Acre lot was bought from a neighbor for 300.00.A state highway went thru us in 1964.Land prices had shot way up and zoning kept me from having my own TV shop at home.I sold every thing I had, put the cash in the bank and bought an old farm with 150 acres for cash.Worked for an area TV shop for 2 years then built my own shop on my place.No zoning no building permits.While its be hard going at times Im still here after 43 years.A nice small house can be built for far less than the cost of a mobile home.The problem is that most people need instant gratification these days.My son and his wife lived in a camper trailer in warm weather and stay with us in winter.They built a nice house with out borrowing any money.

live in the trailer and build a new house.If you cant find insurance to h3ll with it, you can put insurance on the new house as soon as you start work and increase it as you progress.Insurance company are scum around here.They were try ing to cancel me because the house needed painting.I was trying to get my hay in and was having a heart problem and high blood pressure.My wife had the house painted and paid for it with money she had saved.I had a hearing with the state insurance commission, they decided in my favor.Very hard to buy farm insurance here.

Won't mention company names, but had ins with company A originally. Bought from company F who is not set up to receive automatic payments, or electronic transfers. They cancelled me after three late payments, checks were sent on time but received late. Went back to company A and they wouldn't write me again, so far they are the only two companies I have found that will write mobile home on farm policies. DOUG