Real Estate Investing

After spending the morning floating in a pool with a friend - relaxing - I’m dreaming of bigger things this evening.  I’m craving a break from the big, bad world!  I’m thinking my own personal island would be ideal.  And here at Islands for Sale, I can find one of my very own!

I like Bird Cay Island.  The 250 acres in Nassau, Bahamas could be mine for $28 million.

Big Fish Cay in the Bahamas looks awesome, too, but it’s already under contract.  In U.S. dollars, the 55-acre island was priced at $2.4 million.

If you’re not an ocean person and prefer the cooler climate of Oregon, here’s a Hansel & Gretyl cottage for sale.

If you’re a spiteful person, this house could be perfect for you!  Available in Alameda, California, the home is being offered at $768,000′ish. 

Here’s what Zillow says about the house,

According to local legend in Alameda, California, a man sold a small parcel of land adjacent to his house, thinking it was too small to build on. Unfortunately for him, the buyer turned out to be a carpenter who indeed began building on the site. Perhaps spurred on by the protests of the homeowner, the carpenter finished what would come to be known as the Spite House in 1890. Eventually, the Spite House was bought by the owner of the larger house and a connecting passageway was built between the two homes.

Get out and visit an open house this weekend.  Or call your Realtor just to say hello!  Hope it’s a good one!

My brother built a mini-house near the back of my parents’ 10-acre homesite as a young adult.  He lived there for years with his dog Ginger (famous for her good nature and killer underbite).  When he married, his bride lived in the cabin with him until she had enough of the one-room domicile.  They now live in a nice older home, but that love shack still overlooks the Tradewater River snaking around the back of my parents property. 

His old living quarters remind me of something that may become a new trend while this economy recovers.  Sheds as homes.  I heard today that some of the poorer families in the Appalachian region already buy sheds and convert them to living quarters.  You can pick up a decent shed for between $1500 and $6784.93 (plus tax), depending on whether it’s a basic design or more flamboyant.

Except for instances of severe weather, I can understand where sheds would be a good alternative to home ownership.  If you have hit a rough patch in your life and don’t want to live under a bridge or in public housing, this affordable shelter could be great for someone with an instinct for surviving on little.  To go more plush and with a little more money, Texans have their Texas Tiny Houses.

Plumbing could ultimately be the biggest challenge, but it’s very common for electricity to be run to regular storage sheds today.  There would probably be county or city codes that would have to be met before power could be turned on (plumbing too), but a London, England newspaper encourages people to consider using sheds as home offices.  Also, look at this shed design that’s already been drawn as a home.  And again to England, we have this site that proves “Sheds can be anything.”

This could be a very interesting trend to watch.  If you see any sheds being used as a residence, please submit your photos to kathy DOT tyson AT comcast DOT net so we can feature them here.

Shed photos from Lowe’s.com.

Recycling. Reclaiming. Recovering. Dumpster Diving. Whatever you call it, there is tons of perfectly good waste discarded every day and the most resourceful among us are putting it to good use. These are the ultimate eco-friendly warriors. Some call them crazy, some call them genius. The above video is a good example. Filmed by Texas Country Reporter, the video offers a tour of Dan Phillips’ home in Huntsville, Texas. Phillips is a resourceful person and a skilled woodworker who decided to use 85% of would-be waste to create his sizeable, impressive-looking home.

From discarded picture frame corners to old wine bottle corks, Phillips was standing right by the dumpster with his hand out to bring them back to home sweet home. While Phillips may represent the ultimate in recycling, he is by no means alone. There are countless stories of junk retrieved from dumpsters — some of which is not so junky. Think about all the people who are too lazy or busy to donate their junk or hold a yardsale after spring cleaning and/or relocating to a new house. There’s a lot of great stuff to be had, especially after a little elbow grease, creativity and bleach disinfectant!

For the more squeamish among us, like myself, you can put a company to work for you. There are plenty of companies offering reclaimed and recovered lumber, for instance. Whether it’s recovered from the bottom of a river or reclaimed from trash piles, there’s plenty of recycled lumber to be found. Why cut down a perfectly good tree? For starters, and to get a grip on the possibilities, check out the 2008 Green Log Awards nominees in the category of “Reclaimed Wood — Flooring.” And happy dumpster diving — er, recycling!