Just Bought The Neighbor's 15 Acre Parcel

Natty Bumppo

5 year old buck +
A long story short...former owner's paid cash for my neighbor's place on 15 acres 5 years ago. They turned it into a 2.5 million dollar pot growing operation. It was busted 2 years ago and went up for public auction. I was the high bidder. I really only wanted the land, as the home is pretty much gutted. It has potential with a TON of work. But they really destroyed the building.

As for the land...going to have it logged extensively and then put in a decent sized food plot (in blue). My existing ploys are all small 1/8 and 1/4 acre plot. Having 2 or 3 acres will be nice. There is an equal sized swamp that deer seem to be using, though it's fairly open. I am going to open up the canopy in there a bit and see if it will thicken up. And I've always wanted to grow Christmas trees as a source of farm income...just never had a place to do it. This new land will allow me that.

Opening up all that forest to the west of my place will also give us nice afternoon sun which we do not have.

There's not much timber value on the land...it's a typical northern mixed swamp of spruce, fir, poplar, larch, yellow birch, and red maple. There is one massive stand of mature hemlock.

As for the home....??? It's a single level 4,000 sq. ft. home on a full basement. I retire in 5 years. Might just hold onto it and chip away at it between now and then. It needs to be taken down to the studs and 100% overhauled. Thought about restoring it to a single family home and just giving it to my kids when they are out of college. Maybe turn it into 2 apartments and Air BNB it and generate some cash that way? Maybe turn it into a work shop where I can build timber frames, butcher block counter tops, and kitchen cabinets when I retire? Rent workshop space to other woodworkers or artists? But, it's nothing I am going to think about until I retire.

In the auction I also got 2 cars, chainsaws, weed whackers, lawn mowers, 5 ladders, some high end 3 phase wood shop equipment, a canoe, a brand new wood chipper, tools, etc....and enough industrial pot growing supplies that I could probably retire next year if I chose to go that path! 😄.

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Congratulations.
Something tells me you have the skills to make that house shine. I bet that equipment is worth some $ in a state where it’s legal.
Maybe I should make a deal with you and start a greenhouse. 😄
 
I could be mistaken, but you might have finally found a location - front yard? - where the bears won't destroy an apple tree. It sure is fun to have land you put your stamp on. Good luck Natty.
 
Congratulations.
Something tells me you have the skills to make that house shine. I bet that equipment is worth some $ in a state where it’s legal.
Maybe I should make a deal with you and start a greenhouse. 😄

Thanks Bill.

I do have the skills. Everything but plumbing. I am terrible at sweating pipes.

And yes, I am starting to look for greenhouses and/or legal pot growing operations that might want to buy this equipment cheap.
 
I could be mistaken, but you might have finally found a location - front yard? - where the bears won't destroy an apple tree. It sure is fun to have land you put your stamp on. Good luck Natty.

Thanks Apple Junkie. I think you're onto something. I did think of doing a small apple orchard in addition to the Christmas trees. The front yard of the new place might work. The building used to be a roadside honky-tonk, country line dance, snowmobiler hang out type of bar back in the 70's and 80's. The front yard was the gravel parking lot though...not sure what I am going to find for soil.
 
Everything but plumbing. I am terrible at sweating pipes.

It’s tough now that they took all the lead out of the solder. Shark bite connections are expensive but worth every penny IMO. No soldering just push them on and you’re done. And they have such a good history of lasting most municipalities allow you to bury them in a wall.
 
Congratulations. Sounds like some exciting work ahead for you.
 
Atta boy Natty, congrats bud! Even if the house is gutted you still stand a chance to make it a rental. Nothing wrong with expanding your empire!
 
Do deer eat pot? If so, how did they keep them out of the fields?
 
It’s tough now that they took all the lead out of the solder. Shark bite connections are expensive but worth every penny IMO. No soldering just push them on and you’re done. And they have such a good history of lasting most municipalities allow you to bury them in a wall.
Almost everything is going to pex now. ALmost anyone can do pex, you just need some tools to do them.
Agree. I did 1800’ of pex from meter to cabin and it wasn’t hard at all. And in 4 years it never leaked

Sounds great fellas. When the time comes I'll check out PEX. Good to know. Thank you.
 
Atta boy Natty, congrats bud! Even if the house is gutted you still stand a chance to make it a rental. Nothing wrong with expanding your empire!

Thanks Troubled Trees.
 
Do deer eat pot? If so, how did they keep them out of the fields?

It was an indoor operation. A 4,000 sq. ft. basement and then they had about half of the first level also converted to growing plants. They were using $10,000 a month in electricity. They blew a transformer and it caused a small fire. When the electric company showed up and asked for access to the house the guy watching the plants offered him a bribe to go away. The electric co. pulled out and the next day the raid occurred. We were all in the pool behind my house when a state police helicopter showed up and began hovering directly overhead. Then 5 or 6 cruisers went racing up the road. Pretty exciting stuff for my little hilltown of 600 residents.
 
It was an indoor operation. A 4,000 sq. ft. basement and then they had about half of the first level also converted to growing plants. They were using $10,000 a month in electricity. They blew a transformer and it caused a small fire. When the electric company showed up and asked for access to the house the guy watching the plants offered him a bribe to go away. The electric co. pulled out and the next day the raid occurred. We were all in the pool behind my house when a state police helicopter showed up and began hovering directly overhead. Then 5 or 6 cruisers went racing up the road. Pretty exciting stuff for my little hilltown of 600 residents.
Cops have been known to miss stashes on occasion 😉. You might just find some $$$ in a wall, a floor, or even buried in the yard.
 
Congrats on the new ground, very exciting!
 
Congrats.

I say subdivide it now. whatever around the house to make it ok to resale. 2 or 3 acres, make sure the septic and well got whatever feet you need inside the parcel. Don't necesarily sell it, but have it ready to go if needed. Could be a rental too.

Likely need a driveway for the rear parcel, might be easier on the east side.
 
Congrats.

I say subdivide it now. whatever around the house to make it ok to resale. 2 or 3 acres, make sure the septic and well got whatever feet you need inside the parcel. Don't necesarily sell it, but have it ready to go if needed. Could be a rental too.

Likely need a driveway for the rear parcel, might be easier on the east side.

Thanks bigboreblr.

Yes...that's definitely an option. 3 acres minimum needs to go with the home. We're going to keep it long enough that when we have it clearcut and logged that we'll access the land through that property...so will keep it at least until next winter and then could put the house on the market the summer of 2024. That would give me a year and a half to tidy up the outside and gut as much as I can on the inside and then see if I could offload it.
 
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