Walking the Property
Before and after we knew the boundaries
In the fall of 2022, I found myself with our real estate agent Jennifer wandering the woods, wondering if we were still within the boundaries of the land we were supposed to be looking at. Todd, in his excitement to be there had trekked on ahead searching for markers, leaving Jennifer, more of a city gal, and myself standing on the edge of a planted field having just done something I haven’t done in a very long time and she possibly never in her life and that is climb over a very old, rusty, barbed wire fence.
Neither of us quite knew where Todd was or if we were meandering on someone else’s property, not a cool thing to do without the owner knowing who you are. I noticed some coyote scat and mentioned this to her.
There are coyotes out here?
Of course, but they don’t usually come around during the day and are skittish creatures who don’t bother people unless they are in a pack…then you want to be careful.
I think we should head back.
I thought I was helping ease her mind but instead we hustled back through the soybean field, through the woods, over the fence and to our cars. Todd came along some time later with a grin of excitement about what could be.
It didn’t happen in 2022. It was too far off the beaten path and with Todd traveling so much I didn’t want to be alone out there. Besides that, we still had two kiddos active in school and sports. So that was a hard pass from me.
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In the fall of 2023, Todd asked Jennifer (unbeknownst to me) if she could reach out to the owner to see if she would sell. She said yes if he was willing to pay her full asking price. That was a hard pass from him who is ever the negotiator. This is also the reason I thought FOR SURE she would come back with a high counteroffer this time. We offered several thousand less than what she wanted for it back in 2023. (Read about how my prayer backfired here.)
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Spring of 2025, well you know the story if you’ve been following along. The thing I haven’t shared is Todd was ready to sign without walking the actual property we were wanting to purchase. Sure, we’d been out there and was on the general land but before I signed anything, I wanted to walk what would be ours and see the markers, know the boundaries. Fair enough. Jennifer let the owner’s real estate person know and sent Pete, her partner in business and life, out to walk it with us. No more fence climbing for her!
He had downloaded an app that showed where the pins were and helped us navigate and find the markers. We adjusted our way as we went. It felt different. This would soon be my next home. I noticed the mature trees and lots of maples for tapping syrup. I noticed the different plants on the ground and felt a growing excitement for foraging new things for the apothecary. Pete and I talked about different avenues for income and all manner of possibilities. (Todd was once again off on his own adventure searching for the buried truck, I’m sure.) We all stood in the two-acre clearing that sits about halfway back knowing this was where we wanted to build our home and gardens. It was quiet in the sense you couldn’t hear a car pass by or people talking. Trees swayed as the birds sang. It was peace. It was soon to be ours. The three of us stood still and took it all in.
My ordinary wonderfully routine life that I absolutely love was beginning to wake up to the potentials and dream in technicolor. What if?
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We got to meet Anne, the owner, a couple of different times. The first was out at the property when, no sooner did her cane hit the pavement and looking a bit frazzled she told us she doesn’t drive much these days, especially the freeways. She also assured us it was a leak in her roof that caused the need to sit on a hospital pee pad. She shared how hard it is for her to let this property go. I asked her to tell me a little bit about it (the land not her leak.) It was a 75 acre farm her grandmother had purchased. Her parents moved the family (her and her two brothers) in with grandma to help run the farm. She’d been on this land since she was a little girl and knows every inch. Chased cows. Weeded gardens by hand. Played with her friends. Once her grandmother then parents all passed away the siblings split the farm into equal shares, hers sits in the middle, between her brothers.
I told her how excited we were to have more land as we currently had three ish acres with a few chickens for eggs and a garden that I can food from for the winter, and that we were looking forward to expanding our skills with a bigger classroom. I shared with her where we wanted to put the house and how everyone in the family had requests for a variety of animals, a walking trail through the woods, and a quad. That we had lots of kids and grandkids who would enjoy the peace and serenity this property so willingly gives. I wanted her to be assured that our intentions are to work together with the land, giving, growing, resting, producing, nurturing as needed when needed.
She was excited (though excited might be too big a word as Todd describes her as Sadness from the movie Inside Out) to know that the land would be used for homesteading and not divided into parcels for a sub-division. When she left, Pete said, that was perfect. She needed to meet you and know you will care for the land as much as she does.
The second time we met with Anne was at the closing. Initially she was going to sign all the documents via email but wanted to see us again, so she had a friend drive her down from Beaver Creek. She shared a little more about the property as memories came to mind. She told us the reality of ever moving back there were slim as her husband’s health is bad and they are getting on in years. I’m 63 after all. I didn’t have the heart to tell her we were both 60…well I’m a couple weeks away but still. Bless her.
The last thing she said was to Jennifer. I’m sorry I didn’t get back with you right away when you called the last time and that I was abrupt when I did talk with you (remember she said she would sell if Todd was willing to pay). My heart just wasn’t ready then. I told her the timing now was perfect as my heart wasn’t ready then either.
The paperwork is signed. The deal is done. We are proud owners of 24.77 acres!
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We packed our backpacks, lunch and walking sticks and spent several hours exploring OUR land. Come take a walk with me…