10 Acers in the Big Bend Area (Update)

vern38 · August 19, 2006, 10:46:07 PM

Well looks like I was able to purchase 5 10acres of land at a really good price, $2425.00. I already know there will have to be adjustments to use alternative power, water and sewage sources but this shouldn't be hard to adjust to. I have lived in the country before and used some of these already. On the others I have been researching the water and power issues which aren't issues. Like the lighting, just wire the cottage with a 12 volt system as well as 110. For the water use a 12 volt RV pump system and the power source is a no brainier, solar and wind. AC you say, 8K home generator for the super hot summers and those special items. This project will take a long time but should be a rewarding challenge.

Vern

glenn-k · August 20, 2006, 02:49:55 AM

Sounds great, Vern. Keep us posted and we'll help with what info we can.

glenn-k · August 20, 2006, 10:39:55 AM

Sounds like carrying a list would be in order. I used a PDA for a while but always ended up losing data so I went back to a spiral bound notebook. I keep all project notes, dates , times , needs, lists in there. The spiral binding makes sure I don't lose a paper unless I want to and it is in fairly chronoligical order. Notes in pencil makes sure that water won't damage it but I usually use pen. One book will keep notes handy for about 6 months then I can retain it for future reference.

Will you have phone service available? I'm just wondering how you will stay in touch on the net.

vern38 · August 20, 2006, 12:24:53 PM

There is phone service but I also have a Mobil solution. I have Roadrunner Cable Service and they also have a dialup service for when a person is not home. Haven't tried it in that area but my Mobil service has high speed data transfer for cell phones so all I have to do is plug the cell phone into the laptop, dialup roadrunner service and I have service, Electric, Car, or Battery Powered. When the Cottage is built I already have a Hues Network DirectWay Internet/TV Satellite dish I can hook up. High Speed with no wires

.

Vern

phalynx · August 21, 2006, 11:30:25 AM

Your biggest problem down there is water.

vern38 · August 23, 2006, 07:03:26 AM

We do have several options available to us however the well is out at 600+ feet and $20,000.00. The ranch office offers trucked water or pickup water from the Lodge area or we could bring in our own water. Right now it isn't an issue as my RV has a fairly good size fresh water holding tank so while we are building we can go this way. The cottage will have a water collection system for irrigation and sewage use when it is finished. As for shower I can have it trucked in and pumped into a holding tank for a short term solution and we have always used bottled while we are out on the road from tap at home or purchased. The latest good news is we ended up trading the land I purchased for a 10 acre tract across the road (of course with a little extra money) that is much more suited for building and is only 3 minutes from the main highway. This means the utilities will be a lot easier to get when we are ready to spend more time out there.

Vern

RonDay · August 24, 2006, 09:12:40 PM

Vern,

Regarding your internet options, you might check to see if anyone out that way is offering terrestrial/RF based broadband. It functions pretty much the same as a business band/Ham radio repeater. It's a lot easier to push a signal tower to tower along the ground than 23K miles up to and back from a satt in geosynch orbit. More reliable, too. I have some friends in rural NorCal that have DirectWay and the only reason they don't dump it is that their only other option is dial-up.

We're getting ready to start building about 30 miles NW of Bryan/College Station and there's an ISP, CyberCom, that offers this type of service. I may even become a repeater site for them, since I'll be erecting a couple of 50' towers, and make a few bucks a month. If it's relatively flat between where you're going to be and the Alpine, Marfa and Ft.Davis areas, it wouldn't take a very tall tower or mast to be high enough to get a good connection, provided service is available of course. Check it out. Prices are comparable with cable or DSL, at least in this area.

HTH,
Ron

vern38 · August 29, 2006, 09:10:07 AM

There a couple of those places out there but this one does have a $142 flat fee annual basis for road upkeep, etc. with a CPI adjustment each November 1st for the upcoming year, a pool and a club house. I didn't hear anything about camping houses. As far as the water goes that's my option even if they do sell it at the office which I believe they do. At any rate it's a bit to late as I already own the land, all 10 acres paid in full.

PS: I did see on the Land Owners page where there was a law suite filed against some of the board members and the General Manager. Don't know what happened there?

Vern

phalynx · August 29, 2006, 01:17:32 PM

Vern,

Just looking out for you. Is it Terlingua Ranch?

vern38 · August 29, 2006, 04:11:33 PM

QuoteVern,

Just looking out for you. Is it Terlingua Ranch?

Afraid so, Am I in for a bad ride or should I just watch my back? Thanks for looking out for me maybe I should put up a Yurt so if I decide to sell I can take it with me.

Vern

phalynx · August 29, 2006, 08:03:55 PM

Well,

YOU have a ton more information than most at this point. I think you'll be ok as long as you watch them. I have heard there is NO water on the entire property except the 3-4 wells that are there and they happen to be on the officer's properties. I really don't want you to feel bad about this. It's important that you know all of this and make it work for you. There are a bunch of owners in that master property. Eventually, it isn't going to work out for the "wrong doings" that are taking place. I would get in contact with the guy that has the lawsuit against the owner and see what he has had to deal with.

This company's business plan is pretty common in the area, West TX and New Mexico. Sell the land VERY cheap and even offer financing with a nice down payment. Charge Home owners fees that are extremely high for providing nothing. Eventually, people that never looked at the land, stop paying for it and he re-claims the property. Thus, making constant income. You can go to the home owners website that is on the tereluga ranch site and read the turnover rate per year. It's like 50% new owners each year. The biggest problem people don't realize is there is no way to get to thier property. They have "access" which means they are allowed to travel across an easement to get there but since there is no road, no one can really get there. Eventually, the "group" will gett enough money to make more roads than is there and then the price goes up. I would imagine that you can't vote the current officer out of his office for some "voting" reason and # of voting shares, etc...

So, go see your land. If you can get to it and like it, have fun. If not, you will probably try to sell it like the other 50%. Again, I hate to bring bad news, but I would be much happoer knowing the truth now and working with it than finding it out over time.

Let me know how it goes.
Scott

vern38 · September 05, 2006, 08:20:09 AM

Well made the trip and we are back. Met the man who sold me the property and went on a tour of the surrounding land and our property. Our land is about 10 minutes off the main highway facing the Christmas Mountains with 9 points Mesa Mountain to the left in the Big Bend Valley area of the ranch. Anyway marked and walked the land and all 10 acres are flat and build able. We were given the option of some mountain tracts to choose from if we wanted to trade our acreage and pay the difference, we will see. I guess I was a lucky one, I know where my property is.

Here's a pic from where the back porch will be.

Vern

Bouncer · September 05, 2006, 08:32:59 AM

I could get use to waking up to that view.
Kevin

vern38 · September 05, 2006, 01:54:00 PM

We just love it out there. The wife and I saw some tracts in the mountains outside of Study Butte that had the most awesome views. We will be going back in a week and a half to check some of them out. While we were up there I saw what appeared to be a small cottage that looked exactly like the builders cottage with the loft, wanted to go and check it out but figured it wasn't a good idea. :-?

Vern

PS: Kevin, same here...

vern38 · September 06, 2006, 06:51:31 AM

Here's another one for you. This mountain is to the left of us and is called 9 Points Mesa Mountain. This was taken by another land owner in the area at sunset.

Vern

Kathleen · October 08, 2006, 04:14:23 PM

WOW Vern, thanks! That is my picture that I took with my little ol Canon Powershot
I took it from the first five acres I bought on Terlingua Ranch -- a mile north of the ranch road just past the camel humps
You must have bought your land from MAKlandCo because I leant Andrew Meade (who is one of the owners) that picture to sell his land with. ;-)
I subsequently sold that piece to a friend of mine--bought 20 acres off of Seaman road which is in the same area
in fact it adjoins these people's land
http://www.velacreations.com/
AND I am meeting a friend of mine out there in three weeks and hope to purchase 10 acres from her right on the ranch road with electric
I just love the area.
So howdy neighbor!
That is my favorite area of the ranch-- so central located to 118, terlingua, the park, alpine and the ranch headquarters. PLUS the views are incredible!
I currently live in Austin and stumbled upon this town when visiting the hot springs in big bend national park in June of 2005.
AND I bravely ran for the board of directors and was elected this past Jan.

The manager and two attorneys, one owner and six directors are indeed currently being sued. Myself and the two other board members who were just elected are not involved.

There is rural grant for underground fiber optic phone service. So matter how remote your land, you can get a phone line for $10.00 installation and $18.00 a month.
Though it might take you six months to get it.
Any questions about the area, feel free to ask.
You honestly can go there and enjoy and never be involved in the politics of the place.
So peaceful and beautiful.
I have a yahoo group that any and all are welcome to join.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TexasOutback/
Kathleen

QuoteHere's another one for you. This mountain is to the left of us and is called 9 Points Mesa Mountain. This was taken by another land owner in the area at sunset.

Vern

vern38 · October 09, 2006, 11:46:27 AM

Howdy Neighbor!

Kathleen, nice to meet someone in the neighborhood. That is a really nice cottage, I do remember seeing it when we were out there but looked at so much land and drove around for 3 days I really forgot where it was. About the only places I really remember is how to get to the ranch office and our place. We are in the Big Bend Valley area where you go thru the white boarded ranch road entry area of 118 by the veterans lodge. You guessed it I did purchase the land from MAKlandCo, Andrew Meade and his brother Alan took care of all of the paperwork, survey, etc. for us. Andrew is a really nice guy and I am already thinking about purchasing more land closer to the Christmas Mountain area. I have plans to build the builders cottage from the plans I purchased from this site on our land but I live in Del Rio and that's a 570 mile round trip each time I go out there. I'm going to have figure out the logistics of how this is going to work.

I found it interesting that your Yahoo group is called TexasOutback when I own a RV Forum/Site called Outbackers.Com. We are definitely "Outback" at the Terlingua Ranch aren't we.

You do know that the Chili cook off is around the time you plan to be there. I had hoped to take our RV down there during that time and stay on my land but don't know if the road crew has cleared the one spot in the road that has grown over. Guess I will have to check up on them and see how it's going.

Vern

Kathleen · October 09, 2006, 03:04:20 PM

Ahhh you aren't in the north Carazones area
so that picture of mine is not your view
but the Big Bend Valley is very nice also
and it is right over the hill from me
AND being so close to 118, that is also a very convenient location.
Yes, I really like dealing with MAKlandco-- they are so professional and Andrew is just the nicest guy. I have not met Alan yet.
Just call Alida Lorio, the ranch manager and she can tell you if your road has been worked.
There is really a fantastic road crew there now and they have done some outstanding work this year.
Also, see if your road has been named and if it has not, then you can name it if you would like. Just tell her what you want it called.

Yes, I am aware of the chili cookoff the following week but it is the weekend of the board meeting so I have to be there.
As a board member, I get a free room at the lodge for three days the weekends of the board meetings.
I have driven the del rio to terlingua route-- it sure is a pretty drive going through sanderson and all.
Mine is a little bit further than yours.
Just make a list and plan on staying out there a while when you build. ;-)
Kathleen

QuoteHowdy Neighbor!

Kathleen, nice to meet someone in the neighborhood. That is a really nice cottage, I do remember seeing it when we were out there but looked at so much land and drove around for 3 days I really forgot where it was. About the only places I really remember is how to get to the ranch office and our place. We are in the Big Bend Valley area where you go thru the white boarded ranch road entry area of 118 by the veterans lodge. You guessed it I did purchase the land from MAKlandCo, Andrew Meade and his brother Alan took care of all of the paperwork, survey, etc. for us. Andrew is a really nice guy and I am already thinking about purchasing more land closer to the Christmas Mountain area. I have plans to build the builders cottage from the plans I purchased from this site on our land but I live in Del Rio and that's a 570 mile round trip each time I go out there. I'm going to have figure out the logistics of how this is going to work.

I found it interesting that your Yahoo group is called TexasOutback when I own a RV Forum/Site called Outbackers.Com. We are definitely "Outback" at the Terlingua Ranch aren't we. You do know that the Chili cook off is around the time you plan to be there. I had hoped to take our RV down there during that time and stay on my land but don't know if the road crew has cleared the one spot in the road that has grown over. Guess I will have to check up on them and see how it's going.

Vern

speedfunk · October 27, 2006, 11:55:47 PM

wow...absoluty amazing..... very pretty.. congrats!

Kathleen · October 30, 2006, 07:50:00 AM

I am currently in Terlingua right now. The weather is amazing this weekend. All the recent rain as packed down the earth so even when there have been breezes there hasn't been dust blowing. Good times for the chili fest folks who are all out here this week and all the activities this coming weekend.
Good friends, good times, sad to be leaving to go back home today.
Kathleen

10 Acers in the Big Bend Area (Update)

vern38

glenn-k

vern38

glenn-k

vern38

glenn-k

phalynx

vern38

RonDay

phalynx

vern38

phalynx

vern38

phalynx

vern38

vern38

Bouncer

vern38

vern38

Kathleen

Kathleen

vern38

Kathleen

speedfunk

Kathleen