Look what $100,000 will buy you!

I meandered through Vashon Island last week looking for property (or really vacant land) with my little spot of sunshine in tow (herein referred to as Miss Zippy until further notice, based on the fact that not only can my 16 month amazingly articulate granddaughter walk and run, she can nimbly walk backward with absolutely no hesitation). The house in the same neighborhood as Miss Zippy's is for sale, but at $849,000, it's a little steep for my budget. I'm sure it's a great deal, considering it's on the water, has its own beach, breathtaking views, and is gorgeous and very roomy. In the Bay area, $849,000 won't buy you anything close to the beach! Have a look at it:


So, unless I can find 11 friends/BFFs that want to co-own this beauty for a month of fun each and every year (for each investor) in the surf and sand, the casual search continues.

I did notice that for under $100,000, Country Living has several homes listed in their Real Estate Sampler (each month has a different theme...this month's is homes for sale that are priced under $100,000). Have a look:


For the low, low price of $99,500., this baby can be yours. Here's the catch: It's in Texas. I repeat, Texas.

How about this one?
It's only $69,900 in Wallace, Idaho. I must remember to tell my friend Wilda (and her family, whom I adore) who I've been plotting and scheming with for years to open a Bed & Breakfast with once we "retire", that I've found her B & B in a town that shares her last name! (Oops. I just clicked on this and realized that the picture is crappy. Click on the photo itself and you'll see the real charmer here. Sorry about that.)


Here's another bargain at only $38,800 in Skidmore, Missouri. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine life in "Skidmore", MO. Better than that, this property is listed by the Twaddle Realty Company. Seriously. Twaddle. In Skidmore.

Summer of Paradise

While I described the locale of Maeg's new home on Vashon Island, WA as a "paradise", I did actually visit Paradise, CA this summer, on a quick road trip with my friend, Bonnie. We drove up to her rental home in Paradise to "try on" some new colors for the trim of her stone house before she ordered up the professional painter(s).

It takes about four and a half hours to get there, so we stayed overnight with her mom, Doris, in Chico, a quaint little college town, and decided to have dinner at the Sierra Nevada (as in the brewery) Restaurant. When it was time to order our drinks, Doris and I each ordered a pint of beer. Rather than choose just one beer, Bonnie ordered the "sampler", and our eyes widened considerably when the "sampler" arrived. It turns out that the "sampler" included 16 small glasses of different types of beer. I was licking my lips, excited to think we would get sixteen different types of beer to taste; Doris was worried about who was going to drive home; Bonnie gave me a surprised look when I reassuringly explained to Doris that we (meaning Bonnie) would be just fine driving home. After all, we were going to have dinner, weren't we? Driving was hours away.

While I'm not sure I would describe the town of Paradise, California, as an actual paradise, it's really quite lovely. Woodsy, green, and certainly friendly. Doris was at her 'entertaining' best, we slapped some paint on the trim of the house and oohed and aahed over our choices, had a good dinner (I have no idea what I ate...all I can remember is all the wonderful beer I drank), and topped off our stay with a brisk walk with the walking group that Doris (who turned 92 this spring) meets each morning at a beautiful park, followed by a waffle breakfast with lots of coffee and conversation, and then we were back on the road.

Much to my surprise, Bonnie stopped at a casino on the way home for a pit stop. We managed to piss away not only the coffee from breakfast, but a few buckeroos on our way to and from the restroom. Lady Luck did not come along on this trip, but there's always next time.