Cheap is Relative… Isn’t It?
Denver real estate is expensive compared to what I’m used to back East. We sold a 740 Square Foot Denver bungalow on 1/8th of an acre for about 33% more than we paid for a 15-acre farm in Virginia with a larger, newer home. What’s even crazier to me is that we’re paying twice as much for rent on half of a tiny duplex in Denver now than we pay for our mortgage in Virginia! Even if you want to compare city-to-city, it’s still amazing how huge the difference is in price. My mom paid $75,000 for her 1,700 Sq. foot home in Cincinnati, OH. It’s in good shape and is in a half-way decent area not too far from the city. For $75k in Denver you’d get a single-wide in a trailer park of off Federal Ave.
But if you think Denver is expensive, try buying a home in California. Even in this economy, when real estate prices falling more every day, a friend emailed me about a home for sale in Piedmont, CA that she’s looking at. The price? Ahem… a mere $1,575,000. Of course, it looks like a fantastic home and – as she tells me – it’s actually pretty cheap for the area.
CHEAP !? Well cheap is relative isn’t it?
No doubt it’s all relative! I had a buyer from Cincinnati who was very excited to bring her 180k budget to buy a house. When she got here, she was shocked to find out what that would buy-in Thornton, no less. She could have gotten a great place that was a short sale, just off Colorado Blvd. Unfortunately, her offer fell into the Short Sale Black Hole and we didn’t get it. Meanwhile, her husband decided to take a job in Wyoming, so now they’re up there.
Hi Les,
We just watched your “off the grid” aired show and I was amused by the difficulties you described. Love your work, approach, ethics and how you problem solve. Wish you had known about the home we are developing now, yes, for here in EXPENSIVE CA.
This is not a sales pitch. It would have been ideal for your location with all the amenities you stated you wished you had and built turnkey ready in less than 14 weeks. Check it out:
This is why I’m writing you: We will be publishing this design for purchase, showing it at the LV Int’l Builders Convention in January 2010 and may need a celebrity spokesperson to endorse this, help in acquiring vent cap contacts and assist us in exposure, marketing and advertising. I thought perhaps you may be interested. I’d say here have your manager contact my mgr., but its just me trying to get this concept up and running. Unlike most, I know when I need help doing the things I’m not good at. I build things really well. You promote things really well, hmmmm.
This is a no-nonsense approach to ecological building with simple, yet state-of-the-art technologies that I do NOT see in other “prefab’ buildings offered. I do not want to make the same mistakes Michelle Kaufman did with MKLotus Homes several years ago.
I have several potential investors, the design ready to be built, a client who wants the first one in Malibu, and I’m kind of overwhelmed on how best to approach this. I can’t do it on my own, looking for a partnership that makes sense, and hope that this introduction just might spike your interest.
I come from a long line of environmentalists and know that this product will offer many a great alternative to build in the wild, off grid, with simple amenities brought about by an adaptable, creative design that can fit almost any site. The project speaks for itself, the insight is what I think you will agree with me on!
It is all about what we do, who we partner with, and that we enjoy doing the work we do, right? I am looking forward to your reply, and appreciate your consideration. Thank you.
sincerely, Quentin (310) 801-8660 C