Real Estate values and climbing areas

So, it won't be in the immediate future or anything, but someday I hope to buy property, and perhaps a small cabin, near a good climbing area (unless I'm living somewhere very near quality climbing, like SLC, Flagstaff, etc.).

Obviously, property near national parks, forests, wilderness areas, etc., is usually very expensive. Castle Valley, most of Colorado, Jackson Hole, New Paltz, Bend, are all climbing areas where real estate is pretty pricey.

So, what climbing areas have CHEAP property values? A friend just bought a cabin in the middle of the Red River Gorge area for way less than six figures. I also know that Sunsites, just outside Cochise Stronghold, had very cheap lots as well.

Any other places across the USA with lower property values? City of Rocks? The dry bench above Indian Creek?

Many climbers ponder this question.

I suppose it depends on what your looking for, where you want to climb, how much you want to pay, and how often it will get used...by you. Often times, small unattended cabins end up being vandalized rat traps and nothing but headaches for the owners.

For instance, it doesn't make sense to own a place in CO when you live in Columbus, OH - long-distance travel costs, maintenance, property taxes, vandalism are not worth the headaches. Maybe something at the NEW, or the RED, but even then, it will sure to be abused by somebody (local or otherwise) when you're not around. A small house in town might be worth looking into. But still, is it worth the hassles and obligation to go there every weekend?

Perhaps consider short-term leases on apartments. Flexible and no ownership commitment necessary.

Just my 2 cents...

First off, I don't plan on being in Columbus for more than a few more years, hehe.

And yeah, Ive noticed that lower property values for vacation homes/cabins almost always correspond with higher risk for breakins, vandalism, etc.

Funny story: A few years ago, my now wife and I were dirtbagging it n Cochise, and a climber we did not even know approached us and asked us if we would mind house-sitting his cabin in Sunsites, since he had to leave for a week and was concerned about a specific meth-head neighbor breaking in. He basically decided that he would rather trust his cabin to climbers he did not know than to just leave it.

We stayed there, and it was really nice. However, one evening, the meth-head neighbor actually did stop by, and ask how long the owner would be gone. We simply told him that we were staying there for the week. I have no doubt that if we had not been there, there would have been a break-in.

A lot of those places you mentioned as being expensive have kind of a sliding scale based on how far you are willing to drive. Go ahead and cross Colorado off your list...that whole state is expensive. For example, I looked at real estate in the St George/Zion area. It was ridiculously expensive in Springdale (3/4 of a million for a double-wide on a 0.1 acre lot), but if you went out to Virgin or Hurricane it was pretty reasonable (less than 6 figures), and the intermediate location between Zion and St George would be nice. I didn't check Mesquite, NV, but driving through there, I get the feeling it would be cheap too.

Likewise, Bend is expensive, but I'm sure if you get a shack out in the sticks closer to Smith Rock, it would be cheaper. I'm sure there is some government website that can tell you median home prices by zip code or something...you can also go on realtor.com and check the areas you are interested in pretty easily. It will be hard to beat the Red though.

Good discussion topic.

Buy a RV. It doubles as your home, and you get to climb Gunks, SLC, Jackson Hole!

divnamite wrote:Buy a RV. It doubles as your home, and you get to climb Gunks, SLC, Jackson Hole!

In addition to gas prices, the thought of trying to park in the Gunks with an RV makes me want to shoot myself in the face.

You could buy an acre in Montecello, IA for likely $1000, and build a cabin on it for another $10,000. Or buy a house in town for $25,000 and never have to lock the doors to your house or car again. Oops, I let the secret out.

We have a place near the Needles (CA) that is cheap for CA but would be considered pricey elsewhere. Although you mentioned that you're going to do anything soon, I think you really consider where you're likely to settle and then buy a place near it. Cost wise it doesn't make sense to buy a place that's going to be too far to visit regularly. It would be far cheaper to fly there, spend several nights in the best hotel in the area than to pay a montly mortgage, property tax, etc.

Fat Dad wrote:Cost wise it doesn't make sense to buy a place that's going to be too far to visit regularly. It would be far cheaper to fly there, spend several nights in the best hotel in the area than to pay a montly mortgage, property tax, etc.

There's a thought. Set your purchase budget and then dedicate it to a Road Trip Account. You'll be climbing in style and variety!

In light of soaring gas prices, it seems to me that RVs are only cost effective if you are not on a schedule (retired or unemployed) so that you don't have to "commute" between your crag de jour and place of work every weekend.

Let's say you get 10 mpg, and gas is $3/gallon, that's 30 cents/mile. If you're climbing 250 miles away from home, you're spending $150 in gas for a round trip. If you stay at a campground with hookups, you're probably spending $25/night to camp there. Add in insurance, maintenance, and years of your life drained away from white-knuckling your bigrig down I-70 in a blizzard, and it doesn't take long before a $250/month mortgage sounds good.

The only way it would work out in your favor is if you lived really close to the climbing so that you weren't commuting very far, or if you could leave it at/near your favorite crag.

Hey Larry, I remember checking out LaSal when I lived in Castleton; it looked ideal even then-- cheap land, close to Moab but out of the "scene," close to the Creek. A friend of mine also has a cool place between Monticello and Blanding that was pretty affordable, but no water. He has to truck his own h2o into a tank.

Existing stick builds most definitely will come out cheaper than building something yourself or even a modular home. Factor in permits, septic, utilities, etc. It's expensive. Unless you're loaded look for something on the resale side.

Joshua Tree/29 Palms area. Mucho cheap housing to be had. Some in good neighborhoods some not. Some need tons of work...others not...some close to the park entrance....some not.

This baby for instance is clean, tight and ready to go. I've driven by it wondering why nobody has snatched it up, it recently even had a small price reduction. Perhaps because it's kind of small? 2 miles from the JTNP entrance with lots of rental potential.

realtor.com/realestateandho…

Less expensive to be had just look and see for yourself. Crime? Maybe, like anywhere you have to pay attention to where you purchase.

As for other areas? I could never get the numbers to work out. With the exception of maybe Tucson. Big Bear, Tahquitz, outside of the Yosemite, Sierra Nevada/eastside, Zion, Cochise, Colorado, Bend...... always too expensive.

We've never regretted moving to the sand.

~Susan

LOL. No one buys RV to save money. Depending on how you use it.
If you buy a place closer to climbing area, it'll be expensive. If you buy a place far from climbing area, everytime you go there, you'll need to rent a car. Buy outside of populated area and wait for appreciation is just not a smart idea, plus it's just a sitting duck for all the crack heads. The closest thing I can think of is to buy a place a town/exit over from the climbing area.

divnamite wrote:LOL. No one buys RV to save money.

Actually...
You buy anmd RV keep the car (tow it) and sell the house then park the RV in a state park for $10-15 per night and commute with teh same car you've already got.
If you really want to save money, you "move" to S.D. and register the RV there, then sign up as a 'host' at a state or national park and don't pay the nightly fee.

The car gets the same mileage as it ever did and the RV is cheaper than a house. The $10/night to park it is cheaper than the property tax in most states/areas.

THERE IS A 40 PARCEL OF LAND AT THE BASE OF THE MAIN CLIFF BAND IN PARADOX VALLEY FOR SALE FOR $125,000, YOU WON'T DO ANY BETTER.

Land in Delta, Montrose etc. isn't too bad right now, and you can buy property in Silverton for pretty cheap. The only issue is jobs in those areas, and if there is really anything at all other than climbing in those areas.

susan peplow wrote:Existing stick builds most definitely will come out cheaper than building something yourself or even a modular home. Factor in permits, septic, utilities, etc. It's expensive. Unless you're loaded look for something on the resale side.

Absolutely right. We had considered buying land, thinking we could build something cheap, but that's rarely the case. Plus, when you factor in the local labor in some of these places, the picture becomes even murkier. We rented a couple of weekends in the area before buying and would always see a guy in the local restaurant/bar having a couple of bloody marys for breakfast. An hour later we see the guy at his construction gig with his power tools. No thanks.

Almost always cheaper just to buy an existing structure.

And BTW, who mentioned a mortgage on only $250 a month?! Lots of places you couldn't buy a garden shack with a mortgage that low.

susan peplow wrote:This baby for instance is clean, tight and ready to go. I've driven by it wondering why nobody has snatched it up, it recently even had a small price reduction. Perhaps because it's kind of small? 2 miles from the JTNP entrance with lots of rental potential. realtor.com/realestateandho…

Lol. Does it come with the bottle of Jack Daniel's and the bottle of hot sauce on the kitchen table?

shawn mitchell said:

"There's a thought. Set your purchase budget and then dedicate it to a Road Trip Account. You'll be climbing in style and variety!"

I like this idea, who is going to crunch the numbers and suggest a dream trip?

mcarizona wrote:shawn mitchell said: "There's a thought. Set your purchase budget and then dedicate it to a Road Trip Account. You'll be climbing in style and variety!" I like this idea, who is going to crunch the numbers and suggest a dream trip?

Ha! Not a blowout dream trip...something more practical. Either deposit the lump sum cash or figure the monthly mortgage payment and then dedicate that amount for a several road trips a year. Great trips, good variety, and seasonally appropriate.

Fat Dad wrote: And BTW, who mentioned a mortgage on only $250 a month?!

Think Appalachia. I have a friend who paid $24K cash for a roughly 2000 sq ft house in the middle of the Red. That's less than most down payments.

Ian F. wrote: Yeah - but how close is that to the Uranium Mine

That'll just mutate you into a super-climber, don't you know anything?