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A Piece of Coupeville - Am I in Control of my Life or is it Controlling Me ?

Returned from the Peninsular with my mind made up .
It was a close call between Anacortes , Langley and Port Townsend ! And the Winner is......................... Coupeville ! It made me think of the three legs of the Isle of Man . One foot in England , one in Ireland and one in Scotland !
Coupeville is charming in its own right and for my daily needs has everything . For my rarer needs I can reach almost everything in 40 minutes ( even by free bus ) and for everything else I might want ( inc Seatac Airport ) within 2 hours .
Its weather is great , its people friendly , its natural environment magical and it is very affordable and well positioned to appreciate .
I had decided to buy the 2000 square foot four bed rambler @ 239,000 on Otis street that I had viewed last week . Went to see the excellent Janet Burchfield of Front Street Realty for a more detailed view before putting in an offer . On passing saw a Sale pending sign , newly hung outside - was that for me ? A bit quick ? - Oh no ! after 610 days on the market . Janet confirmed the bad news - it was locked into a sale with a good prospective buyer .
Unlike in England whilst this process is underway there is no possibility of gazumping . The property is immediately off the market until the sale goes through or fails .
The good news an unusual opportunity to purchase cheaply the unfinished shell of a 2000 sq Ft two storey plus attic dormer property on a 10,000 sq foot lot a stones throw from the Front Street commercial area . A sale had just failed on buyer finance . I was impressed at first glance . I decided to sleep on it and take another look in the AM. with Darrell and his builder friend Dave . The devil was in the detail . Great views from the dormers but no ceiling height and questionable access . Second Floor ( or first to you English readers ) view obstructed by roof design . Incomprehensible ( to me at least ) floor plan . Lots of snagging easily visible , possibly lots more would turn up later . Someone will probably fall in love with it but not me !
But I had seen the view and was thinking outside the box . I had already rejected all other cheap housing and resigned to renting for a while . I could only justify a purchase I could add value to - correctly as my first choice had been snapped up already . Darrell has some lots just behind the " shell " I had just seen . Found out Coupeville has a 28 foot height restriction - checked the contours - To the south the land rises by 12 feet - enough to give a totally unobstructed view over the town and the bay - probably from both upper floors if a single level house is constructed on the northern side of the street - as I believe is all they can build . The sloping ground also gives the possibility of constructing a full height daylight basement , adding tremendous extra space for little extra cost . I am sure with the present depressed market these plots ( lots ) represent good value at their current price and that an excellent home , if designed well , could be built at a great price . It seems I am following in my grandfathers footsteps ( he was the borough surveyor of Chipping Norton and built his own house . This would also involve no initial additional borrowing - this is quite important as banks are now operating under strict rules for lending involving checks on income as well as assets .
I have taken ( only ) the first step and entered a non binding agreement to purchase a fully serviced building plot within 120 days . If during this time scale I change my mind for any reason I only stand to loose $ 1,000 ( about £650 )
If I go ahead the lot is mine and the fun will really begin ! Time to think - Time to consider !
" Look before you leap " , but remember " Who Dares Wins ! "

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