Real Estate

Buying property anywhere is a risky undertaking. You are making a major investment of money and hope. You’d think that dirt is dirt and it wouldn’t make much difference where it is but in real estate location is everything.

We knew that we were interested in this region of northwestern Arizona because it was central to many of the things we enjoy....the mountains, the casinos, the Colorado river, etc. and has the weather we could enjoy and/or tolerate year round without freezing or rusting! Having decided on an area, it was time to call for some help. The options seemed endless - from subdivision to acreage to mountainside resort-style. We needed to see just what was available, how much houses and land cost, and to decide what life-style we really wanted.

There are numerous real estate agencies in Kingman, Golden Valley, Dolan Springs, etc. and we had dealings with three or four different agencies. Most of the agents were helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.

We began in Kingman. We had help from a couple of agents from Barbara Ricca Realty, a Century 21 company. One of the first things we learned was that water and electricity are not available to all properties. A large part of Mohave County is undeveloped. That means there are no services available and few roads leading to some of the properties which are offered for sale. The area is growing and developing but much of it is still untamed and primitive.

We were taken around and shown approximately 15 properties and nothing seemed quite right to us. We were given listings and went on our own to survey at least 30 other properties. We didn’t know it then but we just didn’t want to live in town.

We then looked at property in Dolan Springs. A realtor there provided us with a list of properties on which water and electricity were (supposedly) available. We looked at several properties and had the realtor show us a few more. There was one lot that we were very interested in and had just about gotten to the point of being willing to make an offer when we learned that on this particular piece of property water was not available. We’d been wasting our time.

While looking at property in Dolan Springs, we were living in an RV park in Las Vegas. The drive over Hoover Dam is spectacular but not something one wants to do daily. We moved our RV to Adobe RV Park in Golden Valley.

This was in June and the oleanders were in full bloom.. We could sit outside our RV at dusk and see rabbits or coyotes (seldom at the same time!) We could feed the birds and learned to recognize Hollywood finches. We’d watch the sunsets over the mountains and the skies “were not cloudy all day”. We just fell in love with Golden Valley.

We talked with Sharon Odel at the RV park and learned she was also a realty associate with Hamill Realty. She provided us with a list of properties and gave us a map of Golden Valley. She explained how lots are laid out in Golden Valley and her help was inestimable. None of the properties she had at that time would do for us. We wanted acreage, no close neighbors, water and electricity available, and property we could build on or move a mobile home to without having to build up the property because of major washes. That was the next thing we learned. The valley is criss-crossed with washes and during flash floods, water fills these washes and presents a danger to life and property. The first consideration when buying property was the availability of water and electricity, the second was the terrain. Mohave County will allow building on some property on which there is a wash provided the dwelling is so many feet from the wash and/or the dwelling is elevated so many feet above the ground.

We then talked with Bob Fruhling of Golden Valley Realty. He also provided us with a list of available properties and spent much time with us explaining about assessments, etc. This was our next lesson. As Mohave County expands their water and street paving services, the properties which benefit from the services are assessed a fee (for some reason they don't like to call them taxes) to pay for those services. Some property owners had already paid their full share of the assessments, some were paying a portion yearly with their tax bill. It was something to take into consideration as it affected the cost of the land.

One of the properties on the list Bob gave us is now our home. We made an offer, it was accepted, and we became the proud owners of two adjoining lots, each approximately two acres. And here we intend to live.....happily ever after!! (until next time!)