Rural Maple Valley Life-I Can’t Complain!

For years prior to our moving to here, one of my favorite escapes was to drive through rural Maple Valley on a sunny afternoon. I’d go past the Olson Mansion, with the Cascade foothills as a backdrop…through Hobart and the flat horse properties with new and turn of the century homes, cruise through Landsburg, past the Cedar River. I LOVED it!

I’m fortunate to have been able to move to rural Maple Valley back in 1994 when my husband and I purchased a home on a few acres. It was a fixer, but we liked the neighborhood and felt as if we had the best of both worlds; room to spread out but a neighborhood setting.

I personally believe acreage is a great investment. They aren’t making any more land, and as I say to my husband, “you can change a house, but you can’t add more property to it-usually!” If you’re thinking about buying a home on acreage there are a few things to consider:

• Are you interested in buying a “non-tract” property? (Meaning, no protective Covenants, no Home Owners Associations?) or would you prefer to have more of a neighborhood feel? There are several acreage neighborhoods in Maple Valley which do have CCR’s and HOA’s.
• What is the zoning? Most of the rural acreage in our area is now zoned 1 home per 5 acres. However just because you’re looking at a 10 acre piece, our friends at King County may still say it’s not able to be divided, yet. In other words, don’t count your money unti it’s a done deal.
• Is the property on a public water system, single well or community well? Is there a generator to provide power to the pump when there are power outages?
• Where is the septic system? What type of septic system is the house serviced by?
• What’s the heat source? A few of us are lucky enough to have natural gas to our homes even though we are on acreage. Other properties are served by propane tanks, oil heat or electricity.
• Don’t assume because there is a big flat grassy area, you’ll be able to erect that barn or shop you’ve longed for. Where is the septic system? Are there any wetlands in the area? What are the setbacks from the well?

While buying a home on acreage may be a bit more involved than say a newer home on a city lot, it shouldn’t be overwhelming. However you definitely should educate yourself so you know what you’re investing in. If you’re used to “city living”, you may need to make a few adjustment and changes but believe me, they are well worth it!

We’ve since moved from our first Maple Valley home, to another acreage property where I’m lucky enough to have Elk visit regularly, am able to see the hang gliders from Tiger Mountain and still be awed by the views over the Olson Mansion on my way home each night.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser

Monthly Photo Contest-Where in Maple Valley?

As announced last week, MovingMapleValley.com will hold a monthly photo contest.
Hopefully this will introduce you to some of the special places and sites our community has to offer which you may have previously not known. The details of the contest are as follows: The first four individuals to comment on this post and correctly identify the location from which the photo was taken will win a $25 Safeway gas card. There are some restrictions so please read the fine print. I’ve chosen a somewhat easy photo for our first time out so…. without further adieu:

Where in the World Maple Valley was this photo taken?

Remember, you must state where in Maple Valley this photo was taken from, specifically. For instance, to say “by a lake” doesn’t quite meet the high standards of MovingMapleValley.com

Fine print: Real Estate Agents, their employees and family members are not eligible to win.(I personally believe it’s your job to know these places and will have an unfair advantage.) Limit one winner per family per month. Winners will be announced on MovingMapleValley.com when all four have correctly identified the photo location. After that, it will be up to each winner to contact us either by phone or email to let us know how we can get you your gift card. Good luck!

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser