I kind of want this property

There are environmental consultants who use ground penetrating radar to determine if there are any underground tanks. Might want to check it out before buying.
 
Ronstar said:
There are environmental consultants who use ground penetrating radar to determine if there are any underground tanks. Might want to check it out before buying.
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The presence of old tanks is not the only concern. The concern is that the old tanks leaked, and contaminated soil and/or groundwater. Could make the property a huge liability, especially if the prior owner wasn't one of the major (deep pocket) oil companies. If it was a privately owned station, the current owner might be on the hook for any cleanup costs. I would run far and fast, unless there are tank closure documents showing that the tanks were removed, and that soil and/or groundwater contamination is at or below regulatory action levels.

I've overseen the removal of more than 100 underground storage tanks in California and Hawaii, and out all those, only one individual tank system did not leak. Even if the tank never leaked, there are often leaks from pipelines, or spills when the tanks are filled. Remote fills are particularly problematic.
 
^Good points. Every project that I remember having abandoned tanks had leaks to some degree. Big cleanup and permitting costs. One they even had to dig up an adjacent street where the leak had spread.

Op- check for vintage aerial photos online- they sometime show old gas stations. Deed research would also find if an oil company owned the property at some point. Maybe get an engineer involved to check this out
 
Wow, that seems a good price, I'm not far from there. It could be a nice place for the right small business.
 
Looking into renting it for six months or a year with an option to buy.
 
... meanwhile, someone reading this thread can make an offer and turn it into a fruit stand :D.
 
Looking at the aerial photo there is an area with a short concrete wall. Probably where the above ground tanks were. If so that area, if built properly, should have contained any spills.
Neat idea, could have a nice cabin fairly easily.
 
Definitely do some serious due diligence on the potential ground contamination.

I could definitely see this as an income stream - storage for snowmobiles so people could have a much shorter distance to haul them. If you are close enough to one of the trails could you add in a "spur" so people could just ride off of your property onto the trails? Maybe separate out half of the building into an "apres ski" kind of place, a few comfy chairs, some carafes of coffee, a fake fireplace, so people could warm up after sledding and before driving home? (The other half would be yours.)

I don't know what insurance costs and security would be for something like that - I could see it being ripe for thieves if you don't have it locked down pretty well.

And how much time would this take? Spending so much time "minding the store" that you can't enjoy the trails yourself wouldn't be any good! Then you'd get into hiring help, etc.

It could be an interesting business! You'd have to do a full business plan though to convince the spouse that it's worth it.
 
dunkelblau said:
Nice looking building but the part about "Building originally was a gas station ..." would concern me.
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This! Leaking oil tanks (almost a given here) are the only way I can think of where a piece of real estate has an almost unlimited downside potential. Cleanup can cost 6-7 figures or more, depending on how much contamination and how close to potential drinking water sources. Proceed with great caution!
 
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Yes it is something to be concerned about and needs to be checked out. In this case I would be surprised if the state of WA would allow any other business to be started on those grounds unless it was cleaned up or there was any problem while it was a gas station. Gas stations are monitored by states pretty closely. JM2¢

I hope the OP comes back with some new details on the property.
 
I'd say buy it. Offer $65k cash and quick close. You never know if you don't offer.
 
Every now and then I get those exciting thoughts about something like OP's find, or buying a house in Italy for One Euro.
Sure it might take $40K to fix it. But then I have this wonderful place....

Except, why is someone wanting out ?
Like these Italian villages, people are leaving them empty, abandoned.

Fortunately thinking about it a few days helps the enthusiasm wear off.
 
Sunset said:
Every now and then I get those exciting thoughts about something like OP's find, or buying a house in Italy for One Euro.
Sure it might take $40K to fix it. But then I have this wonderful place....

Except, why is someone wanting out ?
Like these Italian villages, people are leaving them empty, abandoned.

Fortunately thinking about it a few days helps the enthusiasm wear off.
Click to expand...

I get those buying ideas every now and then also. I love to buy land but not homes and I have to fight myself not too. LOL I know I can buy it and maybe that is it. I like your thinking on thinking about it a few days. LOL
 
Two acres of property? Can you rent out space to store RVs? Do you want to earn money from this purchase?
And a firm NO to living there.
 
find a current comp if possible

Fermion said:
...They are asking $90,000 and it looks like it was last sold in 2007 for $140,000. ...
Click to expand...

Can you find a current comp?

Is water source good? I know someone who built a beautiful house near Oroville, and then the well ran dry. Might not be a problem in this area.
 
I know people have mentioned contamination, but I would think that it would have to be remediated before they could sell it..


It is easy to get a test done if you want to be sure..
 
Texas Proud said:
I know people have mentioned contamination, but I would think that it would have to be remediated before they could sell it..


It is easy to get a test done if you want to be sure..
Click to expand...
Testing isn't so simple if it wasn't done. You'd need to test the soil and potentially groundwater in multiple locations to be moderately sure. Lab tests, drilling and consultant fees would exceed $10K, easily.
 
canuck5 said:
If it's convenient for you, for snowmobiling .... I bet it would be for a lot of others. Storage racks to put them 2 high? Maybe enough room to store an additional 6-8? Make a little money making enterprise?
Click to expand...

Would she "buy it" if you told her you were going to rent out spots for other's storage and that it would reduce your tax burden because of the business deductions?

No? How about this: "Honey, think how much time I will spend out of the house if I buy it!"
 
We purchased a small home on a large lot with a huge pole barn (cement floor) years ago. It was located on a busy highway. Rented out the house, (without barn "privileges) then rented out two storage slots in the barn. One was a guy with a 59 Ford he wanted to restore someday. The other was a guy with boxes of stuff. (We used the rest of the barn for our stuff and lawn tractor). Rented by word of mouth. Never even put a sign in the yard. Worked out well.
 
If there is the slightest chance that the ground is contaminated RUN away as fast as you can.
 
Money pit.

The RE agent made the seller disclose the history up front. There is a reason for that. :blush:
 
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