Wednesday, May 17, 2006

TWO CAR GARAGE TOO SMALL

Two years before I retired and one year after 911 (OCT 2002) when the housing market hit it lowest point, I took a gamble and purchased a home here in Bullhead in one of the new subdivisions called Foot Hills Estates. It wasn’t only nice it was cheap $116,000 for a 1500 SF home and the option for a 3-car garage was only $6000 more. I rented that home out as I was still stationed in VA. Only 1 year after I closed on that home in late 2003 prices sky rocked to $260,000 for the same model. So with one year before retirement I purchased a second home in the same area but different subdivision called Fox Creek for $160,000. This time options like a 3 car garage were outrageous $20,000 extra so I settled on the standard two-car garage and poured my own 80-foot driveway to the back yard. So now home prices up here in Bullhead are out of control fetching $350,000 in Fox Creek and $550,000 in Foothill Estates. So I cant even afford to build an extra garage in the back yard, which would cost $50,000 now but in 2002 would only have cost $7000 (and they say there in no inflation).   Anyway as you can see the garage is now crowded with my motorcycles and I have my jet boat outside cooking in the sun along with my other car, so what to do? After a little research I discoved I could purchase a Toy box Garage on wheels for $6000 new and even though the association does not allow sheds, because a toy box is classified as a recreational vehicle which we are allowed to park in the gated rear yard with our RVs it works out great. So I fired up the old RV (92 Toyota Winnebago) and purchased an 8.5 x 24 foot toy box new for $6000. Now I can empty the garage, store or take my motorcycles-boat-car & quad to the races, or if I need to evacuate pack up the RV train and split to Alaska.  I think I will name it Bertha.