Hot!!! Free Land in Kansas!

[Danzilla]

Originally posted by: lex
is DSL or cable internet available there?

Exactly. Give me broadband and I can live anywhere.

 

[rhacquer]

is DSL or cable internet available there?

BINGO!!! Lex asked the magic question, 'cause if you've got high speed 'Net access out in the boonies, the reduced cost of living might give you a fighting chance of keeping your IT job & not losing it to a Third World outsourcer.
I read a few years ago that Continental Airlines worked with some little town in North Dakota to move a data center out there. The town got the tax base, the employees enjoyed the small town vibe, and Continental saved a few bux. (OTOH, we're talking North Dakota, where -10 F in January is a walk in the park!)

 

[sumrtym]

I'm in Shawnee myself....same area as Lenexa, Olathe, and Overland Park.

You make it sound like everyone is moving to the coast with that "sad middle America declining" statement. No, small towns get smaller, and the cities get larger. That's been happening everywhere pretty much. Overland Park actually ranked as THE fastest growing city in the US in the last polls I saw during the last year.

I have to question the sanity of anyone that pays $300,000 for a lot less than an acre. That's just insane. Most lots here run around $20,000.

 

[lobadobadingdong]

Originally posted by: oslama
Theres a catch: you have to build a house within a year and live in it for another year.

good luck finding a job in middle of nowhere.

you could always start up your own porn site

(I don't condone porn, but I hear busy sites bring in fortunes)

 

[PapaSurf]

All they really need to do is build a Fry's there, rename the town to "Overclockersville" and they will come! I mean the place already has built in Tornado cooling....count me in!!!!

 

[onelove]

hehe - didn't some town sell its name to a dot-com back in the heyday?

 

[smw]

Yup...

 

[Nemesis300]

Originally posted by: sumrtym

4) I wouldn't retire there...at that age, you want to be closer to hospital services.

lol

 

[vroom1810]

As far as broadband....this place may not even have cable tv! Just get in on a good deal for a satellite dish and opt for the broadband dish that most offer. Then you'll be set!

 

[mrEvil]

sumrtym,

I do not know where you think you can find a good lot in Lenexa or the surrounding areas for 20k, but 20k doesn't cut it if you want to get a decent lot. Maybe in those few, select areas where you are going to build a 120k house you can, but not for a 200k house. Almost all of the lots my wife and I looked at were in the mid-30's and up. 6 years ago I spent 26k for an "average" lot for my 130k starter home.

I also am assuming that you mean you have never seen a live tornado with your two eyes since last May KCK, Gladstone and Liberty were all hit pretty hard by some. I will say that I have seen my fair share, although only 1 while in the KC area, and I do not need to see any more. However, anyone with the misconception that you will be hit by one needs to have their senses checked. While it CAN happen, I would say that your odds of actually being hit are probably less than those of you being hit by lightning.

I'm not trying to start any war of words here, but I think you painted the picture way too rosey on the prices. Granted, I just visited a friend in Chicago and he stated that they paid about 325k for their house, which *might* sell for $225 here. It was a 3BR, 2 story with an unfinished basement.

As they always say with real estate, location, location, location....and now I'm trying to sell mine....

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: oslama
Theres a catch: you have to build a house within a year and live in it for another year.

good luck finding a job in middle of nowhere.

It's the place to go, if you want to retire and get hitup by a tornado/hail.

Or you could always go back to the country you came from, especially if your an illegal alien.

 

[GreenGhost]

Do they take immigrants and refugees?

 

[dandruff]

I second - Overland Park / Leawood and other places in Johnson County, KS (i read somewhere its the 6th most richest county in US - leawood has the most patrolled areas per capita - most number of golfcourses per capita - most bbq places than per capita - no manufacturing labor force - its a real happening place - i am glad i am here - best place to raise my family) and yeah no tornadoes - tho every first wednesday of the month they do check the emergency warinign system Kansas City, MO is a different place altogether - i know some people who wud be really interested in this deal - thanks OP!

 

[GnatGoSplat]

Originally posted by: chexi
Lol. Who would want to live next to a house, or should I say shack, that only cost $100,000 to build.

Interesting post, nonetheless.

What a snobby moron. That's something I'd expect to read from some spoiled rich brat who is out of touch with reality.
My house cost $132k in Missouri and it's 2400sq ft, 3-car garage, walkout basement, 3 full bath, 5BR, vaulted ceiling in upstairs living room and MBR, inground sprinkler system, and only 2yrs old. This is in a suburb where lots cost $25k. You could build a lot nicer house than mine for less in a place like Kansas where they're giving the lots away for free. Only problem with that is Kansas Plains are exactly that. Plain. Kansas is absolutely the most boring state to drive through, landscape-wise. I don't know if I'd want to live there, but if the house is nice enough, I guess I wouldn't care.

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: GnatGoSplat

Originally posted by: chexi
Lol. Who would want to live next to a house, or should I say shack, that only cost $100,000 to build.

Interesting post, nonetheless.

What a snobby moron. That's something I'd expect to read from some spoiled rich brat who is out of touch with reality.
My house cost $132k in Missouri and it's 2400sq ft, 3-car garage, walkout basement, 3 full bath, 5BR, vaulted ceiling in upstairs living room and MBR, inground sprinkler system, and only 2yrs old. This is in a suburb where lots cost $25k. You could build a lot nicer house than mine for less in a place like Kansas where they're giving the lots away for free. Only problem with that is Kansas Plains are exactly that. Plain. Kansas is absolutely the most boring state to drive through, landscape-wise. I don't know if I'd want to live there, but if the house is nice enough, I guess I wouldn't care.

What would you expect from someone who has so much money that they need to drop an incredible sum of money on a place to live, when a $100,000 house would suffice?

Do you REALLY need six bathrooms for a four-person family? The Midwest sounds like a nice place to live, I suppose, if you like small nearly premodern communities.

Edit: "Premodern" was meant in the sociological sense, if you understand the definition of "modern" in that context referencing the pace of life and structure of community. LOL at all the posts below in reply.

 

[rich644]

What makes this a good deal is not just the free lot, but that it includes sewer and water hook ups. When I built my house I spent over $25,000 just on a well and a septic system. So factoring the value of the lot and utilities, this is like getting about $25,000-$35,000 towards the cost of the project.

A lot of people take utilites for granted, but utilities are one of the most expensive things a subdivision developer must pay for. (sometimes even more than the land)

 

[ianbergman]

I never did see an answer to the broadband question. I'll be perfectly honest; i've driven through Kansas too, and about the only thing that could possibly get me to live there is a 24mb+ DSL or fiber line. Maybe that can be a bonus with the land.

 

[TimothyX]

me at a party..........."well, i own some land in kansas..........." -Timothy the Pseudo Bigshot

 

[DuallyX]

Lived in Wichita all my life, save for school, and like it just fine. It's come a long way in the past 5-10 years, and there are many projects underway to "revitalize" the downtown area and other busy but run down parts of town.

 

[forcemac101]

I live in in Omaha Nebraska, and grew up in Lincoln. I sure laugh at the jackass who scoffed at "only" 100,000 dollar house. Houses in the $100s easliy cost upwards of 300-400 out in on the coasts. Case in point, friend of mine lives out by travis afb in california, makes the same as I do roughly $40K/year. Can barely afford to live in a tiny apartment for $1800 month. I live in a nice but relatively small house (1500sq ft) for $1100 a month. More money for me being sunk into equity instead of thrown away. Its so funny how people on the coasts have no idea how "bad" they really have it compared to folks in the middle, becuase they automatically think of cowboys and indians still existing in the central states.

 

[Rilescat]

Originally posted by: chexi
Lol. Who would want to live next to a house, or should I say shack, that only cost $100,000 to build.

Interesting post, nonetheless.

Where the hell do you live, Seattle? Ya...you go ahead and pay 500,000 for a one bedroom mop closet.

I bought a 120,000$ house just over one year ago. 5 bedrooms, 3 car garage, fire place, brand new roof, absolutely nothing wrong with it the house. I am 15 minutes from a city of 100,000 people and 1 hour from a city of 3,000,000.

So what's your problem?

 

[wetcat007]

On houses sometimes the land alone in the price is 120 thousand, ever think why it's costing less in that perspective?

 

[mrEvil]

Originally posted by: MadCowDisease

Originally posted by: GnatGoSplat

Originally posted by: chexi
Lol. Who would want to live next to a house, or should I say shack, that only cost $100,000 to build.

Interesting post, nonetheless.

What a snobby moron. That's something I'd expect to read from some spoiled rich brat who is out of touch with reality.
My house cost $132k in Missouri and it's 2400sq ft, 3-car garage, walkout basement, 3 full bath, 5BR, vaulted ceiling in upstairs living room and MBR, inground sprinkler system, and only 2yrs old. This is in a suburb where lots cost $25k. You could build a lot nicer house than mine for less in a place like Kansas where they're giving the lots away for free. Only problem with that is Kansas Plains are exactly that. Plain. Kansas is absolutely the most boring state to drive through, landscape-wise. I don't know if I'd want to live there, but if the house is nice enough, I guess I wouldn't care.

What would you expect from someone who has so much money that they need to drop an incredible sum of money on a place to live, when a $100,000 house would suffice?

Do you REALLY need six bathrooms for a four-person family? The Midwest sounds like a nice place to live, I suppose, if you like small nearly premodern communities.

Wow, such an exotic quote from someone living outside of Filthadephia. I'll take my "small, premodern" community where I do not have to sit in traffic for 30 minutes to move 2 blocks or get up four hours early just to make it to work by 8, let alone overpay on a 300k crack house.

Why would someone spend an "incredible" sum of money on a place? Not everyone wants a 2-story, 3 floor house or a split level. I know that when I move back to Omaha next month, I am looking for a Ranch with a 3-car garage and a walkout. There is no 100k version of that, even with an unfinished basement. I would much rather spend the extra money on a house than on a car. I cannot fathom spending 70-80k on a 7 series when I know it will depreciate. At least with a house I will have some equity and a better than average chance that it will go up in value.

Just because we do not have traffic jams, smog and tons of rude people does not make the midwest premodern.

 

[WHipLAsh13]

Dorothy was from Kansas.
*Clicks heals
There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

 

[sumrtym]

Sorry, last time I was looking was about 2-3 years ago. Lots in Olathe were $15,000 to $20,000. I know they've gone up quite a bit since then. (Those also were for $140-150k homes, which as I said before, the construction did not impress me). Just trying to give an example.

Where we get nailed really in KS and in Johnson County in particular is taxes. Taxes on homes, RV's, boats, car insurance, sales tax, etc. If KS knows one thing, it's how to tax, and the 10% or more increases on home taxes each year are showing that too.