Cary and I looked at a farm for sale that almost adjoins Anneliese's Unicorn Valley last month. Seriously, it's one of the prettiest pieces of property I've ever seen in my entire life, anywhere. It's about 80-85 acres that sits on top of a ridge - I think they say it's the highest point in KY west of the Appalachians. There is a view that goes on for miles in every direction from the old farmhouse. In NC, it would go for many times what they are asking for it. We've debated and beat it to death, and as much as we love it, I think we're going to pass. I'm afraid trying to manage a second farm an eight-hour drive away would make us nutty, and Cary is at least seven years from retiring. I think they were originally asking $210,000 for it, but I believe they have reduced the price - Anneliese can fill in the blanks there. Here are some pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=4jh0nhxz.b6g32s4n&x=0&y=-gv9zn3
Here are some details: 1. The land is very hilly in the area, but this piece sits atop of the "knobs" - a regional term for a tiny mountain/big hill. The land at the top of the knob, where the house and barn sit, is actually only "rolling", so you could find a flat spot for a round-pen and/or small arena, or make one without a lot of work. Some hill property doesn't have that luxury. 2. The house is old, and very Spartan...but the old couple lived in it until her death a year or so ago, and his death back in April. I'd call it "marginally livable" as it stands, but it does need work., to be comfortably livable. Depending on what you wanted to do with it, it MIGHT be remodel-able into an adorable "country cottage" type vacation or retirement home. (I have a good bit of imagination about that sort of thing though, and I'm sure some people would see it only as a shack.) At minimum, I'd think it could be converted into an office/studio/guest house, or could be lived in until you could build a new house. The house is about 1300-1400 square feet, with five rooms that would probably equate to a kitchen/breakfast combination, a den, plus three bedrooms. There is one small bathroom in the house...plus a two-seater outhouse, for no waiting in line... :) (I'm not sure why the idea of a two-seater outhouse strikes me so hysterically funny...maybe because it sits on top of a ridge where the people in the next county could see you coming and going!) The house has electricity, but was always heated by a wood stove, and never had a phone installed. As I said, it's Spartan, but very quaint and somehow very appealing to me. BUT, it would be a "project" and I think trying to manage such a project from 450 miles away would make me crazy. When I do something like that, I "have" to be very hands on. 3. The house has some spots that would need serious attention, such as some rotted windowsills. However, best we could tell, the house itself is quite solid...but then, we didn't get far enough along to have it inspected either. 4. The house has a cistern for water supply, and there is a well on the property too. We never checked into the condition of either, although both obviously had water, even in this year's drought. The two ponds also had water in them. 5. There is a big old tobacco barn on the place - the main part is probably about 50x50 feet or so. It also has a tobacco stripping room on the side that would make a huge tack room/feed room There is also a couple of stalls behind the stripping room, in addition to the main part of the barn. The main part of the barn is fairly open - and if I were to buy it, I'd probably try to put a loft above for hay storage, and use the main floor as a small indoor arena. Tobacco barns have slatted siding to allow good ventilation for the tobacco to dry, so the barn would need to have siding put up, at least on the lower level, to protect you from the winter winds. So, it would take a little work to fix up, but I'd think it would be MUCH less expensive than building a new barn. 6. There are a couple of other old buildings on the property - an old garage, and an old chicken house, I think. 7. Some of the land is very steep - but it makes for pretty trail riding. 8. There are two ponds on the property. Down the hill to the south of the barn, there is a pond with a natural rock wall behind it. It is a gorgeous and private little spot...that just screamed out to me for a picnic table or gazebo, a mint julep and a good book. :) (Gotta have mint juleps in KY - I think it's the law!) 9. Anneliese and Olaf have over 300 acres a short ride down the road, with many trails, and apparently they have agreements with neighbors to share trails. The trails are gorgeous and not at all boring. You can literally ride for hours without putting your horses in a trailer assuming you could get the same permissions that Anneliese and Olaf have. 10. From the top of the ridge where the property is situated, you can literally see for miles... and miles. The fall foliage was as spectacular as any I've ever seen. 11. The nearest small town is probably 3-4 miles away, but it's very small. Danville, KY is about 15-20 minutes away, and has a Tractor Supply, a Wal-mart and a Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse store. Hey, what else does any horse owner need? :) (Oh, yeah, Danville has a Cracker Barrel restaurant too. I don't know what else - we always eat with Anneliese!) 12. There is a Kubota tractor sales dealership within a few miles - every KY land baron needs a Kubota, right? :) 13. This is not part of suburbia, so if you need to be a quick drive to your daily lattes, look elsewhere...However, I think even Danville has a coffee house. :) 14. The owners of the farm prior to the early 1960's were named "Frost"...so there's a natural farm name for an Icelandic horse farm just waiting to be built on that history. : 15. Anneliese is a great cook, a great gardener, and she and Olaf would be awesome neighbors. And, they have awesome Icelandic horses. (Note that I saved the best for this last list item!) Anneliese has lived in the area in the summers since the early 1980's and is now making it her full-time resident. She can answer more questions than I can. We've visited the area four times, and it's very peaceful and beautiful. Contact Anneliese for more information: avirro @ unicornvalley.net taking out the spaces. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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