Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
I have a 2 BR house built in 1904, 2 blocks away I have a 2 story house built in 1911, and across the alley from that is a 3 story house built in 1910. Currently have 16 heads in beds in those 3 houses.
Rental Property Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2017 · 181 posts · 115 votes
6y
We have one that was originally built in 1893. Brick structure so it’s still solid. Everything but the shell was updated in 2019. Zero maintenance now.
Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
I had a cabin built circa 1800 in the Smoky Mountains, right on the Roaring Fork River. It was the oldest cabin in the Appalachians that you could rent. Guests who were into history loved it. It burned to the ground in late 2016 in the Great Gatlinburg fire. Very sad.
@Collin HaysWow! What a bummer deal. That looked like a neat place. How did the rebuild come out?
It was very painful financially. We spent our entire college savings accounts and cashed in some retirement to get it done. When guests feel that I’m greedy not to refund a last minute cancellation, I want to ask “where were you will I was living through 18 months of hell to get this thing rebuilt”?
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
@Collin Hays, that sucks but didn't insurance cover the rebuild cost? I am very curious about how you went about it. We get fires in the north Idaho region. I am insured up to my eyeballs but I wonder if I am doing things right.
@Collin Hays, that sucks but didn't insurance cover the rebuild cost? I am very curious about how you went about it. We get fires in the north Idaho region. I am insured up to my eyeballs but I wonder if I am doing things right.
Yes, we had insurance. But in a natural disaster, you need to take what it normally costs to rebuild a home and double it. Labor shortages and price gouging rule the day. Also, we lost two full years of income.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
I have a house in the small town of Yarnell AZ where 19 firefighters died in 2013. 127 houses burned in that fire (1/4 of the town), and the owners found that they too couldn't count on insurance covering the rebuilds because of price gouging. When there are only a few contractors in the area, they up their price because they can. Many of the homeowners could not rebuild, and the empty lots are still for sale. Luckily, we did not lose our house, although 3/4 of the property burned, and fire came to within 10 ft of the house.
Real Estate Agent · NJ · Member since 2019 · 237 posts · 169 votes
6y
My oldest is about 30 years old. I try not to go much further than that. My first property was built in 1905 and constant maintenance costs and issues I had with it were't worth it. I drew a line in the sand at 30 years max and so far so good (knock on wood.)
Real Estate Agent · NJ · Member since 2019 · 237 posts · 169 votes
6y
@Collin Hays Sorry to hear about the hardship with the cabin. You would think pieces of history like that would have more protections given to the owners should something like that happen.
Realtor · Pigeon Forge, TN · Member since 2018 · 230 posts · 111 votes
6y
@Collin Hays That totally sucks. What a great treasure lost. My oldest is a new one. 1989
We had a brush fire on Clabo Mtn a few months ago now and that was so so scary. WE had guests at 3 cabins on the Mtn. One thing I totally recommend is having a phone chain with everyone you can. Within 30 minutes everyone was contacted and being updated. Everyone was down from the MTN except for 2 guest of my MOM's @Rhonda Blue. We were in direct contact with the fire chief and sheriff. They cleared the fire from the road and rescued them from the cabin. Thankfully no Individuals or cabins were harmed but a few fences were destroyed. We were so Thankful for all the immediate responses from everyone.
Guests were not phased. We had them stay at another cabin for the one night and they went back up to finish their 2 week honeymoon. RAVED about the experience. I'm still nervous.