Our House: Design I Build: Post 2: The Set-Up

"Why is it so cheap?!"...

That was our thought as we perused the Zillow listing. Periodically (every day I mean), for no apparent reason other than to dream about houses we could never afford, we looked at Zillow. This time we were looking at lots for sale in our hometown of Richmond, VA, which for the last fifteen years has seen a building and population boom, driving up real estate prices. Lots in the usual price ranges popped up...a city lot for $50K, a quarter acre in a somewhat decent school district for $85K, ten acres with a murderous commute for $150K.

Not exactly what we were after, but then again, what were we after? It was 2016 and we already had one child with another soon to arrive, which meant all the normal wants and wishes for a growing family. An empty lot wasn't necessarily on that list, and any other house that checked most of our boxes would have been just fine, but then, oh what's this?

I zoomed in further to see just what this listing was about, which had a price of $9K. Zooming in turned the single target to three, and then to five, all with a price of $9K? It turns out it was five, contiguous, half-acres lots, just south of the river, close to Carytown, close to well, everything, and for only $9K each?? Maybe this was some kind of mistake; they must have forgotten a zero, or forgot to mention it was a contaminated brownfield site, or next to a graveyard, or next to a house on the Christmas Tacky Light Tour? Whatever it was, it seemed too good to be true, and so...we did...nothing. No call to our realtor, no drive by, just nothing.

Here's a screenshot of the original listing.

A few days past and we noticed the listing disappeared. Like so many other Zillow listings that started with an instant surge of adrenaline, it ended without so much as a thought or feeling of regret, because look there's another one to click!

Meanwhile, a few weeks later...

There we were again, Zillow junkies that we are, perusing the listings again, looking at the same twenty lots that have been for sale for the past six months, and, hey what's this? A lot for $9K?? Oh, what a minute, it's five lots, and yes, it's those curious lots again. Why are they back on the market? It just has to be next to a graveyard, there's no other explanation for this. So, we look at each other and decide let's at least the drive out to see just what's wrong with these lots, and then we'll move on with our lives.