California Pines

California Pines Unit 2 lot sells for $570 on eBay

2010-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

In a no reserve auction on eBay, a Unit 2 lot sold for just $570. Unit 2 is the closest section of California Pines to Alturas and it's right alone county road 54. This makes it extremely easy to access, unlike the mountain units which can take an hour on a dirt road to reach.

So it came as quite a shock to me to see such a prime lot sell for so little money. I was even tempted to bid on it myself but there are still a few troublesome open issues with California Pines that I'd like to see resolved before I'll buy.

The main issue that stands out to me is that the CC&R's imposed by the California Pines Property Owners Association (CPPOA) are too limiting. California Pines is a failed real estate development, in my humble opinion, and needs no CC&Rs. By failed I mean that few people who bought land built a house. For decades the primary real estate investment activity seems to have been land flipping to newer batches suckers. I'd like to see this change.

At this point all these rules do it make it extremely expensive to build a house there, again in my humble opinion. If the CPPOA were to remove these limitations and simply allow the normal Modoc County governance to regulate construction, buying land there would become much more attractive to me.

I'd really like to see the current property owners rise up and oust the existing CPPOA management, or at the very least demand changes to the CC&Rs and open the place up for low-impact, off-grid, development.

Below is a screenshot from the last moment of the auction, just click it to zoom in.

Will California Pines Property Owners Pay Up?

2010-09-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

As you may know, many of the 12,000 parcels in the California Pines subdivision are uninhabited and owned by people who live outside Modoc County. Modoc County, the smallest state in California by population, just passed two measures to save their failing hospital.

The first taxes each parcel in the county an additional $195. The second creates a hospital district. So it appears that the residents of Modoc County are hoping to collect about $2,340,000 ($195/year X 12,000 parcels) in annual tax revenue from California Pines property owners.

As I watch these events unfold from afar, I wonder if these far-flung California Pines property owners are actually going to pay-up. At this point a huge number have already stopped paying their taxes, and this extra tax will up-the-ante on this real estate investment game.

The Real Financial Problem

California Pines is just not a smart place to build land. It costs too much to meet the California Pines Property Owners Association (CPPOA) rules & regulations. From watching recent land auctions it's clear that selling a one-acre parcel is difficult even at a price of $1,500. Adding another $195 a year to the game seems like it may make some land owners consider folding their cards.

If California Pines sinks deeper into the quagmire it has been stuck in for decades, there is less and less hope that the county will ever see those tax dollars.

A Real Solution

The most obvious win-win solution for Modoc County and California Pines property owners is to find a way to make the subdivision viable. This may seem nearly impossible because for as long as it has existed, it's been a flop.

But there is one thing they could do that would begin to bring land buyers back, and that's change the rules and/or do away with the CPPOA altogether.

In other words remove the barriers and open the place back up to people who want an inexpensive place to build a small cabin. A certain amount of governance can add value to property, but too much can kill it. From what I can tell the CPPOA's additional governance is not adding value and in many ways is making building homes at California Pines a financial fiasco in the making.

How To Make California Pines Viable

In short, empower people to build their own low-cost and low-impact cabins.

Remove any building size minimums and allow small structures to be built.
Make rainwater collection an alternative to drilling wells.
Allow grey water systems and composting toilets for waste treatment.
Embrace alternative construction methods.

Alternatives like these would protect the environment and community while dropping the costly financial barriers many owner-builders face. Land values should theoretically go back up as the usefulness of the place increases.

Hospital Tax Approved by Voters

2010-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

If you've not been following the latest Modoc County news let me recap.

Modoc County is nearly bankrupt and as it turns out their Board or Supervisors have been redirecting money into their unprofitable hospital previously earmarked for other things. In order to save their hospital the 9,900 citizens of Modoc County voted and the majority passed a $195 per year per parcel tax to pay a loan to keep their hospital open.

It will be interesting to see how many California Pines property owners pay this tax and how many dump their nearly worthless lots. It seems that land speculators have been paying around $1,500 per lot. It will now cost $195 more per year per parcel to hold onto this investment (I'm using the term VERY loosely).

There are over 12,000 1-acre lots (mostly vacant) at California Pines. Historically property taxes have been very low, so this latest increase will approximately triple the annual cost for many of the California Pines land speculators. Considering that the property tax delinquency rate is so high for California Pines parcels already, this may push the place even farther into the ground.

Read the news story about this latest Parcel Tax Assessment.

Example Property for Sale at California Pines

2010-08-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

This came across my radar today, so this is not an endorsement, just a good example of the kinds of deals available at California Pines today.

It's a package deal with five 1-acre lots in Hill Unit 4 (Hill Unit 4 is the second most remote area) for a starting bid of $4,000. The most notable caveat that jumps out to me is that there are back taxes due. There would also be closing costs and the possibility of back POA dues. I did a quick look-up for the taxes and found the following:

$192.42 - Lot 41 Block 12 Hill Unit 4, APN 038-111-2311

$225.08 - Lot 30 Block 11 Hill Unit 4, APN 038-121-3911

$163.45 - Lot 40 Block 11 Hill Unit 4, APN 038-121-2911

$119.53 - Lot 41 Block 11 Hill Unit 4, APN 038-121-2811

$119.53 - Lot 44 Block 11 Hill Unit 4, APN 038-121-~~2811~~2511

The last one (#2811) was a typo, a duplicate, so I looked it up against the complete list of property owners I received from Modoc County and found the correct APN number.

At $4,000 this looks like a good deal and is similar in cost to buying land at Modoc County's annual tax default auction.

As of August 25, 2010 the auction on ebay has 6 days left. I'll keep tabs on this auction to see how much this land finally costs.

Here's a copy (as a big image) of the ad in case you miss the live auction. Click it to zoom-in.

Update: I watched this no-reserve auction right up to the end and I don't believe it received even one bid.

Marketing Video Example

2010-08-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this marketing video by a realtor selling land up in California Pines. It's essentially a slide show highlighting the scenery and facilities. What it's lacking is any real detail about the property. I think a more effective video would have shown the land in detail including some walking video footage.

Recreation in the The Shasta Cascade Region

2010-08-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

While Modoc County is facing some serious financial troubles, and the California Pines POA continues to stand the way for owner-builders - I wanted to mention some good aspects of the region to balance out my posts here. After all, this part of northern California is a beautiful place; and we shouldn't let a few corrupt people spoil our day, right?

Here's an article that lists all sorts of outdoor activities available in the the Shasta Cascade Region. This is a small sample from the article for Modoc County:

Pack some water and take a scenic hike to Mill Creek Falls, Modoc County’s largest waterfall, which can be accessed from Mill Creek Falls Campground.

Dust off the old mountain bike and head to Devil’s Garden Mountain Bike Area near Alturas to bike a total of 5.3 miles of various turfs!

Take an adventure through time by visiting the Modoc County Historical Museum, featuring over 150 years of history!

Read the complete story...

Controversy Continues to Grow around the Modoc County Board of Supervisors

2010-08-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

If bringing Modoc County to the brink of bankruptcy wasn't bad enough; now it looks like evidence is beginning to surface that the Board of Supervisors might have been breaking laws and coercing others to play along.

Former Auditor Judi Stevens has identified the Modoc County Board of Supervisors as the entity that intimidated her and Treasurer Cheryl Knoch to pay Modoc Medical Center expenses with misappropriated treasury funds.

Stevens told the Modoc Independent News that not only did the Board of Supervisors order her to pay down the hospital debt from the treasury, but that former CAO Mike Maxwell was also involved.

Read the complete story...

News of Modoc County troubles on KQED Radio

2010-08-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

I just finished listening to this recorded broadcast story covering Modoc County's troubled financial situation, and the role the failing hospital has played. Have a listen:

From the perspective of a potential California Pines property owner I'm starting to wonder if anyone would be in any position to say anything to anyone about building whatever at California Pines. Who's kidding who? If the county government is falling apart and the California Pines Property Owners' Association is so obviously absent, then who is there to red tag any structure, especially a tiny house on wheels?

But then again, if the county government and economics is falling apart then who would want to live there? Oh right... independent-types that like living in places without a lot of oversight and interference from the authorities. Sounds more and more perfect everyday!

In all seriousness, I hope they pull it together for the sake of people that live there now. Unfortunately it doesn't sound at all like a problem throwing money at will fix. You see if the major local employer is the hospital, and there's not enough money coming into this business to keep it running, then there's nothing that can keep the doors open but downsizing. The whole situation sounds like a terrible catch-22.

It also sounds like the real solution for saving the county infrastructure will be found by increasing the tax base, which means attracting more people to the area. Since the main thing Modoc has going for it is offering considerably more freedom than other counties, maybe they should run with that.

In other words remove roadblocks and make the place famous as a haven for those looking to build simple small sustainable homesteads.

Start by tearing down barrier organizations like the California Pines Property Owner's Association and begin moving those 15,000+ lots, selling them to people looking for freedom and a place to build small low-impact homes. Empower them to build like crazy as long as they are using sustainable low-cost and low-tech solutions. This will also attract folks who want to build more contemporary homes. Then watch the tax base begin to move back up.

Make is so Modoc! :-)

Modoc County Financial Trouble

2010-08-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

It seems the hospital trouble Modoc County is facing might just be the tip of an iceberg, although I may be jumping to conclusions so draw your own conclusions.

News 10 is reporting that the county is seeking a loan from the State of California and has hired a bankruptcy attorney in case they need to declare the county insolvent.

Read the story on the News 10 website

This is really sad news because the state is in terrible financial shape too. It sounds like they will need to really tighten their belts and make some really tough choices as it pertains to county services.

Modoc County may loose Hospital

2010-08-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

This sad news just crossed my line of sight. It looks like Modoc County may be loosing the hospital.

It seems like even more reason for the California Pines Property Owners Association (CPPOA) to take a very hard look at the CC&Rs and allow some alternative sustainable eco-friendly homes to be built up in California Pines.

There are thousands of unbuilt, virtually worthless lots up there. If county services disappear the lost will continue to loose value.

So the best way to get people building is to step out of the way and let them build small environmentally friendly cabins with features like:

Composting toilets
Rainwater collection
Greywater systems
Earthen and straw bale structures as options
Tiny houses on trailers

Results of the 2010 Tax Default Auction for California Pines

2010-06-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Most of the properties listed for sale in Modoc County's tax default auction were 1-acre lots at California Pines. Here are the results from that auction. Not all the properties sold, but most did.

It's also interesting to see that when you take out the two oddballs ($7,000 & $3,300 lots) and run an average on the rest you end up with an average cost of $1,584 per lot.

I didn't bid this time around because I'm still doing my due diligence on the place but will setup some Google Alerts on these APN numbers to see if they turn up on the land flipping websites. I'm curious to see how many were bought by real estate speculators.

APN: 005-407-0511 - $1,400
APN: 035-103-2711 - $1,511
APN: 036-152-2911 - $1,877
APN: 035-321-0711 - $1,556
APN: 036-401-0211 - $1,610
APN: 037-302-0711 - $1,877
APN: 037-312-1211 - $1,510
APN: 037-342-3311 - $1,625
APN: 037-392-3311 - $3,300 (not sure why so popular)
APN: 038-172-3011 - $1,575
APN: 038-211-0811 - $7,000 (had some improvements)
APN: 038-211-3411 - $1,707
APN: 038-211-3511 - $1,777
APN: 040-101-0411 - $1,700
APN: 040-122-1611 - $1,900
APN: 041-321-3911 - $1,531
APN: 041-321-4011 - $1,311
APN: 041-404-0711 - $1,307
APN: 041-471-4611 - $1,327
APN: 041-491-0111 - $1,413

Tax Default Auction - Half-Way Point

2010-06-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

I just checked in on the Modoc County tax default auction and was a little surprised to see that most of the lots with low starting bids all have current bids around $1,300. The lots with starting bids over about $1,600 have no bids on them yet. The auction ends in about a day now and I'll check in again right before it closes to see what the average price of a California Pines lots ends up being.

Update: Monday June 21, 2010 - About 20 hours to go and the bids are still sitting around the $1,300 mark.

Land Auction Starts June 19, 2010

2010-06-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just a heads-up. The tax default online auction for Modoc County starts June 19, 2010. Even if you are not participating in the auction you might want to keep careful watch to see what lots are selling for at California Pines.

Property Owners Unite to Improve Investment Potential

2010-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

For over 40 years the investment opportunities at California Pines have never been realized. Thousands of one-acre lots remain unbuilt and essentially worthless. Many current property owners have thrown in the towel after concluding that there is no way to make their investment in California Pines pay off.

But there may be a simple answer to this shared problem, new management & altered CC&Rs.

The community can elect a new board to run the California Pines Property Owners' Association (CPPOA) who will implement the necessary changes to help make California Pines a profitable investment. This should include:

Less Restrictive CC&Rs - If the CC&R's were more inline with the local building standards it would make it more financially feasible for owner-builders to build homes and vacation cabins.

Open Accounting - The current operation of the CPPOA seems to be veiled behind closed doors. Open books and independent outside accounting would significantly reduce any question of how the community's shared resources are being handled.

Open to New Solutions - Alternatives to drilling wells and septic systems can reduce the cost to build homes while being lower impact to the environment and community. These are simple technologies like rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, and grey water systems. By adding alternatives like these, building becomes more attainable leading to increased land values.

Lower Operating Overhead - Elimination of non-performing assets like the hotel and lodge could reduce the cost of doing business. All opportunities to downsize the management overhead should be considered if it leads to a stronger community and higher property values.

With change can come opportunity. If property owners work together and achieve the 75% majority vote needed to make change at California Pines the entire community could move toward finally realizing a payoff for their investment.

To stay apprised of this effort to improve the value of property at California Pines, join the California Pines Facebook Community and bookmark this blog.

Updated Rainwater Harvesting Concept

2010-06-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I posted a revised design for the Rainwater Harvesting Concept on Tiny House Design. This version is a little bigger, uses smaller tanks, and also doubles as a wood shed with a small PV system on the roof.

I can still see this being built in a couple days and providing water, power, and camp firewood to someone preparing to build a cabin up there. I have no idea if Modoc County or the CPPOA would approve such a contraption.

Read about this updated design at Tiny House Design.

Positive Thoughts For Prospective California Pines Buyers

2010-06-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of red flags to consider when noodling over buying land at California Pines. I've spent a bit of time rambling on about those concerns so I thought I'd put out a few positive thoughts to current and prospective land owners.

Inexpensive - The vast number of lots at California Pines coupled with it's remote location really make land cheap there. If you're careful and shop wisely I bet you'll find lots for as little as $2,000 to $5,000. If you find a lot you like, make an offer. Try to avoid the auctions that promise low payments because you'll pay an extra premium.

Beautiful Place - Modoc County is a beautiful remote place. If you like camping in the mountains but like to keep your vehicle nearby this might be the ideal family camping spot.

Remote - Remote isn't always a bad thing, in fact in some cases it's preferred.

350 miles to San Francisco - This is a tank full of gas for many vehicles and it takes about 6 to 7 hours to drive there from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Red Flags For Prospective California Pines Buyers

2010-06-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

The low price of land at California Pines is alluring, especially in the hill units where lots sell at Tax Default Auctions for just a couple thousand dollars. On the open market you'll find people listing land for around $10,000 and acre.

But there are many reasons why this notorious subdivision still has few homes build on the approximately 15,000 one-acre lots. Here are some of the red flags I found as I researched the area:

Location - It's hard to believe that remote regions still exist in California but they do. Modoc County is not easy to get to and very lightly populated, only 9,900 people live in the whole county. California Pines, especially the hill units, are located way out in the mountains between Adin and Alturas. For example one lot I was looking at was an hour and a half drive from the closest shopping in Alturas.

Improvements - Many of the lots have no power, water, or sewer hookups and are miles from anything of the sort.

Questionable Investment Opportunity - Like most places in America the region has been adversely effected by the real estate market downturn. So when you add up the land cost + required utilities + construction costs, you may end up in the hole financially. In other words it would be a stretch to think of California Pines as an investment opportunity.

Management - The California Pines Property Owners' Association (CPPOA) seemed very tightly veiled to me. I asked them to disclose financial information and CC&Rs with no luck. This is concerning because .

Lack of Community Cohesiveness - Actually I setup this blog and the Facebook community to help promote some grass roots community growth.
Building Limitations - While the area is apparently technically buildable, and Modoc County seems open to new projects, the cost of basic improvements seems like it would make building a house there a bad choice.

So when you add it all up, you can quickly deduce why land is so cheap there. In my humble opinion, the CPPOA is unintentionally fostering an ideal environment for land flipping schemes. My guess is that there are few kinds of land buyers.

Schemers - People hoping to buy land and flip it in a sale to the next sucker.

Dreamers - People (like me) that are optimistic and see an opportunity to buy cheap remote land for a future cabin or home.

Outdoors Types - People that like camping, hunting, fishing, and being near their camper or truck.

Preppers - People looking for a cheap bug-out location far from cities and off the beaten track.

Homesteader - People looking for a little piece of land to carve out a simple place to live.

A change of CPPOA management could remove many of these red flags. Actually I think if I were a land owner at California Pines I'd demand an independent audit of their books for the past 7 years simply because a community based organization should be 100% transparent. This would also eliminate any question about how they are managing the finances, which totals more than a million dollars a year.

I also think if the CC&Rs were made less restrictive, while still protecting the environment, that land values would increase because it would be easier for folks to build cabins.

LOL - California Pines Land Pimp?

2010-06-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is so funny. If you saw this character in this land pimp outfit on TV advertising cheap land wouldn't you run screaming? I'm sure the outfit and rhetoric is just an act but come-on... who in their right mind would think this is effective advertising?

I think people that bought land there could still build a getaway cabin but a few things would need to happen first.

Dissolve the POA (Property Owners' Association) and turn the road maintenance over to the county who is already collecting taxes on the land. Then sell any remaining shared property owned by the POA and split the proceeds between property owners. The primary reasons to do this are to remove barriers to owner-builders that have been added by the POA and that the subdivision is a complete failure requiring no continued POA management.

Develop a model for a sustainable home (rain water harvesting + composting toilets + grey water system) and get it approved by Modoc County. Since this kind of setup would be extremely low impact the community and environment would benefit.

By eliminating barriers for owner-builders and empowering them with low-cost alternatives for water & sewer, building a remote vacation cabin at California Pines could instantly make financial sense, a first at California Pines.

Existing homeowners would likely see increases in home values because the demand for lots would begin to increase. Instead of speculators looking to flip land they would begin to see new neighbors begin to build cabins.

Modoc County would benefit because the overall value of the subdivision would increase yielding more tax revenue and outside money.

The only losers in this scenario would be the few people running the POA and the land flippers.

How To Avoid Land Flipping Schemes

2010-06-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed all the bare land auctions online that don't require credit check and promise low monthly payments? Ever wondered how these too good to be true deals are made available? I'm sure there are lots of ways that this scheme is run, but I suspect this is the most common method.

How Land Flipping Schemes Work

1. Schemer buys land at a Tax Defaulted Properties Auction at an incredible discount. These auctions are normally hosted by local governments everywhere. For example Modoc County uses a service called bid4assets.com to faciliate their tax auctions.

2. The schemer never visits the land but instead posts it for sale at a much higher price and offers owner will carry terms. Sometimes they use an auction style sales tactic where bidders compete over the initial down payment which is often just a few hundred dollars.

3. Buyers are attracted by the low monthly payments and buy land without ever having a real plan about building on it.

4. Buyers default on payments and the seller takes the land back, or, buyer pays off land but eventually sells it off at a loss because the land is unbuildable (or not cost effective to build).

5. The same property reenters the cycle at a reduced cost again.

It finally occurred to me that this is what has been happening a California Pines for over 35 years. Not only have the big developers guilty of running their land investment schemes but so have a whole hord of small time land gamblers.

How Not To Be A Sucker

To avoid these schemes don't let yourself get suckered in by low monthly payments or unbelievably low prices. Instead do your homework on the area like I have been. Call realtors and the county offices to learn more about building requirements. Look everywhere for red flags as you do your due diligence before investing money.

There is a lot of really cheap land out there in remote places. Some of them are friendly to owner builders and alternative housing. You can make your land ownership dreams come true, just watch out for the landmines.

Past Tax Defaulted Land Auction Results for California Pines

2010-06-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled on the past tax defaulted land auction resultss for Modoc County, California. It will be interesting to see how the auction goes this month considering the tough economy. But since the price is so low I suspect a few people will still be out there buying up lots.

This actually kind of amazes me with all the controversy surrounding California Pines and the reality that it will never really be a successful community. Don't get me wrong, the place fascinates me too, but with so many unbuilt lots and it's extremely remote location the only thing I can see becoming successful is some kind of shady investment group buying up a bunch of lots in preparation for the next round of suckers. I guess the tax records would show that, but those are hard to come by.

In any event, if you are looking to buy cheap land out there be sure to review the past tax defaulted land auction results.

Here's a sample from the tax sale in May 2009.

Rainwater Harvesting Concept

2010-06-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know if Modoc County or the California Pines POA (Property Owners Association) would approve a rainwater collection system proposal as an alternative to a drilled water well but I thought I'd describe how this works.

You can harvest a half gallon of water from one inch of rain landing on one square foot of roof [1]. Pictured below is a simple 100 square foot shed roof over a 3,000 gallon water storage tank [2]. It rains just over 12 inches a year in Alturas, California [3].

So 100 square feet yields 50 gallons of water for every inch or rain. Multiply that by 12 inches and you have 600 gallons a year from this tiny stand-alone roof. It would take 5 years to fill up a tank this size but it would be a good start and scalable for the addition of a larger structure. The benefits of a system like this are:

Lower cost to build than a well

Easy to build over a weekend with normal hand tools

Low environmental impact as the tank simply sits on a gravel/sand bed and the pressure treated posts are simply buried in the ground below the frost line.

Water delivery would be gravity fed and filtered prior to drinking

No electric power needed unless uphill pumping to a cabin is needed but then a simple solar pump and second tank could be used.

Now lets imagine that the property owner built a small 500 square foot cabin with a 600 square foot roof surface. The total rainwater collection area would be 700 square feet (original shed + cabin roof) and yield 350 gallons of water for every inch or rain. Multiply that by 12 inches and you have 4,200 gallons a year.

To make 4,200 gallons of water last all year long a person living alone would be limited to 11.5 gallons a day. This is possible by switching to a composting toilet and using other water saving techniques like taking shorter showers, washing dishes by hand, and using low consumption clothes washers.

For a remote vacation cabin 4,200 gallons may be just fine because the property owner visits infrequently. But for folks living in a cabin like this year-round, adding more rainwater collection surface and storage would probably be more desirable. This could easily be done by adding porches, outbuildings, or more rain collection sheds.

UPDATE: See an updated version of this design at Tiny House Design.

Tax Defaulted Properties Auction - Modoc County

2010-06-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Modoc County is running a tax defaulted properties auction through bid4assets.com/modoc. The next auction will run from June 19, 2010 through June 22, 2010. Unsurprisingly many of the properties listed are located in California Pines. If you want to bid on land you have to register several days before the auction begins, make a $500 deposit (refundable?) and pay a non-refundable $25 registration fee. Bidding on these properties starts as low as $500.

For complete details including a property list be sure to visit bid4assets.com/modoc.

Tiny House Loophole at California Pines

2010-06-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

(note: this is purely hypothetical)

My most popular blog is Tiny House Design where I post stories of extreme downsizing and clever solutions for solving challenging housing needs. My main interest in places like California Pines is that it may turn out to be a place where tiny house owners could buy land to live on, albeit with some work-arounds.

I've known about California Pines for years but was reminded of the place about a year ago when a land owner up there tried to give away her land to the buyer of her tiny house (pictured here). The house is no longer for sale but you can read about it at Tiny House Living.

The idea is that if camping on your land is allowed, and technically a tiny house on wheels is a travel trailer, then it would probably be legal to park for periods of time and 'camp' on your California Pines property.

Now imagine adding to this equation a rain water harvesting system (tank plus metal shed roof), a composting toilet, a self contained grey water system, and an off-grid photovoltaic solar system, you'd have a very comfortable little California Pines homestead (emphasis on little).

Is this legal? Would it be allowed? Would neighbors freak out? Would the sheriff come a knocking?

I have no idea, but this is the perfect place to toss the idea out there. If you have any options about this idea please post a comment.

Building a Cabin at California Pines

2010-06-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

They say it's possibly to build a house at California Pines, it just may be cost prohibitive.

You see the POA requires an engineered septic system which can run about $20,000. Add on top of that $10,000 for a well and the cost of the land (lets say $10,000) and you're starting out with a $40,000 expense for an off-the-grid building site (although power is available in some areas).

The trouble surfaces when you check local real estate values and find that homes are not selling for much more than that leaving you little room for any equity.

It sounds like Modoc County is fairly open to new construction so getting permits will probably not be a problem but the up-front costs to bring the land up to 'buildable' status may be too expensive to make financial sense. This may also explain why so many lots are still bare land after so many years.

The minimum size house must be 500 square feet. This is an important fact for my Tiny House Design readers who may be considering California Pines for a tiny house.

Some good news is that camping on your land is allowed. I'm still checking on the length of time you can camp. I'll also continue to research other possibly options but so far it sounds like the only legal way to go is to pay for a house, well, and septic -or- just camp out for short periods of time.

Official California Pines Property Owners Association‎

2010-06-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

(note: this blog is not associated with the official California Pines Property Owners Association‎)

The overall California Pines community is managed by a central POA (Property Owners Association‎). Each year property owners are required to pay a $75 fee per lot to this association. The fee has gone up in recent years.

The official California Pines Property Owners Association‎ doesn't currently have a website but if you'd like to contact them, they are located 705 miles south of the community in Anaheim, California.

California Pines Property Owners Association‎
300 South Harbor Boulevard, Ste 702
Anaheim, CA 92805-3719
(714) 774-9202

About this California Pines blog

2010-06-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

I've been researching the real estate development called California Pines and assembling my findings on this blog. In my wanderings online I've found a lot of information about the place but there seems to be no one place for accurate facts.

There also seems to be a lot of semi-factual information created by those looking to make money by continuing the real estate scheme that go the place started.

I don't own land there (yet) but encourage those of you that do to connect here and on facebook. It seems one of the common problems facing California Pines property owners is a lack of an easy way to connect. So it seemed only logical to setup this blog and facebook page.

My suspicion is that if the owners could actually connect and share opinions, ideas, plans, and hopes that the overall quality of the community, and its future, could be improved.

California Pines at 10,000 feet

2010-06-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

California Pines is a large real estate development located in the far north east corner of California that was originally established in the late 1960's. Over the years several separate efforts were made to sell thousands of 1-acre lots to prospective home owners and investment speculators.

It's laid out like a giant suburban development except that few of the common amenities were installed, like paved roads, sewer, power, and phone.

Another aspect that early speculators seemed to miss was the location. While Modoc County is spectacular and rugged country, it is also extremely remote. To add insult to injury most of the lots are in a relatively inaccessible mountain area called Hill Units 1 through 5.

Today the vast majority of the lots remain unbuilt and continue to show up on the real estate market for very little money.