As we are getting older and realizing that our time ahead on the land will be limited as our abilities contract. We've loved this place and have spun so many thoughts about how to keep it going in some way that echoes our lives here over the last forty years. Of course, we realize that, finally, it's only been our family that has lived here for the bulk of those years. Our communal actions really devolved many, many years ago. We've always been glad to have the originial members come for a visit, share some memories and conversation, thoughts about the future, though those thoughts have always been vague.
After Tony died, having lived at Scott's for twenty-two years, Scott and Susanna decided to gift us their share of the tenancy that our three familes had originally set up. It was a very generous gift - Scott said at one point he thought of it as sweat equity for our years of living here. It was such a generous gift in reality. Certainly, there are new obligations and responsibilities that come with it. As we move deeper into our seventies, we're more and more aware of the limits to our industry. The gardens still provide our yearly vegetables and a good physical connection to this place, as does keeping the whole mowed and generally accessible, walked, and loved.
We have, at times, wondered if any of the next generation might be interested in taking over our shares and how that might work and nothing can be completely ruled out but there isn't, to our knowing, a real plan and likelihood of any opf that happening. Given all this a background, we've tried to work out some strategy for how to deal with the land upon our inability to maintain our lives here.
We would prefer if the land remained intact as one piece. How would that happen? In talkig with Bob and Mary last year, we verbally agreed to give offer of first refusal to each other, should either party need or want to sell their shares. We don't know if that would really be possible for Bob and Mary financially but we know, from our end, that we wouldn't be able to afford to buy their share should they need to sell. Given that we are the ones who live here and have lived here these forty plus years, we know that we hope to be here as long as we can manage.
One thought would be for Bob and Mary to cede their share to us so that the land could be sold as one piece upon our need to live elsewhere or if we've passed. So long as we were living here, they would have full access and rights to their place as well as right of first refusal to buy the whole for 2/3 of the sale price. If they were not interested or unable to buy the whole, they would receive 1/3 the sale cost, the other 2/3 going to our heirs. There are, of course complications with this:
1. Bob and Mary may not want this arrangement
2. One or more of our children, from either family, may have ongoing interest in the land and not want the land to be so combined.
A second thought is to cleanly divide the shares out, with agreed on boundaries sooner than later. This, of course, also has complications. The greatest for Bob and Mary is the right of way. Pammy and I would not want to see a permanent road build across our share; we also think it would make it harder to sell our share. It's possible that a right of way could be given for a new way along the border with the Ottmans from Marshville Rd. There may be a possibility that the Ottman's would be willing to grant a right of way along there field. The beauty, remoteness and "land-locked" nature of that share was part of it's attraction but becomes more of a dilemma should Bob and Mary want to keep it should the others shares were sold.
(formerly BDSWorks)
