February/March 2002
By Paul Steffy
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A million-dollar view greets Paul and Sherri every morning. The circular portion of their home was a kit.
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Story and photos by Paul Steffy · Eureka, Montana
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Our initial plan was for me to retire at 55. We'd buy a large pickup truck and a fifth-wheel trailer and would travel the United States indefinitely - a retirement many couples enjoy immensely. After doing our homework and considering the options available in this lifestyle, we changed our minds. The value of a truck or trailer drops immediately after you buy it, and even though you're using the vehicle or trailer, it's an expensive proposition.
At this point we changed the plan: We would buy land and build a home far from the maddening crowds of Southern California.
Our next step was to decide where to live. My wife Sherri and I have traveled extensively and know what type of terrain and geography please us. I ordered literature on eight states from a national real-estate chain. After eliminating several options, we decided on Montana, land of Charley Russell and Fred Remington, of mountains and pine trees, abundant wildlife and scant people, rich in history and really cold winters.
At that time, neither of us had actually visited Montana. So checkbook in hand, we flew to Missoula, rented a car and began our trek to find a spot to spend the rest of our lives. The idea of long winter months spent cloistered indoors doesn't appeal to everyone. That's fine with us.
We eventually settled on Eureka, a town that seems to still be cruising in the 1950s. With a population of 1,500, Eureka lies eight miles from the Canadian border. Its small-town atmosphere, clean air, semi-arid climate, friendly people, superb hunting, fishing and wildlife-viewing year-round were just what we wanted.
After locating land, the real work began. We purchased 14 acres on a hilltop facing north. The hill is 200 feet above the surrounding countryside and offers our "million-dollar, 360-degree view."
In June 2001, we each left well paying jobs with good benefits in the San Diego area. (I retired after 20 years.) I had worked weekends, holidays and odd hours for a mass transit system. Commuting was easy for me, but Sherri's driving time had reached 40 minutes to drive a scant eight miles. It was time to go. We sold our home, cashed in every available resource and went forward.
Anyone looking for land in almost any state can find "bargain" prices in the $500 to $1,000 per acre range. But beware: Some power companies charge $15,000 to $20,000 per mile to provide power. Telephone lines and roads are expensive, as well. Don't be fooled into buying cheap land only to discover it will cost $30,000 to $50,000 to dig a well or septic system and provide other necessities before you can build your dream home. Even if you choose to avoid the power company and have a cell phone, purchasing the off-grid equipment can cost thousands of dollars, and cell phones don't always work in remote areas. (They do, luckily, in nearly all areas around our home.)
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