Oopsie!
Last month I published a Most Shocking Post, about my decision to stop working on the Cross properties after 11 very hard years and put the houses up for sale, along with the house I live in (Strong) and another small house I have (the Tin House).
I stressed that I had no confidence the Cross would sell quickly but that was confident that Strong would. In such an event, I would take Cross off the market and move into it.
The human brain though is very interesting and during the last few weeks, bit by bit, a new awareness developed. This process is, I find, like trying to see something in a dense fog. You know something is there but you can’t really define it.
I have learned though over the years to pay a great deal of attention to whispering voices in a fog
Slowly though, the fog dissipated and three things were suddenly clear.
1) OH HELL NO
Every day I sit at my big desk and look out through a window, north. My office is lovely, and I had it moved from Matfield Green, 20 miles south and grafted onto my house. I was finishing the interior trim on 9/11.
A few weeks ago I thought: I have been looking at this same view for 24 years. How do I feel about spending the rest of my life looking at this same view?
I knew the question was not just about the view. It was about spending the rest of my life in a speck of a town (population 450 and declining) or living out my days in Emporia (population 25K and steady). It was about spending my remaining days in a nice house vs. a friggin’ fabulous house.
And I knew the answer: Oh Hell no.
2) A MATTER OF TIME
Since buying the Cross properties, I wholly abandoned a charming small house I owned in Matfield Green: The Tin House. I will soon introduce the house to y’all.
Last month, I resumed work on the house to prepare it for sale. I have noted though, as a consequence, I stopped baby-stepping on the Strong House.
It seems that I can work a bit on one but not both. This means that perhaps 3 or 4 months will elapse working on the Tin House with no work on the Strong house.
My plan was to begin work on getting the Cross properties ready for sale after the Tin House was listed for sale. Then the process of cleaning and clearing things out at Cross would take…I dunno…another 4 months.
This would mean 8 months with no work on the Strong house. And this is a huge problem.
Strong, once finished, will be highly sellable and with significant equity. The Cross properties, as I have detailed, will be a very hard sell (and may not even prove sellable in the end) and I will likely not walk away with much, if anything. So, why spend time and effort on it while ignoring Strong, a much more viable asset?
3) A SOLUTION TO A VEXING QUESTION
The genesis of my deciding the sell the Cross properties developed when Modern Air advised me the I needed new boilers, and was given an off-hand quote of $35K. This was just not possible, and this sent me into a tailspin.
Later, they sent me formal quote of $22K. Much better but still…gasp…$22K! My tail was still spinning.
But…but…through the fog a solution became evident. I could apply for a third Heritage Trust grant and include new boilers. While there can be no certainly that this will happen, I have already been blessed with two such grants so maybe a third is at least possible? I would apply in November 2026 and know in early 2027. By spending the next year getting Strong ready for sale, and then resuming work on the Cross properties in late 2026, the above timeline seems kinda OK.
SUMMATION
With the fog lifted, I knew: I will not list the Cross Properties for sale. Instead, I will devote myself to getting the Tin House ready for sale, and then Strong. The Cross properties will simply be on hiatus for the next year.
I wish I had done this several years ago.
The Tin House is, I believe, also very sellable and I can use the cash from a sale to help fund the completion of Strong. The sale of Strong will help finish the Carriage House (and get it rented) and help me move into the Cross House.
In short, while the end result may prove the same as last month (I eventually move into the Cross House. With kitties!) my new fog-less view seems more doable and with less work required.
This makes Ross happy.
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Oh, Ross, this is welcome news and a relief. I truly feel you are meant to live on the Cross house. You deserve it. May the other two houses sell quickly
I haven’t had the pleasure of a sigh of relief in quite some time. This post afforded me one.
Thank you.
Hurrah!! Great , wonderful, fabulous news!
I love this for you!
That’s great news. Still though, it seems you should focus on Strong house first and then Tiny. I would still put it out there for volunteers to help with Strong and Tiny.
I like it! Sounds like a good plan with a clear path forward, I’m sure the properties will sell well and help set you on stable footing for the future.
I haven’t been around much, but I have to admit I’m almost glad I missed last month’s Most Shocking Post. It would have made me pretty sad… for a couple of reasons. First, I love the house and following your progress has been a joy. You’ve been saving something so important, in a country that tears down anything old and celebrates putting up new identical, featureless and characterless boxes built of cardboard. But also, my husband and I are pretty much the same age you are, and it always gave me hope that maybe… just maybe… someday I’d have another old house. (We sold our 1889 farmhouse in 2000, when our daughter was around 3 1/2 and we realized we were cheating her childhood of family things we should have been doing, rather than continually working on the house on weekends.) I’m glad to know that you have a new plan that eventually leads to you living in the Cross House to enjoy all the fruits of your labor of love.
This makes me happy too!
Your dreams are contagious!
Wishing you whatever dream works best for you!
You made a very apt observation: sometimes we get really stuck in thinking there’s only one solution to a problem, and it takes a bit of jostling to see alternatives. I’m glad you’ve found an alternative, and it sounds like a good one. I’ll quite happily stick around during a Cross House hiatus and instead read about your work preparing the Tin and Strong Houses for sale – and I’m sure your other readers will feel the same way!
Me, too!
Good news for all if us!! Was wonder if you sold the Tin and Strong houses ‘as is’ would it even be close to the price you want..knowing it will be less,but maybe not as bad as u think….? Wishing you all the best, Diane
Oh yay! While I support whatever decision you need to make for financial reasons and I totally understand being in a panic and deciding to off-load the biggesthardest things, I am so so happy to hear the Cross House will continue to be yours for now! And I feel like, from the way you have presented things, this really does make sense for you.
This is so incredibly exciting to see, and I can only imagine the relief at the clearing of the fog! We appreciate you bringing us along for all updates including Tin and Strong!
I like this plan. I think it is a much better plan, both in doable and in revenue generation.
Once the Tin House sells I think you should put some of that money toward getting the Cross House ready to move in, like the cat fence and koi pond, because once the Strong House sells you are going to have to move into the Cross House. Then with the money from the sale of the Strong House you can finish the kitchen. You already have a working bathroom. Once you have a kitchen you have everything you need.
You can also start to move your inventory to the Cross basement as that doesn’t cost anything but time and sweat.
You have a good track record with those grants so if the money for the grants doesn’t dry up I think you have a very good chance of getting it. Meanwhile, fast track the Tin House for sale and then the Strong House. You’ll both generate income plus reduce your expenses. Unless you don’t have to pay property taxes in Kansas. Right now you’re paying utilities on two properties, right? Paying for one will also reduce your debt load. You’ll also save on gas since you won’t be making a commute almost every day. Less mileage on the car.
Are you still selling the SUV?
Hey Ross, this sounds like a great plan! I know that a very long time ago there was a discussion about you doing a YouTube channel as that would bring the opportunity to get monetized. While that was not desired then, perhaps now that you have so many followers here you might consider doing a YouTube channel? So many channels on restorations are thriving and making mega revenue from viewers, ads etc.. Would you give that another thought? At this time you would draw in many levels of interest, you have, the Tin house, the Strong house, the Cross house and your lighting business, among others. You are one interesting person. You could use your past material on here with voice overs and present new posts on current activities. It could bring in mega revenue! I am thinking ” Escape from Rural France” vibes down to simple house flipping channels vibes. I am certain that your followers here would subscribe and give you a jumpstart. I just would love to see you get revenue for all that you have done and will do. Much potential for moolah if you can get a person to video and edit. Thoughts?
Hi, Robin,
I wrote about my YT thoughts here.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I love the new plan and consolidating your efforts sounds very practical. I will continue to read your blog no matter what path you take.
Hard decisions require hard thought and I’m glad you put thinking about how you want to spend your own life into the equation. I don’t know that the Cross House properties would ever see completion with another caretaker, dear Ross. There is still hard work to do, and your crosshousers are happy you are not giving in yet. (could a dedicated go-fund for the boilers be a workable idea?)
This feels like a path of least resistance & a more thought through plan.
This feels right. 🌻
Oh thank Heavens.
Thank goodness! Did the car sell?
Linda, the car has not sold yet. I’ve slashed the price to $35K, which is way below Blue Book value. Somebody is coming to look at it tomorrow.
Sometimes you have to face and make peace with the unthinkable before the damn breaks and the fog clears… giant leap forward!
Ross, I am so happy you are keeping the Cross house! I have been in awe with you and your work of several years now. I may have to make a trip to visit and tour next summer.
Chears, David
Good afternoon everyone. Long time reader and fan of this blog and all things Ross. I’m wondering if all of us who have gotten such enjoyment from this blog and have the means and time could volunteer for a week long blitz on these properties to get them ready for sale and expedite the process could do so, we should. How fun would it be to bring us all together to get Ross over the finish line? Get him into The Cross House. Keep him well. Get him making the content we ALL want to consume.
In this sideways world, I cannot think of a better opportunity to give back.
What do y’all say?
This is such wonderful news! We all love you and Cross House and your adventures there and devotion. I am just a little older than you are, and recently I became aware that we really must do what we want to do. Now. So I am so very glad that you will keep Cross House and eventually live there. I think you were made for each other. Even at my age I fantasize and buy lottery tickets hoping to restore an old beauty.
Hugs, hope and happiness!
Hi Ross, been looking at pictures of the carriage house it didn’t look like it needed too much work. I would paint the bathroom and put a very very small landing and tiny shed roof over the front door. Start getting rental income. I know you want to put a very large front porch on it and you can in 2026 or 2027. Much easier to do when you live next door. I am glad your back. Many single people don’t have anyone who has their best interest at heart.
I would have told you, you have way to many large projects in the works. Way too many financial commitments. I am glad you are trying to downsize the number of houses. Things will get easier with two houses to pay taxes on not four. Utilities bills for only the Cross house, when you sell the Strong house, the Tin house, and rent out the carriage house. Hope this helps and my prays and blessing go with you.