This post and video will be about placing a bid on the 332-acre property and the title company’s advice to have my husband sign an Interspousal Transfer Grant Deed.  I had bought and sold cars before, but I had never bought land and so I knew very little about it.  My realtor would give me good advice, but I was soon to find out that I would be getting some very important advice from a lady at the Title Company.

Some time back, I shared a post about my first visit with my teens to see a 332-acre property in French Gulch.  If you missed it, it will be at this link. https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/my-first-visit-to-the-332-acre-property-that-became-my-homestead/  

There is also a post of the 2nd visit which you can find at this link.

https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/building-a-rock-bridge-on-our-second-visit-to-the-332-acre-property/

Placing the Bid

The property was going for $99,000.00.  That was about $298.00/acre.  That seems pretty low and reasonable.  Yet, there was no development of the land and it was mostly mountainous and unusable.  I asked my realtor if I could bid $90,000.00.  He said that I could.  It wouldn’t hurt to try.  That would make the cost per acre $271.00.  So, he placed the bid for me leaving me to wait and pray.  It wasn’t long before he called and said that there was someone else bidding the $99,000.00 with a 30-day escrow.  He thought the seller would go with me if I went for a 2-week escrow with $40,000.00 as a down payment.  So, that is what I did.  Whenever anything is uncertain, I am in suspense.

I Won the Bid!

I was praying for God’s will to be done, and I strongly believed that He had led me to this property,  but I didn’t know who the owner would choose.  My prayer was that if God really wanted me to have this property that He would make it possible.  Well, I got a call from my realtor that I won the bid!  I was praising God for sure!

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You Need Me!

Sometime after my children and I returned from seeing the property the first time, my husband made a big effort to restore our marriage.  He was repentant, as usual, about his addiction to the internet temptation for men.  He was going to stop for sure this time.  He said that I needed him to homestead.  He was pretty convincing and I figured that he must be right since I knew nothing about building and he had lots of experience in that area.  So, I forgave him again and we moved forward to buy the property.

Title Company Advice

We had to make another trip to the property and this time my husband came with us.  I had to go into Redding to fill out the paperwork for the transfer of sale.  I went by myself, fortunately.  I just happened to mention to the lady that I was buying this property with my inheritance and I was in a rocky marriage.  She was quick to give me some important advice about California being a community property state.  If I bought the land with my husband and later divorced him, it would have to be sold and divided equally.  She told me that I should have my husband sign an Interspousal Transfer Grant Deed.  That way, it would be my sole and separate property.

Would My Husband Sign It?

My husband was pretty smart.  How was I going to get him to sign this Interspousal Transfer Grant Deed?  We had already bought the truck and put it in my name, I wondered if this was going to be easy.  I drove back to the property and showed him the deed.  He looked it over and noticed that it said something about taxes.  He didn’t want that responsibility, so he gladly signed it.  This was another answer to prayer.  This was a lifesaver (Or should I say, property saver?) in a few years when I did finally divorce him.  He wanted to take the property from me but was unable to do it because he had signed this paper.

Signing the Grant Deed

Next, I went back to the Title Company with my Interspousal Transfer Deed to give to the nice Lady.  The final step was to sign the Grant Deed in which the owner of the property signs the property over to me as my sole and separate property.  See the picture below.  It was pretty exciting!  Just a little side note, I got private financing to carry the loan.  I wouldn’t qualify for a bank loan.  It was another answer to prayer.  

Time to Watch the Video

I say similar things in the video, but you get to see me and hear me describe it.  I wrote the post for those who can’t watch the video and the pictures the forms are not as visible on the video.  I  hope that you are subscribed to this blog and also my YouTube Channel.  You can subscribe to this blog by the button below the video. You can click on the YouTube button that ways Watch on YouTube and subscribe there.  Enjoy the video!

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In Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to emphasize the importance of knowing who will own the land if there is a breakup.   If your marriage is rocky, then realize that a divorce may be in your future and take the steps that are needed.  I am so thankful for the kind lady at the Title Company advising me to use the Interspousal Transfer Grant Deed.  If two single women, two single men, or two families plan to move to the country together, decide who will own the land and have a contract signed as to what will happen if you need to go your separate ways.  Get the advice of a lawyer or maybe even the advice of a nice lady at the Title Company.