eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.

How To

How to Buy a Ghost Town

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Imagine the most unusual purchase you can make. Picture a large piece of real estate with a general store, a historic schoolhouse and old houses waiting for restoration. Ownership of an entire town can be yours when you buy a ghost town.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Check with real estate agents to find the perfect ghost town. A Wenatchee agent listed a ghost town in Monse, Washington for $675,000, and part of it is still for sale.

  2. Step 2

    Surf the Internet to buy a ghost town. The town of Bridgeville, California sold on eBay for $1.8 million.

  3. Step 3

    Look at the attributes and resources of the ghost town you find and assess use. Think about using the land for farming, ranching, mining, growing orchards or building a wind farm to harness energy.

  4. Step 4

    Decide if the real estate is for your sole use or an investment. Consider developing the area for an executive or retirement retreat, a children's camp, hunter's lodge or create a center for domestic violence victims.

  5. Step 5

    Split the land into parcels and sell them to families to develop the area into a functioning town. Draw people to the area that will run small businesses.

  6. Step 6

    Enlist the financial backing of investors unless you have money to buy the town and develop it without assistance. Check with banks or lending institutions before you attempt to buy a ghost town.

  7. Step 7

    Research the area to make sure there is nothing wrong with the land that caused abandonment. Make sure water is available and the quality is good for drinking.

Post a Comment

Post a Comment

eHow Article: How to Buy a Ghost Town

  • Have you done this? Click here to let us know.
I Did This

Related Ads

Personal Finance
Mark P Cussen, CFP, CMFC,

Meet Mark P Cussen, CFP, CMFC eHow's Personal Finance Expert.

Get Free Personal Finance Newsletters

Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

eHow Personal Finance
eHow_eHow Business and Finance