In this business you come across more interesting properties being offered than that which the general public is largely aware. Some you marvel at. Others are just cool. And the rest, well . . . .
All either work for development, or just living in fascinating environs. My druthers, of course, lean toward properties that have some return on investment down the road -- true commercial/investment properties.
Your mileage may vary depending on your interests. Nevertheless, some of these are just plain fun. Take for example:
-- In my "backyard," a 40-acre parcel that includes centuries old caverns, used by Native Americans long ago, and for decades a tourist attraction. But the larger land area, known as Olentangy Indian Caverns, is ripe for development. I am working on putting buyer and seller together on this one.
-- "The Mushroom House," a 4,100-square-foot-plus home in in New York. It is designed to resemble a stem of the Queen Anne's Lace plant.
-- Over in neighboring Pennsylvania, you've got an old, very traditional church converted into posh condominiums, complete with stained glass.
-- The "Schnabel House" in Los Angeles is described as a $13 million "village of sculptural forms."
-- "Dome Homes" are the latest rage in New Mexico. Energy efficient, "cozy," and constructed with a mixture of steel-reinforced concrete and polyurethane foam, these solar-powered structures appeal to those wanting minimalist living combined with an urge for the back to nature life.
-- And finally, if you long for the days of the Cold War, when you knew who the enemy was, go to http://www.missilebases.com/. There you will find all kinds of abandoned, de-commissioned missile bases in the U.S. ready for conversion to homes, businesses -- you name it.
On a related note, I once visited a business that had made its new home in Columbus at Rickenbacker Airport -- the former Lockbourne Air Force Base, site of a Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War of the 1950s to 1970s. There, a business has made its headquarters in the old ready-room area and former officers quarters at the base. One of the access points to their offices is down a ramp, that in the 1960s, pilots of fighter jets and support aircraft would be running up and out of onto the tarmac if on alert status during national defense emergency.
Me? I'm fixated on the Olentangy Indian Caverns property right now and figuring a way to use the flat areas in a highest and best use fashion, while somehow helping those who wish to preserve the open space and natural features that comprise the caverns.
Something for everyone, right?
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