Forest Service Cabins For Sale
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Forest service cabins, or leased cabins, are cabins situated on sites leased within the USDA Forest Service (FS) boundaries. These sites are in areas that were created by the FS and have been leased continuously since the 1950's - no new sites can be made available.
The FS has issued new 20 year leases commencing on 1/1/09. The lease provides for an annual cost of living increase. FS can terminate the leases with a 10 year notice. If the leases where to be terminated, the cabin owner must leave and take their cabin with them at the end of the final lease period or date of termination.
Lease cabins exist in two areas, Soldier's Camp Area (MP 22.5) and Willow Canyon (MP 16.2). Soldier's Camp Area includes Fern Ridge and Bear Wallow. Soldier's Camp Area has summer water while Willow Canyon has none. In Willow Canyon, water is frequently collected from roof gutters and stored in cisterns or privately hauled from town. Some owners have 100 gallon tanks fitted for their pickups in which they haul water to replenish the water tanks. This works very well and also supplies potable water. The roads are not county or government maintained or snowplowed, a chore left to the cabin owners. Winter access is frequently restricted by snow fall. Trico Electric provides electricity to both areas.
The elevation of Willow is approximately 7,000 feet, about 900 feet lower than Summerhaven. Soldiers camp is about the same elevation as Summerhaven. The temperature at Willow is a few degrees warmer than Summerhaven and has a little less annual precipitation.
In addition to the lease fee, a personal property tax is levied by Pima County. This tax is typically in the $400 to $1000 range. The new lease fee is under discussion, but most probably will be a continuation, with a small increase from the previous lease fee. The Soldiers Camp Area lease fee is typically a little larger than the lease fee in Willow Canyon. The lease fee for all cabins in each area is the same and is due 1 January each year. Ownership of a FS Cabin is passed by Bill Sale, rather than Deed therefore FS Cabins are not normally considered to be Real Estate, Real Property or Fee Simple Property. Escrow is typically used to handle the sale, but no title policy is issued. Escrow will complete a UCC lien and judgment search to determine if there are existing liens or judgments. Escrow sends the recorded Bill of Sale plus $25 to the FS to transfer the lease. The new lessee receives the reminder of the 20 years lease which ends on 2029. The lease must be placed in the name of natural, related persons and not corporations or partnerships. A partnership can own the cabin, but the lease must be held as stated before. The FS has the new lessee sign the Special Use Permit (which is the lease - 11 pages) and the Operation And Maintenance Plan For Recreation Residence (Additional Rules and Regulations - 12 pages). The latter is both general to all cabins and specific to the cabin being purchased.
The prices listed below are what you would pay the owner for his cabin. In addition, you will reimburse the owner for the unused portion of the annual lease fee and the owner will reimbursed you for the unused portion of the personal property taxes.
Forest Service cabins tend to sell quickly in comparison to Deeded Cabin listings. Their most attractive features are their lower price and generous spacing. Most consider the lease fee plus the personal property tax to be equivalent to paying real property tax in the deeded areas.
The lease cabins have steadily increased in value over time. In Willow Canyon prices seem to be less expensive than leased cabins in Soldiers Camp. In Soldiers Camp some cabins have have sold up to $400,000.
Click for Info on Scoping Notice.
Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Buyer, by reading this information, agrees to independently verify all statements and representations prior to purchase.
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