A couple bought a 200-acre remote homestead in Alaska for $350k under the asking price – by writing a 900-word letter promising to carry on the owner’s conservation legacy.
Elise Giordano, 34, and her husband Ben Hastie, 40, wanted to swap their two-bed cabin for their dream home but couldn’t afford the asking price – which averages between a few hundred thousand dollars to two million dollars.
But desperate to move to the homestead in Palmer, Alaska, and Elise’s father, Richard Giordano, 66, they put in an offer $350k under the asking with a “good letter” about why they should take the land.
In the letter, Elise said she “appreciated” the work and dedication the previous owner had put into the property and “deeply admired” their commitment to conservation and pledged to carry that on through her ownership.
To their surprise, it was accepted, and after three years, they are now working towards becoming self-reliant.
They already get their electricity from their 12 solar panels and grow most of their vegetables – including tomatoes, cucumbers, brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
Elise, a self-employed photographer, said: “We couldn’t afford the asking price.
“We offered a really low offer, but I wrote a really good offer letter about why I thought we should take it on.
“We told them about our love of the outdoors and how much Alaska speaks to us.
“I told the previous owner that I admired their commitment to conservation and pledged that we would carry on their legacy for future generations to enjoy.
“They accepted us $350,000 under the asking price, which surprised us.”
After living in their 1000-foot two-bedroom cabin on Vashon Island, Seattle, Washington, for one year, Elise and Ben wanted a change.
Richard was living in Newport Richey, Florida, at the time, and knowing the couple wanted a lot of land, he suggested they buy together.
“My husband and I wanted more room for chickens, and we wanted to raise our kids in a place that was more wild,” Elise said.
“My dad also wanted to have a lot of acreage and wanted to host people in cabins, which I also wanted.
“We looked everywhere, including Montana and North Carolina, but nothing fitted what we all wanted.
“I sent my dad the listing for this place, and he suggested that we both sell and go into this together.”
Within a couple of days, Elise was on the phone with the realtor and put in an offer in January 2022, and the family had moved in by March 2022.
The homestead has two 500 square-foot cabins, a well shed, a power shed and a barn for their animals – including goats, chickens and geese.
One hundred sixty acres of the 200-acre plot of land are protected by a conservation agreement, but 40 acres of the land is available for Elise, Ben and Richard to do whatever they like on it.
In the first year, Elise said the biggest challenge was her falling pregnant with her daughter, Elouise, two, just months after moving in.
Elise said: “In the first year, we were like ‘what have we done?’
“I then got pregnant in August, which made everything harder.
“The whole off-grid aspect was tough. We have been there three and a half years, and finally, we feel like we have an understanding of how it works.
“Off-grid is super expensive and not easy to understand.”
Since living on the homestead, the couple have installed cabins which they rent out for between $85 to $95 a night and are working towards becoming self-reliant.
