Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago

Originally published Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 9:59 PM
SOLD: 1 tiny town, to Bothell couple, for $360,000 
The town of Wauconda finally sold for $360,000 to a Bothell couple after a month of bidding on eBay produced no winners. For Daphne Fletcher, the owner, and for Maddie and Neal Love, the new owners, it means new dreams.

By Erik Lacitis
Seattle Times staff reporter

UserPostedImage
Wauconda, a town of 335 residents in 1900, now consists of a 100-year-old home, the original store (now a cafe/saloon), gas station, post office and a general store.

WAUCONDA, Okanogan County

This town has a gas pump, a restaurant, a small store, a four-bedroom house and its own ZIP code, 98859.

And in a few weeks after being listed for sale on eBay it'll have new owners. It's a story of the travails of selling property on the site, the winning bidder backing out and finally a couple stepping up who had previously fallen in love with the town.

It takes an unusual person to try to flip a town on an auction Web site. It takes unusual people, too, to buy this isolated place that's surrounded by cattle ranches, vast stretches of evergreens, grazing land and the occasional sagebrush rolling along Highway 20.

On this highway, Wauconda is a pit stop at elevation 3,600 feet, a windy 25 miles east of Tonasket, and 12 miles west of Republic, the nearest towns with actual city streets.

But sell it did on April 12.

Daphne Fletcher, 42 who once was homeless sold the place for $360,000. She bought the 4-acre property in 2007 for $180,810.

Maddie and Neal Love, respectively 48 and 50, of Bothell, put down 5 percent earnest money last Monday. The Loves are both unemployed and are selling their home and all their possessions to buy the town and move there. The deal is expected to close in six weeks.

It's not like Fletcher will walk away with a huge profit. After all the improvements to the property, paid for in part by a loan from her mom, Fletcher figures she'll walk away with about $40,000 for all those hours of labor.

Still, the sale will enable Fletcher to pursue her latest dream, and for the Loves, as they explain, "to come off one mountain, cross the bridge and walk up that other mountain."

Average, these people are not.

"It takes an adventurous spirit," Fletcher said of buying Wauconda.

Said Maddie Love, "My husband and I are very unique."

Fletcher says maybe 100 families live within 10 miles of Wauconda. That's a long way from Wauconda's peak population.

This is the third location of the town in Wauconda Pass, established in 1898, as it followed the fortunes of silver and gold miners. According to the Okanogan County Historical Society, Wauconda in 1900 had 335 residents, three hotels, a store, boardinghouse and four saloons.

Busy in summer

These days, in the busy summer months with tourists driving by, the restaurant employs maybe five people; in the winter, it's a couple.

Locals stop by to pick up mail the post office leases space and has one full-time employee and to gas up, shop at the small store, maybe have coffee or on Fridays the all-you-can-eat $9.99 spaghetti and meatballs.

This is a place where one regular calls himself "Prospector Paul" and, when finding out you're from the big city, has plenty to say about Big Government.

The store's biggest-selling items, by the way, are beer (Busch is preferred, with 12-packs stacked beside the register), cigarettes, candy and pop.

Fletcher says she grossed $300,000 a year, with about $100,000 each coming from the gas pump, grocery and restaurant, and that she netted $40,000 to $50,000 a year.

When she bought Wauconda, she worked for a distributing company and delivered candy and tobacco to stores throughout the county, including the small town.

Fletcher, who had saved up money selling items on eBay often clothing she had bought at thrift stores owned a cabin in the area.

The previous owners of Wauconda, ready to retire, urged her to buy the place. She sold her cabin and plunged in.

She ended up running the restaurant herself and becoming a stress case.

"What do you do when 50 motorcycles show up all at once and order food?" Fletcher said. "People were very patient, but ... "

Putting it on eBay

Selling a town on eBay is not so easy.

Bids for property on the Web site are nonbinding, meaning any joker can submit an offer.

On March 3, after Fletcher paid a $200 fee, the listing went up:

"Why buy a house when you can OWN YOUR OWN TOWN! Own the Post Office, OWN YOUR OWN ZIP CODE ... Single owner is tired and ready to retire ... VERY LOW RESERVE PRICE OF $359,000 ... Please bid only if you will honor it. ... "

The bidding closed April 2.

In between, 112 bids came, with some individuals putting in offers many times.

Sure, Fletcher was nervous.

"I was logging in three or four times a day," she said. "I spent days answering questions."

Fletcher got used to fielding all kinds of phone calls, like the apologetic one from the parents of a young boy.

"The little kid had placed a bid, trying to surprise his parents by buying a town."

Then there was the guy who flew in from New York, looked around, said he'd get back to Fletcher, and never did.

The auction caught the attention of media outlets.

Story goes global

"CNN picked it up, and it went worldwide," she said. "I had people calling me from London, and Chinese people."

With the initial news stories, people from the Northwest stopped by, like the two women from Spokane.

"They wanted to turn it into a happening night club," Fletcher said. The women never got back to her.

But serious or not, the bidding continued.

The high bid of $370,601 was from David Broadbent, of Melbourne, Australia.

Fletcher waited expectantly for a wire transfer for the 5 percent down payment.

Broadbent sent his regrets.

Contacted by phone, he said that during the time he was bidding, Maria, his longtime companion, had ended up in the hospital with some kind of illness.

And, he said, "I can't find mainstream financing in Australia for anything that's offshore."

Fletcher began going down the list of other bidders.

There were no replies from the top five bidders, lukewarm response from others.

Fletcher made contingency plans. Maybe she'd stay, but lease the restaurant.

Then came the call from the Loves.

They are enthusiastic riders of Harley-Davidsons, had ridden by the town in previous years, and loved its charm.

Atop a Pepsi cooler in the store, for example, Wauconda's first TV set, a boxy Capehart brand from the early 1950s, is displayed. A sign explains that the antenna consisted of "2x4s and chicken wire on top of the warehouse."

"You can look up and see the Milky Way. It's God's country," Maddie Love said. "You can hear the coyotes and wolves."

By the time the Loves first stopped by the town, the price for Wauconda had come down drastically.

In 2008, Fletcher had listed the town with a real-estate agent asking price, $1.1 million.

Well, you can dream about really flipping a town, can't you?

Not surprisingly, there were no takers.

By 2009, the asking price was $495,000. The Loves were interested, kind of.

Life changes

Maddie Love lost her job in late 2008 after more than two decades as a trade-show coordinator. Neal Love, who worked in telecommunications, lost his job in 2009.

Maybe it was time to make a big change.

When Maddie heard that Wauconda was up for auction, "I fell to my knees and cried," she said. "Why didn't we jump on it when we could have?"

When the eBay bids never came to fruition, the Loves decided it was time to climb that next mountain.

"We're terrified. Neal almost puked the other night when we signed the paperwork," Maddie said.

"Honest to God's truth, we're selling everything we own. We're coming here with just the clothes on our backs."

As for Fletcher, she's staying on for a while to show the Loves the ropes.

Then, well, Fletcher likely will buy an RV.

You see, she has traveling to do, and it has to do with a past chapter in her life.

That chapter so traumatized her that Fletcher hesitated when talking about it.

Then she blurted it out.

She was raped when in high school on the East Coast, she said, and at age 16 gave birth to twin boys, whom she gave up for adoption.

"My life spun out of control," Fletcher said. "I was emotionally unstable. I started getting into drugs."

She ended up homeless in San Diego. Fletcher showed an article from 12 years ago in The San Diego Union-Tribune, in which she was profiled in a story about a YWCA shelter for women.

It's been quite a journey from that point in her life.

She also found that one of her sons had been looking for her, posting on a Web site. She said she wants to contact the boys, now young men, but is still trying to figure out, well, all kinds of things.

Now, Fletcher said, she will have the money and freedom to leave Wauconda and meet them.

And that's the story of the town for sale on eBay.

Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com


UserPostedImage
dfosterf
15 years ago
I think it would be fun to rename the town.

I would definitely name it something obscene and insulting.


Then I sell the t-shirts.



Something like, "Kiss some ass"


T-shirt: " I've been invited to kiss some ass "

I see a rapid ROI--- lol
Fan Shout
wpr (23h) : Hollywood Henderson said Bradshaw “is so dumb, he couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the C and an A.”
Mucky Tundra (23h) : Cooper stock=BUY BUY BUY
Mucky Tundra (23h) : Also notes he’s playing with more confidence.
Mucky Tundra (23h) : @AndyHermanNFL MLF says there was a time last year where Cooper was at 220 pounds. Now he’s at 240 and still flying around.
Mucky Tundra (23h) : And don't even get me started on Frank Caliendos "impersonations"
Mucky Tundra (23h) : I got tired of them being circle jerks with them overlaughing at each others jokes.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : It used to be must watch TV for me. now it's "meh" maybe to hear injury update
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : I haven't watched the pregame shows in years and I don't feel like I've missed a thing
Zero2Cool (28-May) : Love says knee affected him all season, groin injury didn't help matters.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : I used to enjoy him on FOX Pregame. Now it's like a frat party of former Patriots.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : LaFleur on Watson: “Christian is doing outstanding. I would say he’s ahead of schedule.”
Martha Careful (28-May) : Bradshaw is a dumb ass cracker. I am so tired of his "aw shucks" diatribe. He should shrivel up and go away.
buckeyepackfan (28-May) : He wad all butt hurt because Aaron duped the media saying he was immunized.
buckeyepackfan (28-May) : Bradshaw needs to retire. He's been ripping on Rodgers ever since the covid crap. He was all hury
Zero2Cool (28-May) : Terry Bradshaw doesn't want Rodgers in Pittsburgh lol wow
Zero2Cool (27-May) : one day contract, which he also feels is pointless, but if Packers came to him, he would
packerfanoutwest (27-May) : Aaron Rodgers talks possibility of retiring with Packers, just another rumor
dfosterf (27-May) : Go watch 2001
Zero2Cool (26-May) : 1984
dfosterf (26-May) : That movie sent a chill through many. 1968.
dfosterf (26-May) : "Open the pod bay doors, HAL"
buckeyepackfan (25-May) : Haven't we all seen thus movie? It doesn't end well!! Lol
Zero2Cool (25-May) : lol Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline
dfosterf (25-May) : Claude Opus 4
dfosterf (25-May) : AI system resorts to blackmail when its developers threaten to take it offline
beast (22-May) : Colts Owner Jim Irsay has passed away
Zero2Cool (21-May) : Well, emailing should work now. After not working for almost a year. Oops.
Zero2Cool (21-May) : Brotherly Shove did not get enough votes.
Zero2Cool (20-May) : lol our email hasn't worked in months. 7 pages of unverified users
Zero2Cool (20-May) : MySpace Screaming Lord Byron ... Brett Favre.
Zero2Cool (19-May) : Packers have signed first-round pick Matthew Golden, leaving second-round tackle Anthony Belton as their only unsigned draft pick
beast (19-May) : Supposedly he has to take his image, and name off of it... but otherwise could keep selling wine if he wanted to.
Zero2Cool (19-May) : he giving up his win business?
beast (19-May) : Speaking of Woodson, sounds like he'll be a minority owner (0.1%) of the Browns
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : Zero, regarding Woodson, that'd why I find the timing with Williams peculiar
dfosterf (15-May) : Ryan Hall y'all does a great job of tracking thesr
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Fear not!! I planned to do 33mi bike ride tomorrow morning, so ... yeah
Zero2Cool (15-May) : We got some dark clouds and nasty winds right bout now.
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Madison they had hail 4pm.
dfosterf (15-May) : Sure looks like these tornadoes are headed towards Green Bay
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Woodson of Charles fame was reluctant and then loved it. that didn't really come out until post career
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : IE "We bought into the Bears and they let us down, we have no choice to seek alternatives"
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : Or that Williams and his family are preparing an exit ramp if they don't like how things are going in a few years
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : Either Williams thought it would make him look good (reluctant but then embraces the city and franchise)
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : I can only assume that the Williams camp agreed to cooperate with that article tells me 2 things
dfosterf (15-May) : Ya. They are in a great mood
Zero2Cool (15-May) : I should visit again
dfosterf (15-May) : ChiCity Sports entering freakout mode due to Caleb and his dad not wanting him to go there
Zero2Cool (15-May) : "He's looking really good out there," Derrick Ansley said of Kalen King. Adds that he's been playing inside and out.
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Him saying he doesn't have one to give haha
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2025 Packers Schedule
Sunday, Sep 7 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Thursday, Sep 11 @ 7:15 PM
COMMANDERS
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 12:00 PM
Browns
Sunday, Sep 28 @ 7:20 PM
Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 12 @ 3:25 PM
BENGALS
Sunday, Oct 19 @ 3:25 PM
Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 26 @ 7:20 PM
Steelers
Sunday, Nov 2 @ 12:00 PM
PANTHERS
Monday, Nov 10 @ 7:15 PM
EAGLES
Sunday, Nov 16 @ 12:00 PM
Giants
Sunday, Nov 23 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Thursday, Nov 27 @ 12:00 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 7 @ 12:00 PM
BEARS
Sunday, Dec 14 @ 3:25 PM
Broncos
Friday, Dec 19 @ 11:00 PM
Bears
Friday, Dec 26 @ 11:00 PM
RAVENS
Saturday, Jan 3 @ 11:00 PM
Vikings
Recent Topics
1h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

27-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

27-May / Random Babble / Martha Careful

24-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

24-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / greengold

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / earthquake

22-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

22-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

21-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / greengold

21-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / earthquake

20-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

19-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

19-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

16-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / dfosterf

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2025 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.