This can't be good.

The new private owner is looking for a profit by placing the lighthouse for sale on EBay. Purchased for $75,000, he is asking for $119,000 as a starting bid.

EBay Auction of Wolftrap

Thank you Jeremy, for bringing this to our attention.

Comments????

It's unfortunate that the new owner isn't interested in restoring it as I had thought would be the case. It also makes it extremely more expensive for anyone that is interested and sincere in purchasing it for that purpose. Instead of using that extra initial $44000 towards restoration costs...it's going into the original purchaser's pocket. It looks like it does need quite a bit of work(from the photos on ebay) and grants or no-restoration costs alot. Every penny counts! Sad that making a buck is more important to some than preserving an important part of history!

I don't want to be too harsh on the seller; as I recall he bought it sight-unseen. No telling how much he has invested in just inspecting the property.

As with any real-estate, it's not how much the previous owner paid for it, it's what is it worth to the buyer. There aren't many lighthouses you can buy today, regardless of the shape they are in.

That said, it's not a project I'd want to undertake after having viewed the lighthouse up close last month.

I think in fair disclosure, the seller should have said that you'd own it in partnership with about 1,000 seagulls. LOL.

Caveat Emptor.

I believe right after purchasing the light the current owner posted on the CF with great enthusiasm about restoring the light. I even thought his name was Wolftrap?

Perhaps after actually seeing the light he has decided too much work and expense?

Here we have it Melody!

http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001900#000000

and:

http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001882#000000

Mombo-thanks for that link. It helped to put things in a better perspective for me. I may have been a little harsh in my first post. It sounds like Woltrap had some great ideas and alot of enthusiasm. But as John pointed out bought sight unseen-so maybe it was too overwhelming with the work, financing and commute. Would be interesting to find out why he changed his mind. Maybe Wolftrap will enlighten us if he's still reading the forums?

As I recall (and without looking at the old threads or the ebay link) isn't the person who purchased the light from the west coast? And, weren't they trying to figure out how to finance the purchase?

Without looking at the specifics involved in the deed itself, is he allowed to resell? Presuming he is, does the requirement to preserve and make available pass thru to the new buyer?

If in fact he can sell the thing on ebay at such a nice profit, maybe the GSA folks need to look at how they are auctioning things to see if there is more money to be had to put into the till . . . . .

Definitely does not set a good precedent for the program to dispose of lights, at least as far as the lighthouse lover is concerned. The offshore lights are going to be a challenge for anyone who tackles the projects, but some of the folks who purchased bay lights definitely seem to have their ducks in line as far as working on their new properties. Concern would be for land based lights that may end up in the auction process in years to come.

By the way, ever wonder how the local assessor is going to compute property value for real estate taxes????

Taxes? According the ebay listing, it sits on Federally-owned land (under the Bay) and is EXEMPT from property taxes.

There's also some sort of 25% tax credit available. I didn't read it too closely.

On the tour that Fran arranged, the Captain told us that getting electricty out to the lighthose would cost $30,000.

How much do those Honda generators cost? LOL.

Pictures make it look good BUT it's what's not seen that is the problem!
Plus ask Gebby about getting out to it!

Thanks for the links Mombo. I tried my hand at searching but was obviously doing something wrong.lol

My memory isn't as bad as I thought...on some things anyway

Nick is the owner. I think he may have gotten in over his head. In a recent email he mentioned, mortgage payments and trying to refinance it. I sure the distance form the West coast did not help either. When he mention he might sell it, I wrote that we had hoped it would be restored. Hope the new owner has more money and would like to open it for tours.

He mentioned in one of his posts that he was 28 years old.

No electricity at Sisters Island Lighthouse John. But they do have a solar powered generator. Instead of TV, video games, etc. folks at this type of location are forced to read books and play cards by lamp light. Nothing wrong with that. We did it for years in our camp before we got electricity.

Well, I hate to say "I told you so" but Nick never sounded all that serious to a couple of us who tried communicating with him. It didn't appear that a great deal of serious thought went into his purchase (buying "sight unseen"?!), and he got into it waaaay over his head. Newport News was sold at that time, too, and look at what's going on there. Maybe a little more maturity?

And the only video game systems you could use would be the battery-operated ones. (Thinking like my son, of course.)

30 grand to get electricity! You could probably buy a solar generating-battery storage system for less.

The first listing on EBay was ended due to "an error in the listing", and has been re-listed here, still with a starting bid of $119,000:

Current EBay Listing for Wolftrap

The ending date is July 21. Some good questions & answers have been posted in the listing.

Thanks, Judy. It will be interesting to see the outcome here.

Still no bids...things aren't looking good.

I'm personally just as worried about what the outcome will be for the lighthouse as much as for the auction. Can it be torn down or anything? When he said there are 500 tons of iron in the base, it worries me that it could be bought off by some smelter or something looking for the scrap metal money.

Or am I paranoid? (Wait, I already know I am...)

Well the protection of the tower, for now at least, is that the light is still an active aid to navigation.

IF I were in a position to bid, and also had the desire, I believe I would wait until the very end to place a bid. Otherwise, I'd be bidding against myself.

I won't be bidding, but I will be watching as the auction draws to a close on the 21st.

This light is caught in a horrific dilemma. As Judy says, the only thing that's saving it, for now, is that it is an active navigational aid. If we had the money, Judy and I would buy it and get the Wackos to help us restore it!

Chesapeake Bay Magazine had an article in it that I read last night that said the owner wanted to make a B&B out of it. It seems a bit crazy, but I think it might work.

There is a replica of the Hooper Strait Light of St. Michaels which is part of Smithfield Station (a hotel and marina in Smithfield VA), and they charge big bucks to stay there. The lighthouse suite is $229/night in March. The other rooms at the Inn are about $99/night.



According to their website:
"There are two spectacular and luxurious suites in the lighthouse. One upstairs and one downstairs. The upstairs suite is the "honeymoon" style suite and is done in a romantic nautical style, the downstairs suite is the "executive" suite and decorated in Chesapeake Bay Nautical"

I think that location is a little more accessible than Wolftrap.

That's true of course, but it isn't that different from some very isolated islands that you have to access by boat. Some of them are bigger than a lighthouse, but are farther away from land (like Lighthouse Reef in Belize).

People charter boats all the time, and the boats often aren't as roomy as a lighthouse and they may be just as hard to get to - our first charter was a boat like ours with two crew, and they had to come and get us and take us and our luggage out to the boat in a dinghy.

I see the weather and the food service as being a greater problem than the isolation. Who is going to cook the breakfast and make the beds, and where will they be? And what if there is bad weather that keeps the cooks from getting out there or the people from getting back to land?

I wasn't talking so much about the isolation as the type of light it is - there is no island. Once you're in it, that's it.

Yes but -- it's the same way when you are on a boat and are anchored. And at least you don't have to worry about the lighthouse dragging anchor (at least most of the time).

There are quite a lot of lighthouses like that. You could pretend you were a lighthouse keeper. Wouldn't that appeal to any of you?

There are a few of us who have done "keeper" work at some of the lights. I was just speaking from my own standpoint; I would prefer to stay at a bed and breakfast like Big Bay or Heceta - staying at a light that's on the water isn't particularly appealing to me. An island would be my preference; I like to have room to do beachcombing and exploring.

Yes, like New Dungeness!

Judy

I brought the magazine to the computer. It is the August 2006 issue of Chesapeake Bay Magazine on page 12-13.

Titled Wind, Ghosts and Guano
Subtitled No one ever said taking care of a lighthouse would be easy

The first paragraph of the article which was written by Sarke Jett says "These people have battled gusts of wind, eerie ghosts and pounds of guano since they purchased their new waterfront homes--four "surplus" lighthouses in the southern Chesapeake Bay that they won at auction from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) last fall. The novice lighthouse keepers and their extended families have also bonded together for mutual support and advice as they bring life back to the Middle Ground, Thimble Shoals, Smith Point and Wolf Trap lights."

After the end of the article it says

As this issue went to press, the Baltimore and Sandy Point light houses in the middle Bay were up for auction during the GSA's most recnet offering. To keep abreast of other GSA sites, check out the GSA property disposal website at . GSA

Summarizing the rest of the article.

The Middle Ground lighthouse has been purchased by the Gonsoulin/Billingsley clan from Williamsburg, VA and Annpolis MD. In preparation for a 4th of July party, they have cleared away the layers of seagull poop and dead birds which covered the lighthouse when they bought it, installed access laddrs, a gull deterent system (an intricate web made of fishing line), and even electrical service. The electrical service is the biggest challenge said Bob Gonsoulin.

Thinble Shoals light's new owner Peter Jurewicz swears he's encountered the ghost of the man killed in the caisson when the light was being built. He was staying overnight on the light for the first time when he was awakened out of a dead sleep by a piercing scream. He shares weekend trips with Bob Gonsoulin. Peter lives in Smithfield VA and wants to get the lighthouse fixed up enough to use as a weekend retreat for friends and family.

David McNally of Winoa, Minn is the owner of Smith Point. he said. He's set up base camp at Smith Point Marina where he keeps his new boat to shuttle to and from the lighthouse. He's only been out a few times so far, but plans to make more trips in the summer with warmer calmer weather.

Then it talks about Korstaad who bought Wolf Trap and his bed and breakfast plans. He says he has to jump One of the hurdles is persuading investors to go along with his plan when the property doesn't even have an address. He sees Wolf Trap as the first in a series of lighthouse B&Bs. He has been out to see the lighthouse only once so far.

[It sounds to me like he's given up on this, if it is now for sale on eBay.]

Last paragraph: "In additon to the general maintenance headaches that go along with lighthouse ownership, the new keepers have also had to cope with bureaucratic frustration. Each renovation plan has to be approved by the Virginia Department of Historical Resources. Even something as reasonable as hurricane-proof windows is scrutinized for historical authenticity. But the new owners say it's worth it in order to preserve these venerable old guardians of the sea."

I went to the GSA website (to see if I had typed the URL correctly) and the auctions closed at the end of June.


Property Information: Two Offshore Lighthouses

Only 10 hrs left on the auction for Wolftrap...no takers as yet.

THERE IS A BIDDER!!!!!

Very interesting.

We need to note however that the final bid ( six hours from now) does not constitute a sale. It only means that the winning bidder wants to seriously pursue a conversation to purchase.

There still will need to be a written contractual agreement to purchase, AND, the purchaser will need to qualify for the financing.
AND, both parties will need to agree to all terms and conditions.

It now says the "Seller has ended the listing early because of an error in the listing." No bids shown.

John-I just checked it and auction is still open with 5+ hrs to go and 1 bidder. You might be looking at the old link? Check under see seller's other items.

Here's the current listing, John... Wolftrap

Thanks for the current link; a while ago, I had the same problem John had. Maybe this guy (if he gets it) will do like the people who bought Newport News. It was really cool seeing those folks out there actually working on the place.

Well, if this guy wins it, it may be pretty cool. Digging through his feedback, he seems to deal in a lot of diving stuff. Maybe a dive centre in the middle of the bay?

It'd work great for that!

Less than an hour and a half to go...

Bidding has ended and HairryBuzzard is still in their with the only bid at $119K.

Hey, you guys need to all be a little nicer and not jump to conclusions. Grace, I understand that you feel that I lack the maturity and seriousness in the whole process. I welcome your ignorance to come to Seattle. I will then show you the six months worth of time consuming effort that I have put into trying to make Wolf Trap a restored tourist attraction. I can send you over 300 emails regarding financing. I have been through 250 lenders. I have the credit, job and everything else to secure the financing. It's just that no one will finacne a lighthouse built 3-miles off shore. Before I bid on the light, I was pre appropved through Wells Fargo to bid and purchase the light through them. Once I won the light, they then decided to back out. It wasn't my bidding without knowing what I was doing. I'm not certain of you financial status, but I don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting in my checking account. If you have the money, you should have purchased the light instead of complaining about what you feel people should be doing with the light. I like how you can sit back and type trash about me, but not once have you made the effort to contact me and offer your support to restore the light. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against you, but before you start typing these claims of existance, you need to make the effort in contacting me. I am easy to get ahold of.

When reading the other posts, alot of you made reference to the lighthouse being too much effort to restore and that is why I am selling it. The lighthouse has it's damage and I had seen picture before I purchased it. The overall condition of the lighthouse has nothing to do with me selling it. I have toured the light and seen the years of neglect. It's not that big of a deal. For all of you who have not been inside the light, there is not much to it. It will take a good 80k to clean it up. The outside looks shabby with the paint peeling and bird poo, but the brick is solid, and a nice coat of red paint, the light will looks as it did in the 1960's.

Now lets address the the people who posted the comments on me selling the light to make a profit. First off, why would I give the lighthouse away for free? Would you sell your house that you have lived in for 5-years for what you paid for it? A lighthouse is not different from any-other piece of real estate. That lighthouse is worth alot more than what I have it up for. I need people who post these comments to think outside the box. I see comments from people saying that the light shouldn't be sold for that much and it's taking away from the restoration. The point is, if you only have 75k to buy the light, where are you going to get the extra 100k to restore it. So, I don't want to read anymore comments from people saying that I am pricing it out of the reaches of the common person.

Lets sum everything up, so we can put a stop to the conclusion. I don't want to sell the lighthouse, but I have a note on the lighthouse that needs to be paid back. There are no banks or mortgage companies that will finance the lighthouse. I didn't buy the lighthouse as an impulse buy. I have some great ideas for it, but unfortunately, the doors were closed on them. I am selling the lighthouse to get back what I have invested in it and will prolly donate some of the left overs to other lighthouse organizations. I truely love lighthouses, but you have to realize when it's time to hand over control to someone else.

To answer other questions:

Who ever owns the lighthouse can do anything they want with it. You can move the lighthouse, paint it what ever color you want. It's yours. I would hate to see the lighthouse disappear, but we can't spend all our time trying to control other people. We live in a free country and we are free to do as we please. If the new owner wants to change the light, feel free to voice your opinion, but let them live and enjoy their view point on life. The lighthouse has lived a long, and great life! She will be honored to once again have a person grace her stairs and peer out her windows at the secret views that she has held for the past 112 years.

If you guys have any questions, feel free to contact me directly. I appologize if I sounded harsh in anyway, I just hate to see people create dramma on me that is secured through personal opinion and not fact.

Nick

Nick, thanks for your insight and for taking the time to respond.

The view from outside a situation like this is almost always 100% speculation and we 'experts' love to say "I told you so" a lot without much foundation.

We were quick to judge without knowing your situation and seeing it from your point of view.

The folks who hang out here think of lighthouses kind of like "America's Crown Jewels" - we're disappointed when America sells one and fervently hope that the new owner will take great care and keep it shining. If we can't 'own' it as citizens, at least we want to be able to look upon it with envy. And give advice to the new owner as if we had had the money and/or credit line to have bought it.

Of course once one of the "jewels" is sold, it's hard for us not to still have a lot of advice for the new owner. "Keep it polished." "Don't change the color." "Remember it was built at taxpayer expense, so it will never really be 100% yours." etc. etc.

Good luck on the deal. Keep on posting. We'd love to see some photos, too.

Nick has answered every email I sent. I tried to get some names of lenders that might finance the lighthouse, but none came through (I knew it would be an uphill battle to finance a cassion light. There is a very limited market to sell the light if you are the bank that forecloses, so they turn down the request instead of taking the risk.)

A note about the bid package - the package made it clear that the lighthouse could have lead paint and asbestos (expensive stuff to take care of) and it was clear that the lighthouse had no warranty and that payment was due in 60 days. In fact Nick got them to extend the 60 days to secure payment (he could have stop there and it would have gone to the next bidder).

Also of the 4 lighthouses sold at that time, he was the ONLY one to state he wanted it opened to the public via tours or bed and breakfast or both.
The rest only bought them for second homes (which is their right, but I and others hoped the historic structures would be shared). But that said some private owners have done well in restoring or saving lighthouses, so we could at least take pictures from a far. In the case of Cape Florida, the lighthouse was returned to the public domain. Of course some private owners let the structure decline like West Rigolets (which did not stand a chance in its weaken condition).

It is too bad the historic groups could not find a way to get these lighthouses when they could have gotten them for free. But bottom line, lighthouse are not cheap to fix or keep up, no matter who owns them.