professor from New York, and he and his girlfriend invited me to his place for a steak and some red wine. Having
expressed a curiosity in property costs, I was given the number of a real estate agent. What could it hurt to take
a look? The agent's name was Mary, and the first thing she showed me was 12 acres of land at antelope hills.
It was a pretty piece of property a few miles outside town with views of the Davis mountains, but it was too much
work. I needed a place to work right now.
Next, I was shown a partially renovated barn. It was a nice listing as well, but to be fair, I was more interested in
this old truck than the property itself. Then, I was brought here.
The building was once a gas station, and it had been partially renovated by a sculptor.
Unfortunately for her, the house was repossessed and was now owned by the bank. It would take some work, but
the place had a lot of potential. A closer look revealed new insulation, new electrical, and new roofing work had been
completed on both the main house and the casita. I asked Mary how much the property was listed for. Is that the
price for the main house, or the casita? Both, she answered. I became genuinely interested.
I asked about the viability of a mortgage, and Mary took me to see her friend Chip down at Marfa National Bank.
You may recognize him as Javier Bardem's second victim in the movie "No Country For Old Men". Based on my
discussion with Chip, it appeared there might be a few obstacles in my getting a mortgage. I thanked him for his
time and for the benefit of his experience, and began to think of another strategy.
I went down to the Food Shark for some inspiration, and found it,
embodied in the form of a red 1966 International Harvester.
What was I thinking? It takes time to buy real estate. I'd been living in New York for more than twenty years, now
I was moving to Marfa, Tx? I'd only been in town for four days. It's sheer madness.
A dozen good reasons howled collectively in my head, no, no, no! After a delicious pulled pork sandwich, I thought
I'd found a solution. I picked up the phone and called Mary. When she answered, I instructed her to make a cash
offer so ludicrously low, the bank was sure to reject it.
