Update: The house sold for $70,000 on January 11, 2021.
There are a couple commonly used real-estate phrases that don’t make much sense if you read them literally. One is “hard to find” (as in, “hard to find brick ranch in 1950s neighborhood”). Do you want a home that’s hard to find? I suppose some people actually do, and if you’re one of them, there’s a house for sale in Montgomery County you should see. If you can find it.
148 Holly Mount Church Road is in the Uwharrie National Forest, maybe halfway between Candor and Mount Gilead. It sits well off the road. Its gravel driveway runs through some number of other properties before it gets you home.
The address on property records is 0 Holly Mount Church Road, which, unhelpfully, is the same address listed for almost every property on the road. The place is even harder to find in the records than it is out there in the woods. And there are woods (and a creek).
Once you get there, you find an 1880 house with a bit of history. “This home was built in the 1800s before the county was established,” the listing says. “Originally built as a post office then a hotel for weary travelers on horseback.” That’s great historic-house stuff, except Montgomery County was created in 1779. But maybe the post office and hotel part is right anyway. Who knows? If anyone would, you’d think it would be the “Montgomery County NC history and genealogy” page on Facebook. And if they ever respond to the question I sent them a month ago, I’ll let you know.
The house itself is a bit mysterious as well. The county property record provides almost no detail — no square footage, number of bedrooms or bathrooms. It lists a “TENANT HSE” on the property and includes a note, “DWG STILL LIVED IN”. The date of the house is given as 1990, so perhaps a lack of information is better than erroneous information. (Note: I’m taking the 1880 date in the listing at face value, which may or may not be a good idea. Whatever the actual date was, it’s clearly an old house.)
The county record does include some information that matches the listing. It gives the same lot size, 3.14 acres. The owner of the property is listed with an address in Colorado. The listing gives a phone number in Colorado for the owner. The house is for sale by owner.
The listing shows four bedrooms and one bathroom, 2,000 square feet. That comes out to $50 per square foot, which may be the going rate for move-in-ready historic houses out in the woods halfway between Candor and Mount Gilead, or it may suggest, as it would in most places, the house needs work. There are no interior photos to answer that question, just a bit of a description:
“When you enter the house you are greeted with a large entry way that continues through the hallway into the kitchen, large rooms and very high ceilings are abundant here. The second story has two large bedrooms and a small office … “
A couple photos with the listing suggest there are people living there now. The house appears to be in much better condition now than in 1996, when it was last purchased. How much better can be answered only by seeing the place.
148 Holly Mount Church Road, Candor, for sale by owner
Piedmont Historic Homes 