What to do when buying some land just isn't an option?

[teddy12b]

For the last couple years now I've been steadily increasing my awareness and preparations. The ultimate goal always seems to revolve around getting out of a subdivision and buying some land. I'd prefer to buy at least 5 acres with a house on it, but up near Fort Wayne, you'd never know the economy was bad by looking at the costs of land. It just blows me away when people want over $10K per acre.

Since that's well out of my price range, what's a guy like me to do?

Not to mention that I don't think the economy is stable enough to really get into a larger loan of any kind these days.

 

[Keith_Indy]

I don't think owning the land/house you are in matters. Work, home, & emergancy locations, resources, and the route(s) between them are common requirements.

You, me, and everyone else are constrained by location, storage space, budget, and time. All of these are going to affect your storage plan, and the depth of your preparations.

General plan

1. Prepare for sheltering in-place
   • secure current location
   • gather and cache supplies (3days-3weeks)
2. Find alternate bug out location(s)
3. Figure out routs and alternate routes between all locations.
4. Figure out alternate shelter for when you have to be on the move:
   • Bugout/camping/hunting trailers
   • Tents
   • Lean to
   • Barns
   • Warehouse
   • Storage Unit
5. Cache supplies

 

[dudley0]

Buddy system

Do you have any friends that do have land and are like minded? I have people with land, but not the mindset. Small quantity of land is better than nothing, but lots of land is a better buffer.

That being said I do not have land (1.5 acres) and the last two deals for additional property fell through. Some family members or the before mentioned friends would gladly take me in. Problem is that they are not prepping so where does that leave me and mine?

If you have the connections then you are good to go. If you don't then keep looking for deals. I am starting to broaden my search area. It doesn't have to be right next door. Actually the farther away from people the better. Besides when it hits and you head to the BOL you don't want all your nosey neighbors following you.

Just property would be great for us. I can build as I can afford, whenever that is. Last deal was for 48+ acres. Would have been splendid. Family owned and the one in charge sold it out from under me. Guess who isn't invited over when SHTF

 

[melensdad]

Under what realistic* scenario would you want to leave your home?

* Provide a real world example like Argentina, Bosnia, Israel, L.A., Japan, New Orleans, etc.​

 

[Keith_Indy]

Under what realistic* scenario would you want to leave your home?

* Provide a real world example like Argentina, Bosnia, Israel, L.A., Japan, New Orleans, etc.​

Yes, I would want to be able to leave to an alternate location that only close friends/family would know about. Be nice to get kids and at home moms out of the line of fire. Be nice to have someplace from which to go hunting from. A base camp for recreation and other purposes.

If a great depression hits, or just violence in the streets reach new heights, wouldn't it be nice to have someplace you could retreat to.

 

[dudley0]

I want to leave my home now and nothing drastic has happened. I don't like living as close to the road as I do. I don't like being able to see my neighbors. I am not set up for a nice garden like when I was growing up. I can legally shoot where I am but the nosey neighbors complain.

Once I have a better parcel of land in a better location it will be my bug in location. The bug out would be something drastic... say tornado rips entire county to shreds, emp, something similar. Then the BOL comes into play.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Buy lots of canned food, TP, feminine stuff, etc etc etc. However much you would have put towards the new house payment.

Those things won't lose value. If nothing ever happens, then you've got a great hedge against inflation. If something does happen, you have items with which to barter.

Buy a rabbit hutch and a chicken brooder. If you really wanted to, you could raise those in your garage or basement without anyone knowing.

You could also probably raise catfish in the same space as well.

During the Depression, people were vegetarians as a matter of necessity. Meat was considered a sort of luxury, so any meat you could produce would be a valuable barter item.

In parts of the world were the monetary system collapsed, food grew tremendously in value, while land, houses, etc plummeted. People would trade their home for 2 weeks of food just to keep from starving to death.

 

[melensdad]

Seriously guys, under what REALISTIC* scenario would you leave your home as part of some sort of mass exodus?

* Provide a real world example like Argentina, Bosnia, Israel, L.A., Japan, New Orleans, etc.​

 

[ATOMonkey]

The collapse of our currency is very realistic. As a matter of fact, it's all but guaranteed.

I plan on moving all my preps into ye olde escape and heading to the in-laws house to live. I'm not sticking around in my little ranch surrounded by a bunch of yuppies to watch them eat each other.

 

[teddy12b]

I wasn't looking at this as having a "bug out location" to go to. I was looking at the land as a means of being more self sufficient. Currently I have a garden 5'x10' which is only big enough to say I have a garden, but really I don't grow enough food to do anything other have a few nice meals.

As far as chickens or rabbits, that's just out of the question in the subdivision and part of why I'd like to get out on some land. I'd like to know that if there was a total financial collapse that I woulnd't have to go anywhere or be a burden on someone else who has land for a means of my families survival.

I just want more room to have a larger garden, and to be able to teach my kids how to throw a ball without spilling over into the neighbors yard.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Well, it looks like your best bet is to cut back spending as much as possible and open up your mind to other locations.

 

[Lex Concord]

Seriously guys, under what REALISTIC* scenario would you leave your home as part of some sort of mass exodus?

* Provide a real world example like Argentina, Bosnia, Israel, L.A., Japan, New Orleans, etc.​

Here's one:

1968 Washington, D.C. riots - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If something similarly sinister were to happen to our current PotUS, I may not want to stay home for long.
I'd prefer to move outright, but it's not an option now.

While it may not be some sort of "mas exodus" (whatever that may mean to you) and I may come back, I am guessing I am not the only one who would enjoy having someplace else to go, even if only temporarily.

I have been looking for land for some time myself...having a BOL does drive my search to a degree, but mostly it would be nice to have a piece of land to which I could retire, and hunt/camp/etc. in the meantime, assuming all is sunshine and roses

 

[iamaclone45]

Seriously guys, under what REALISTIC* scenario would you leave your home as part of some sort of mass exodus?

* Provide a real world example like Argentina, Bosnia, Israel, L.A., Japan, New Orleans, etc.​

+1 to this. In this state I don’t believe there is any location you could “bug out” too that would be any better then just staying at your home. It would be one thing if we had mountains to run to, or very very large areas of land to run too (Dakotas, Montana, etc).

I just don’t see where you could be any better off in Indiana, where people wouldn’t be 20 or 30 minutes away from you.

 

[6birds]

It just blows me away when people want over $10K per acre.

Since that's well out of my price range, what's a guy like me to do?
.

If $10K per acre is too much, go buy land where it's $2K per acre.

 

[melensdad]

The collapse of our currency is very realistic. . .

Agreed. That is very likely. But its happened in other nations and what have you learned from that? I'm not sure moving in with the 'in-laws' is something that is particularly useful.

Here's one:

1968 Washington, D.C. riots - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No I am sorry but that is NOT a realistic event here in Indiana. An uprising in Gary might be, but the population of Gary has shrunk substantially so even a riot there would likely be a "local" event and not a regional one.

1. Find alternate bug out location(s)
2. Figure out routs and alternate routes between all locations.
3. Figure out alternate shelter for when you have to be on the move:
   • Bugout/camping/hunting trailers
   • Tents
   • Lean to
   • Barns
   • Warehouse
   • Storage Unit

1. 
   Where in Indiana can you go where you are farther than 20 minutes away from other people? If you are camping out on someone else's land you may be confronted by that landowner, ditto sleeping in their barn, warehouse, etc.
   
   But all that still doesn't answer the question of what REALISTIC event will cause you to bug out?
   
   Me, about the only reasons I can come up with are a fire or tornado that takes down my house. As I actually have 2 houses on my property, I'd just move into my guest house if that is still standing. But even if Chicago erupts into civil turmoil I don't see leaving my home.
   
   Currency collapse is not making me flee the safety of my home. Gary, South Bend or Ft Wayne having civil unrest, me I'll just stay home. Flooding of the Ohio, Wabash, Kankakee or any other river, well I live on a hilltop (I choose high ground for a reason!).
   
   Come on folks, the concept of running into the woods is really pretty silly.
   
   Now on the other hand if you want a bit of land so you can be more self-sufficient, you can grow as much as you can possibly eat on just 1 or 2 acres if you intensively garden, use season extending practices, have a greenhouse, etc.
   
   
   
   CONSIDER FOLKS for those of you who may own a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods far away from the sight of the road, and you plan to use your own property as your BOL, have you considered that by the time you actually get to your location its possible someone else may have broken in and secured it for themselves? It is a valid thing to consider. If you are desperate enough to leave, then you need to presume that someone else is desperate enough to 'squat' in your property if they beat you too it, and you better bet they will defend 'their' new home from your intrusion!

 

[teddy12b]

If $10K per acre is too much, go buy land where it's $2K per acre.

I'm not trying to be a total smart alec here, but after reading this my only response I could think of is "Really?!?!?!, I mean no kidding, I should go look for cheaper land?!?!? Why didn't I think of that.

Got a link to where there's land for sale nearby for $2k per acre or was that just a random number?

 

[teddy12b]

Agreed. That is very likely. But its happened in other nations and what have you learned from that? I'm not sure moving in with the 'in-laws' is something that is particularly useful.






No I am sorry but that is NOT a realistic event here in Indiana. An uprising in Gary might be, but the population of Gary has shrunk substantially so even a riot there would likely be a "local" event and not a regional one.





Where in Indiana can you go where you are farther than 20 minutes away from other people? If you are camping out on someone else's land you may be confronted by that landowner, ditto sleeping in their barn, warehouse, etc.

But all that still doesn't answer the question of what REALISTIC event will cause you to bug out?

Me, about the only reasons I can come up with are a fire or tornado that takes down my house. As I actually have 2 houses on my property, I'd just move into my guest house if that is still standing. But even if Chicago erupts into civil turmoil I don't see leaving my home.

Currency collapse is not making me flee the safety of my home. Gary, South Bend or Ft Wayne having civil unrest, me I'll just stay home. Flooding of the Ohio, Wabash, Kankakee or any other river, well I live on a hilltop (I choose high ground for a reason!).

Come on folks, the concept of running into the woods is really pretty silly.

Now on the other hand if you want a bit of land so you can be more self-sufficient, you can grow as much as you can possibly eat on just 1 or 2 acres if you intensively garden, use season extending practices, have a greenhouse, etc.



CONSIDER FOLKS for those of you who may own a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods far away from the sight of the road, and you plan to use your own property as your BOL, have you considered that by the time you actually get to your location its possible someone else may have broken in and secured it for themselves? It is a valid thing to consider. If you are desperate enough to leave, then you need to presume that someone else is desperate enough to 'squat' in your property if they beat you too it, and you better bet they will defend 'their' new home from your intrusion!

As awesome as it would have been if people would have stayed remotely on topic I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I'm not trying to be a total smart alec here, but after reading this my only response I could think of is "Really?!?!?!, I mean no kidding, I should go look for cheaper land?!?!? Why didn't I think of that.

Got a link to where there's land for sale nearby for $2k per acre or was that just a random number?

Dunno where nearby to you is, but I got my last 5 acres of land about six years ago for $1700 an acre. I got my last 30 acres for about $1200 an acre and felt I overspent. This was about 5 years ago. I know where there's under $2k an acre land nearby me, but I'm still deciding whether I want to buy it or not, or recommend it to someone I know well and would want owning land near me.

You don't even want to know what I paid per acre for my first 107 acres 22 years ago

 

[Woodrow]

The collapse of our currency is very realistic. As a matter of fact, it's all but guaranteed.

I plan on moving all my preps into ye olde escape and heading to the in-laws house to live. I'm not sticking around in my little ranch surrounded by a bunch of yuppies to watch them eat each other.

Collapse of currency has historically NEVER led to a mass exodus. The Weimar Republic, the Antebellum CSA economy, the Soviet Union, contemporary Argentina...

Melensdad is asking a fair question. I have yet to read any realistic scenarios in this post or others. Sure, Eric Rudolph, Ted Kaczynski, and Albert Johnson packed up and left, but are these the guys we want to emulate?

Under what circumstances--specific examples--would you leave? Let's make it easy: why is it safer to survive in a totally unfamiliar setting than to survive on your home turf?

 

[6birds]

I'm not trying to be a total smart alec here, but after reading this my only response I could think of is "Really?!?!?!, I mean no kidding, I should go look for cheaper land?!?!? Why didn't I think of that.

Got a link to where there's land for sale nearby for $2k per acre or was that just a random number?

I have over 400 acres in 3 states, (IN/CO/WI), and never spent more than $2K per acre. Maybe you're not looking very hard.