Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Every morning in Africa a gazelle awakens knowing it must today run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning a lion awakens knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It matters not whether you are a gazelle or a lion, when the sun rises you had better be running.” – African Proverb

Letter Re: Strategies for Saving a House in a Foreclosure Situation?

Sir,
I just read your piece on foreclosures. People who are about to get behind on their payments should contact their lender. Banks do not want the properties, they want the cash.
Some lenders are willing to negotiate a modification of the loan terms rather than accept the expense of a foreclosure and resale (usually at a loss) of the property.

Selling the house before the foreclosure process begins is better than waiting because the cost of the foreclosure will be added to the amount they have to repay the bank.
If a person knows they’re going to get behind on their monthly payments, it may be better to fall behind on the credit cards and car payments instead of the house. Credit cards will yell and threaten, but usually little else. The car may be repossessed, but if the house payment is not made it will lead to foreclosure.

Also, in most places (Idaho for sure) bankruptcy will not prevent foreclosure of a residence if the borrower is delinquent on the payments. The borrower granted the lender the right to have the house sold at auction when they signed the deed of trust.

Walking away from the house does not absolve the borrower from the obligation of the debt. More lenders are going after borrowers for a deficiency judgment when the house sells for less than the debt owed.

Finally, those who take advantage of a “Short Sale”, or a transaction where the lender is persuaded to accept less than is owed so the borrower may sell the house may be in for a nasty surprise. The IRS has determined that that portion of the debt which is forgiven may be taxed as income. The lenders will often report that amount to the IRS on Form 1099, thus creating a tax liability which may pop up later when the IRS finds the borrower has assets/income again.

Just the opinion of someone who is involved in the foreclosure process and not as a representative of my employer. – TheOtherChris

Letter Re: Sources for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel in a Grid-Down Collapse

Jim:
Here is a suitable electric pump that will lift fuel from underground tanks. It is 12 Volts DC, Facet Duralift pump , Facet part #40223 / Carrier part # 30-01108-01 SV (available from Carrier Transcold dealers.) They are typically used for commercial truck refrigerators. This pump is self priming to 120 inches (3 meters). Its designed to lift fuel 10 feet straight up.

It is not cheap, at an average price of $125 from the dealer, but it works. I have one on my ’88 F250 7.3 IDI Diesel to solve fuel delivery problems.

It also has a see-through water/trash separator bowl with a pre screen. Regards, – Tim P.

Two Letters Re: Small Town Newcomers and Home Development Covenants

Jim:
In my opinion Violas’s comments are balderdash! That’s my reaction to all the ranting over “restrictive covenants”. I wouldn’t buy a piece of property in any sort of subdivision that didn’t have such rules. Let me share the experience that convinced me:

About five years ago, I bought a piece of investment property in a small, rural Wyoming subdivision. Lot sizes were 3 to 10 acres and covenants were attached. Those covenants were common sense in nature. hey boiled down to simply treating your neighbor as you would be treated.

Problem was, the covenants weren’t enforced. “Nobody’s gonna tell me what I can do with my property.” You know the litany. The inevitable results:

Animals – The covenants had no restrictions against domestic or small-sized commercial operations–i.e., half dozen horses, 20 or 30 turkeys, goats, etc. Guess what happens? Some clod runs a dozen horses on a three acre lot. Takes about 90 days until all the vegetation is dead and the neighbors are treated to pulverized horse manure and dust blowing in on their pancakes every time a breeze kicks up.

Junk – Covenants allowed up to three junk cars, plus a camper, utility trailers and even farm machinery (junk or otherwise). What happens? You got it, doesn’t take long until 2 or 3 people have turned their yards into trash heaps: old tires, worn out swamp coolers, scrap metal, you name it.

Lighting – Covenants simply said we had a “Dark Skies” policy and that folks were asked to use motion detecting or intermittent lighting and that any outdoor lighting did not shine directly on neighboring property. Yep, the first thing you got is million candlepower “security lights” that blaze away from dusk until dawn.

Temporary structures – The covenants prohibit anyone from moving a camper in and living in it. However, if they were constructing a home, they could reside in a camper on-site for a “reasonable” period of time, up to two years. Thanks to unenforced covenants, a family moves in an old camper and settles in. Their septic system? They dug a hole in the ground and piped the sewage into that hole. (Yeah, thank God we don’t have to worry about covenants!)

The list goes on, but I’ve made my point. Anyway, property values drop, decent folks sell out and are replaced by down and outers who can’t afford to keep up the property. Pretty soon, it looks like Tobacco Road.

Our solution? We sold the property as soon as we realized that the covenants were being ignored. We are glad that we did! Keep the Faith, – Dutch

 

Hi Jim,
I wanted to write in response to the latest Weekly Survival Real Estate Update. He mentioned the phenomena of outsiders moving in and establishing “covenants”, restrictive ones, which help to alter the real estate landscape, among other things. This touches on something I’ve noticed in every town I work in that is experiencing growth. Dilution.
The locals at first love the idea of new services coming from the taxes and development fees from new construction. But after awhile, they find out that the new comers don’t give a rat’s furry behind about any kind of local tradition, culture, or even cordiality. They just buy-in, settle-down (maybe) and vote. The new people vote their own ways, chose a route they prefer, and eventually dilute the will and preferences of people having lived there for years, or decades.

My little town of what used to be 9,000 is now over 14,000. The extra 5,000 seem to think that “old town” doesn’t exist, or is so out-of-date that its concerns don’t matter. It’s not nice, and it’s not comfortable. Lots of the locals have moved out, and renters have taken their place, and we know about renters around here. They move in and show all the lack of concern mentioned above, and they add new problems – dirty yards, dead cars, smells and noise. They don’t care. They don’t have any investment. The newcomers form a serious voting bloc, and are ready to okay assessments and fees on the old town. We need to pay for their developments? Sheesh!

I really would like to get up there. But I gotta wonder, how many Kalifornians have already beat feet to Idaho and Montana and found that they can alter the balance? How many of my recently removed idiot neighbors have decided that the scenery is for them, and screw the locals and their backwards ways? Does the indigenous population understand what is coming their way? You’re concerned about the hordes from the cities in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, but you might well see plenty of them ahead of time. And they vote. They will vote according to their comfort desires. They may vote in a government that is hostile to your current freedoms. They may vote in politicians that will expand liberal Schumer deeper into your lives. They will do what they want, and “what’s best” for you – whether you want it or not.

I hope that the natives understand, and are prepared to fight the battles at the polls that will need to be won. If I ever make it up there, I’d really like to not see just another transplanted Californian mentality. – Randy in Central California

Two Letters Re: Grain Storage and Preparation

Sir;
We have what may be stupid question, however, we do not know how to grind wheat. We would like to ask how to prepare wheat for cooking and use.We have searched your great site but I did not find the answer on this. We would like to take advantage of this inexpensive food. Thanks so much . Your work is appreciated. – EG

 

Mr Rawles,
My family and I are doing our best to prepare for the tough times ahead. Something’s brewing, I’m sure we all can feel it. One thing we’d love to keep a store of is cracked corn. The versatility, caloric and nutritional value, etc., makes dry corn a great prospect for our stores. We get it in 50 pound sacks from our local feed store for only about $6.50, where 50 pounds of wheat now costs us $50 ($15 of which is shipping). Please advise me how best to keep cracked corn. I know it won’t keep long in the paper sacks. I’ve looked into five gallon buckets with seals in the lids, and we have a vacuum sealer. I would also like to know how dry corn holds up with climate change. Here we experience temperatures between about 5 degrees F and 120 degrees F throughout the year. Can corn be sealed and stored outside with these temperatures? For how long at best? We’re striving for five plus years if at all possible, most likely not having electricity. As time is short, please try to get back to me as soon as possible or link me to where you may have already answered these questions. Thank you very much in advance for any help at all which you’re able to offer. God bless you! – Mitch


JWR Replies: For someone planning ahead for “grid down” circumstances, I recommend getting a hand crank-powered grain mill. To make flour that is fine enough for bread baking, you need to run wheat through a mill twice. The best mills use stone burrs. Some of the less expansive mills use metal burrs. But these are just fine for making corn meal. The meal burr mills such as the “Corona” are less expensive but more labor intensive. With these you might have to grind wheat three times to make fine flour. Here at the ranch we use a Country Living grain mill. They are very efficient, and their crank wheels have a V-belt notch, which makes motorizing or pedal-power converting them quite easy. OBTW, I heard that this model will have a 15% price increase from the manufacturer on February 1, 2008, so if you want one, get your order in soon.

Metal burr grinders are available from Nitro-Pak, Lehman’s, and several other vendors. Stone burr grinders are available from Ready Made Resources, Lehman’s, and many other vendors.

OBTW, in addition to buying yourself a mill for grinding flour, don’t overlook the easiest preparation method of all: soaked wheat berries. By simply soaking whole wheat for 24 to 36 hours, it plumps and softens. When then heated, wheat berries make a nutritious breakfast cereal.

Corn stores best in whole kernels. Once it is cracked, the inner germ is exposed. This decreases its storage life and nutritive value by 80%. Running whole corn through a grain mill at a coarse setting to make cracked corn is quick and easy. A finer setting will yield corn meal.

Unless you have large scale grain bins, one of the most efficient means of storing wheat and corn for small-scale animal feed or human consumption is to buy new galvanized trash cans with tight-fitting lids. If they will be on a damp floor, put the cans up on 2×4 blocks to prevent rust. When galvanized trash barrels go on sale, buy a bunch. Another good storage method is 5 or 6 gallon food grade plastic buckets with gasketed lids. These stack well, but be advised that they are not as vermin-proof as galvanized steel bins or barrels. Determined rats have been known to gnaw their way through plastic food buckets. So if you choose this method, be sure to set traps, and check the buckets once every few weeks for signs of damage. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, do not use utility-type plastic paint buckets. Even if bought brand new these can taint food, because they are often molded using non-food-grade (toxic) mold release agents.

Grain storage is a crucial aspect of family preparedness. Grain will soon no longer be cheap or plentiful, so stock up! Readers JP and Commander Zero suggested this Financial Post (Canada) article: Forget oil, the new global crisis is food And meanwhile, we read: Japan to Increase Emergency Stockpiles of Grains, Wheat has jumped to $10 per bushel, but I anticipate that it will go much higher in the next year. Stock up, in quantity. Buy plenty for your family and your livestock. A total of 200 pounds of wheat and 50 pounds of corn per family member are good figures for planning purposes for a family without livestock. I also recommend buying plenty of extra for barter and charity. You’ll soon be glad that you did

Speaking of charity, if you store extra wheat and/or corn for charity, remember that your charity recipients will need a way to process that grain. So be sure to be on the lookout for a few inexpensive used grain mills. You can often find used Corona brand mills (or similar) on eBay or on Craig’s List

Letter Re: Strategies for Saving a House in a Foreclosure Situation?

Hi Jim,
Are there any strategies, (i.e.- negotiations, dickering, etc…) that you can recommend for a after a TSHTF situation in which the government has raised taxes so much that you are hinging on hanging on to your retreat? Any examples that worked back in the 1930s? I know you can relate due to your family’s history that you have spoken of. What could we do as a plan to save our properties?
Who can we expect to knock on the door, (i.e.- what entities)?
Do you think there will be more motivation to seize productive ground?
Do you think there will be more motivation to seize ground that has equity in it?
Do you think there will be more of a chance of the Government or the Lender coming to knock on the door if you fall behind on your mortgage payments or property tax installment?
Do you think legal representation will actually prove beneficial under such implied circumstances?
Would you recommend being overly helpful to them at that hypothetical point, or would you recommend dragging your feet hoping that maybe they go on to a quicker seizure of someone else’s property?
These are questions that I hasten to type, but, maybe someone has thought of the aftermath and can offer some good sound advice since we will unlikely be able to communicate or have access to the Internet under such circumstances, nor afford an expensive Attorney. – The Wanderer

JWR Replies: I’d like to address this from two distinct angles: tax delinquency and mortgage delinquency. I’ll address mortgage delinquency first, since it is far more likely.

Mortgage Delinquency:

It may sound like an elementary precept, but when you buy any property using a mortgage, you don’t really own that property until the mortgage is paid in full. It is the banker’s house, not yours, until it is entirely paid off. In essence, in the eyes of the law the lender is still the owner. If you get delinquent in your payments for long enough (it varies depending on the state where you live), then you can count on foreclosure and if need be, being forcibly evicted. Currently the county sheriff’s deputies in California’s post-bubble Central Valley are presently busy with a lot of evictions.

Before talking about delinquency and foreclosure, I should mention one protective measure. State laws vary, but a Declaration of Homestead can help protect your house (and typically just the one acre that it sits on) from creditors in some circumstances. Be sure to research your state’s declaration of homestead law thoroughly. In many states, a homestead exemption is automatic–you aren’t required to file a homestead declaration in order to claim the homestead exempt status. Again, these laws can vary widely, so do your homework.

Here are some of my thoughts on the four most-often suggested solutions for preventing foreclosure:

Borrow money from friends or family members: This might be an option, but unless you know for certain that you can meet the new payment schedule, then don’t do it. It will only cause familial strife that could last for decades.

Borrow from a different bank to get back up to date on past-due payments: This can be accomplished by means of a second mortgage, but I must warn readers that is having trouble paying a first mortgage, then taking out a second mortgage is most likely just a stop-gap measure.

File in Bankruptcy Court (Chapter 7 or 13): Generally not recommended, since it could take decades to recover. You could conceivably keep a mortgaged house when going through either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.

Sell the property: Most people consider this a last resort, but my personal opinion is that it should be the first option that you consider. Typically, if you find new financing then you will most likely fall behind again on your payments and the end result will be the same: foreclosure. So it is usually best to cut your losses and sell the house. If you are in a situation where you “upside down” in the mortgage (where the value of the property has declined to below what you still owe on the property), then it is probably best to just pack up and move, and mail you banker the keys. (This has recently been dubbed “jingle mail.”) With continuing sharp declines in house prices expected in the next few years in the over-bought coastal markets, I predict that the “Midnight Flit” will become a commonplace occurrence.

 

Tax Delinquency:
This was the situation that my great grandparents were in, back in the 1930s. They owned a large sheep ranch in northern California. At the beginning of the Great Depression they were land rich but cash poor. By the end of the Depression, that had neither much money or land. By 1942, the county had taken most of the ranch for back taxes.

The only safe and sure prevention for such situations is to have cash in the bank, or highly liquid tangibles (such as precious metals). With cash in the bank you can sleep well, knowing that you’ll always be able to pay your property taxes. The property tax rates vary tremendously from state to state. The tax rates tend to be the highest in the northeastern US, and lowest in the south and the west. Needless to say, I recommend relocation to states with low property tax rates.

If and when you can’t pay your taxes, you can try some legal maneuvers, but once the deputies arrive, don’t try anything melodramatic. They are just the instrument of the courts, and it is in the courts that you must find your remedy and recourse. When it comes to foreclosures, unless you live in a county with a particularly corrupt government, I don’t thing that it will make much difference how much equity you hold, and or whether or not the land is productive. If you get in arrears on your taxes, they will be “equal opportunity destroyers.” The tax sales may get delayed in some cases, but inevitably if you don’t pay the taxes, then the land will be seized.

OBTW, speaking of forfeiture for back taxes, if you are looking for bargain retreat properties in rural regions, you can occasionally find small parcels that are available for just the price of catching up on their back taxes. (Again, state laws vary widely.) Typically these are undeveloped parcels that were bought decades before. The owners, often out of state, changed mailing addresses, and somewhere along the line–often because of a death in the family–the property was forgotten, the taxes lapsed, and with no mail forwarding address, the property was eventually seized by the county for back taxes. You can find some such properties through services like Foreclosure.com. But in some cases you have to visit the County Recorder/Assessor’s Office to find out about such parcels. You should get to know the people at your Recorder’s office anyway, so if nothing else this is a good excuse to go and visit.

Letter Re: The Precious Metals Bull Charges Onward

Jim-
You noted gold reaching an all-time high on Wednesday the 2nd of January. But this writer says: “I’m not really sure how all the ‘Gold at 27-year high’ headlines came to be, but my own calculations tell me that gold would have to break at least $2,400 an ounce [adjusted for inflation] to break its supposed 27-year high.”

If that argument is accurate, perhaps it is not yet time to think about getting out of gold 20% at a time just yet. – Robert B.

JWR Replies: The “adjusted for inflation” calculations on the real value of gold are indeed valid, but those folks seem to assume that there are free markets. Sadly, there aren’t–they are unfortunately manipulated in a number of ways. The missing variables in calculating the next likely market tops for silver and gold are A.) market regulation, and B.) central bank metals selling and leasing. If The Powers That Be (TPTB) decide that the prices of gold and silver are getting “inflated” then they can either change the trading rules–like the CBOT and COMEX did in 1980, when they drastically raised the margin requirements on silver futures contracts and capped silver futures contract holdings, to stop the Hunt Brothers silver rally–or they can simply announce that there will be some big government gold sales. (Sales of hundred of tons of gold are commonplace.) Either of those would crash the relatively thin metals market. I believe that manipulators will start making such moves when they start to feel discomfort as rising precious metals prices reveal the real value of the fire kindling that they call “money”. I predict that this discomfort will reach painful proportions once the price of gold passes €1,000 Euros per ounce. The emperor cannot afford to be seen sans-culottes. If and when TPTB want to push down the price of metals, they will. I am merely recommending that SurvivalBlog readers conservatively unwind the speculative side of of their metals portfolios before this happens. I recommend that take your profit and reinvest your capital in other tangibles such as productive farm land.

An aside: The whole concept of the gold price being “inflated” is laughable, since it is the un-backed paper currencies that have been unbridled, while the metals have effectively been stable. There is only a limited supply of gold in the world, but a virtually unlimited supply of paper and ink. Understanding the “price” versus “value” of precious metals is all a matter of perspective. As economist Howard J. Ruff pointed out three decades ago: An ounce of gold would buy a nice man’s suit a century ago, and one ounce will still buy a nice suit today. It is not the value of gold that has changed, but rather it is the value of the fiat paper currencies that has changed. They have all been destroyed by inflation at various rates

There is one other factor that makes metals market predictions almost impossible: the small size of both the “above ground” precious metals market and the market for mining shares. Both of these are so small compared to the global “digits” economy, which–even without derivatives–is measured in trillions. The capitalization of all of the mining companies in the world combined is smaller than the capitalization of the Big Three auto makers. The metals markets are so thin that they are quite vulnerable to manipulation.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric S. sent this one: Deadbeat America: Late Payments Soar. It is not reassuring to see that late payment rates are spiking in relatively “good times” with an employment rate that is just starting to falter. Obviously American consumers have collectively gone deep into debt. In the next recession we will undoubtedly see unprecedented delinquency and default rates, followed soon after by a spike in personal bankruptcies. Oh, but wait a minute, US bankruptcy laws have become less lenient.

   o o o

And Eric also forwarded us this: Americans Sold Out to Foreign Firms at Record Rate

   o o o

From The Oil Drum editors: Oil Price Touches $100 a Barrel; Signal of Pending Oil Shortages Ignored

   o o o

Passenger jets get anti-missile devices

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man’s needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of wealth; this is the economic means. The other is the uncompensated appropriation of wealth produced by others; this is the political means.” – Albert Jay Nock

Letter Re: Rolled-Up Sleeves Work

Jim,
Do you think the subject of work gets underplayed in the survivalist movement? It seems that most of survivalist conversation is about firearms, bug-out tanks, and quasi-military offensive and defensive [tactics and] strategies. What about work, hard manual labor? Yes, work is a ugly four letter word. It is a “hard” word that implies sore muscles, sweating, fatigue, things that it is “hard” (pun intended) to put a happy face on.

Firearms are fun, fun to talk about, shop for, practice with, and debate my choice is better than the other guy’s choice. If the SHTF there may be many firefights, or there maybe very few firefights. What is for certain is there will be a lot of hard manual labor that someone is going to have to perform.

Here is an example of the point I am trying to make: If one has a private 300-yard firearms shooting range, and a 10′ x 12′ enclosed heated building at one end, built for the sole purpose of shooting in any weather. Perhaps another person might say, “wow, if I had my own shooting range like that, I would be shooting all the time”.

However the guy with the private range spends most of his time working, laying in 8 to 10 cords of split firewood, fixing chainsaws, repairing and painting buildings, building new buildings, fixing machinery, fixing roads and driveways, caring for animals, tending and harvesting the garden. Running a small home business. Planting cash crops to pay for the paint, lumber, and yes, the firearms.
It seems there is this unspoken idea or subconscious feeling that if you have enough firepower and are among the chosen few to escape the urban institutions for the insane; that one will arrive at the place of “bliss”. That the hard part is over, that one has escaped, one has achieved a sizeable victory, and now things will be easy or easier.
Yes, I know that survivalists don’t really think that is true, they know at some level that it will never again be easy.
And yet over and over people write to you (Jim) listing their firearms inventory. Some other survival blogs, books and magazines devote the preponderance of space about the perfect firearms, as if the single most important factor in survival is: “have the right firearm”. Please keep up the good work, – DAV

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning the sweat factor. When talking in abstract terms about preparedness in a blog, it is easy to lose sight of the numbers of hours and gallons of sweat required to make some of these preparations come to fruition. I can assure you that we expend plenty of sweat here at the Rawles Ranch. In the past year, most of this effort has been on fencing work. Since the price of hay shot up last year in the western US, there has been a lot of livestock available at either greatly reduced prices, or even free for the taking. The Memsahib took this opportunity to increase our livestock headcount. Consequently, it also meant that we had to greatly expand and improve our perimeter fencing, cross fencing, gates, corrals, and chutes.

Meanwhile, we have also expanded our garden plot, and that took laboriously digging umpteen post holes in rocky ground for the fence posts. The posts, BTW, were all from cedars that I felled here on the ranch, cut to 12 foot lengths (to provide a 9 foot high fence). This of course also necessitated dragging the posts, peeling them, and painting the bottom three feet of each with a bug-resistant copper-based solution. Read: work, work, and more work. The “bliss” factor only comes at the end of a hard day when I can enjoy a glass of iced tea and switch to my light work–blogging.

Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

North Idaho Update
I just had a call from a local Realtor informing me that a currently-approved retreat property just outside of Bonners Ferry, Idaho has just been reduced by 20%! This spectacular retreat has a large functional home on 10 sloping acres and is shielded from the small county road by a stand of timber. The home enjoys big views of the snow capped mountains and rates an overall 8.5 out of 10, relating to defensibility, sun exposure and water availability. List price has been dropped from the high $370,000 to under $299,000! Please email me for further information.

Viola Moss, our approved Northwest Montana Survival Real Estate Agent has the following report on the Montana market, thanks Viola! – Todd Savage

2007 Year End ~ Northwest Montana Survival Real Estate Update
Greetings fellow Preppers! Here is a report looking at our past and present real estate market in beautiful Northwest Montana.

We have a good news/bad news scenario. Of course, one’s news depends on if you are the buyer or seller. This news is very interesting in light of the rest of the U.S.A.
While number of sales is slumping and prices are being slashed in many areas of the country, our market remains stable. That is not to say that we don’t have issues and that the rest of the nation’s problems don’t domino effect us – because they do.

The biggest effect I see, is that there are many buyers wanting to come here but they have to sell their existing property to make that purchase.

Let’s look at the past two years in this market.

First, the good news. This area of the country is the #2 choice for buyers which is good for sellers and until lately, we have been a seller’s market. However, I see this beginning to be transitional.

Since 2005, even when most of the nation was experiencing the first signs of a crash to come, this desirable locale has enjoyed an increase in the average price of property sold, rising 9% in 2006 and another 23% in 2007 for a total increase of 32%. I see this finally leveling out. This is especially true if the market doesn’t get better for the rest of the nation.

Two items particularly affecting this is 1) having lenders make it easier to get loans (which they are increasing their requirements) and 2) the economy changing so that those who are trying to sell can do so at a decent price in order to relocate here. This would help the buyer. The domino effect will be, if buyers can’t make a purchase due to limited funds, then sellers will be forced to lower prices or take their property off the market.

In any case, have you ever asked yourself:

“What will happen if the majority of the people decide they want to move to the Northwest (Idaho/ Montana) or other more remote areas? Would this not further reduce the chances to sell my property as there will be fewer buyers in a market and economy that is fast declining?”

“What if there is a Northwest land rush?”

“What if a local/national/global economic or natural disaster destroys my job, property or town before I get around to putting my current house on the market? What will I have left then for funds to relocate or purchase a retreat?” [TS adds: every reason to walk away from the high life and live at your retreat with a self-sustainable home business.]

As we all know, these could very well be possible scenarios. It’s possible that you’re wrestling with “stepping down” in your comfort level and lifestyle only to later find yourself possibly in a more dire place of need and you would be “stepping up” from where you have landed as a result of such calamities.

Have you paid attention to the real news and note what doesn’t make the .GOV- controlled news regarding property being destroyed and people having to move to FEMA trailer camps? This is nationwide, not just on the coastlines. [TS adds: For real uncensored new and commentary from all over the world try Blacklisted News instead of the big four government propaganda media outlets, FOX, CNN, NBC and CBS] Having our property destroyed was a very possible scenario for us back in 2004 having had to dodge hurricanes, Charlie, Frances, Jean and Ivan living in Florida. Though we were in the process of selling and trying to relocate, as we headed for safe zones to let the wind blow over, we were never sure if we would have a home to return to and sell!

I took a few weeks at the time (just before selling and moving here to Northwest Montana ) and I worked for a subcontractor to FEMA inspecting and evaluating homes for qualification of repair funds. Many people had nowhere to move to other than out-of-state or a few hours drive away because there were so many homes destroyed and/or damaged. Many who were not moved to FEMA trailer courts were living in homes that continued to have mold growing, since insurance inspectors couldn’t respond for months and contractors weren’t available nor were materials available to repair them. Some of these homes were hit by more than one hurricane or storm and the damage continued to increase while they lived in the home! They didn’t have funds to go anywhere else and they were happy if they still had a job! Would you like living in a house with parts of the roof missing and/or mold growing along the ceiling and down the walls to the floor? Be prepared!

One might want to consider and ask themselves, “Do I really believe hard times are coming.? And if so, am I just going to think about it or am I going to do something about it?”

The thinking part will do one no good when the time comes. Also, consider, many are holding back because the rest of their family or friends who are not in the same line of thinking and won’t budge. Most likely they won’t want to leave but will put their heads in the sand. Those that decide not to make the big move because they just can’t emotionally leave their extended loved ones behind and not care for them will be in denial. I know, I’ve been there and done that, and I see it frequently with my clients.

By the way, after three years, my whole immediate family has finally moved here and prefer it to the comforts they had. I only have two brothers left to come to their senses and do something. They think and they know but don’t act.

Let me ask you, “If you really believe a day is coming of reckoning for this country, and you don’t relocate now — what good are you going to be for your loved ones? Though you may have to part from them now and it will bring you tears and heartache –how much grief, sorrow and remorse will you have when your loved ones will not have a place to run to – that being you and your new location?!” Sometimes we need to make pre-ordained moves knowing that we’ll need get ready to care for our family when the perilous times come

True, they may wait too late and never make it out. But if you don’t make your move now, they surely won’t have much chance, nor will you, short of a miracle and great mercy! Thus, you may have to make a hard choice now but it will bring great joy in the future and you may have a chance of having your family being a surviving remnant for future generations.

Back to the good news for Sellers. So the average price for your property here has increased and the average days on the market has decreased! Good news, now it takes only an average of 6 months to sell versus the 9 months that it took two years ago. Not bad considering the average number of properties sold has decreased 32% (down 15% for 2006 and down 17% for 2007.) This has resulted in a total sales volume decrease of 16% (almost an $8 million drop)!

Now for the bad news. The bad news buyers are already aware of , but Sellers are just now beginning to come out of their slumber. Prices have soared, banks are making loans more difficult to obtain, and the economy is keeping them from making a sale of their existing property or lowering their income in order to make that wanted purchase.

Point in case, this bad news for buyers is catching up and the Sellers here are beginning to feel the impact. So what are they doing?

One thing that really puts a burr under my saddle and yours whether you realize it or not is a new trend which I consider to be a major death to liberty and what made this country so great and this state for that matter. This trend is making it more and more difficult for me to cull through the listings and find you property in spite of more inventory, especially in newly subdivided land listings. Do you know what it is? Can you guess?

It is an ironic problem for the great, free and open Big Sky country. Her land liberties are quickly fading. This is a result of mostly baby boomer’s moving in and bringing their citified, suburban, “service me and don’t let anything be an inconvenience to me” liberal, socialistic mentality. This slaps in the face of the liberty loving, self-sustaining, mind your own business but do right to others mentality of most of the folks here.

Then we have the baby boomer locals who are ignorantly or knowingly being fueled by greed aiding this epidemic. They are exchanging life and liberty for “making a buck” now. These same people, those here taking advantage of the situation and those who are moving in with this mentality will one day be begging for their antics to be reversed and will be crying and wishing they had a neighbor who had a chicken that lays eggs (which might inconvenience them in the morning with a cackle or crow), goat, sheep, cattle, garden, etc. and even an extra dwelling or two for extended family or friends to have a place of shelter.

Surely, you have guessed my burr by now! Restrictive covenants! Somehow, I learned a covenant was to protect and provide for two parties for the good of all. Nowhere did I learn a covenant was for taking livelihood and liberty and controlling how one moral person should live. They should be called Gestapo tactics, fascists, communistic, controlling, whatever word you may want to choose. It is getting ridiculous. It could be funny except it will be heart breaking. It will become criminal to have your dog bark! Honestly, I just reviewed a new subdivision covenants for potential buyers and found the following wording:

“…no trade, craft, business, profession, religion , educational , commercial or manufacturing activity shall be carried on or conducted on any lot or from any single family residence.”

Do you see the problem with this? It is written in such a way that one could argue that you couldn’t sell Avon from home, have a prayer or Bible meeting, or home school! I know, some of you won’t see or understand this until you have become the victim of it.

Now, let’s skip all the other things that make me angry regarding whether you can have a fence, the size of your home, yada, yada, yada and get to the animal part.

“…no animals or livestock of any kind other than horse, dog, cat or bird shall be kept or maintained on any lot … All animals permitted by this section shall be contained within the boundaries [no problem with this as it is only courteous and being responsible] of their owner’s lot. Provided however, any animal that barks, howls, roams at large or chases vehicles …shall not be kept in the subdivision at any time.”

Let’s keep in mind that these subdivision rules are for parcels four acres or larger and that you can’t have fences or trees, etc. to block another’s view of the mountains or deter the wildlife.

Now, let me ask you, “Can you expect to have wildlife outside your back door and not have a dog bark?”

To bank on this new trend of silent dogs, I thought of opening a clinic to de-vocalize dogs but that would be a crime unless I had a vet’s license and then I would go to jail for animal abuse. Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we tell the deer they can’t jump in the yard and the grizzlies not to eat our raspberries and cross our property? How about that mountain lion? Why can’t we restrict the wildlife so dogs can bark and men can work for a living cutting timber and mining, etc? Sarcasm intended. Reminds me of California!

Dogs have lost their rights along with people. Think about it – how far and which end of the scale of bizarre can we go?

Now, let me ask you, what good is having new parcels subdivided out of larger parcels if it becomes a crime to home school, have a prayer meeting, work from your home, not have a mini farmstead and your dog can’t bark?

In actuality, the basic restrictions required by the state of Montana are minimal and one of the reasons why I love this state. However, the sellers and developers think that by adding their covenants and restrictions, their property value will increase and protect them in the future. Oh what the loss! They do not see! And they think its all — for a dollar!?

I hope I see people refuse to buy these restricted use properties and demand properties that can be used as land should be. These types of properties could actually be of higher value due to the lack of inventory for such!

I have many buyers who would like to come to this wonderful neck of the woods but finding affordable property without covenants is harder to do every day. Though I may have 80 listings to cull through, only about 10 or less are not restricted wherein you could have a chicken, goat, sheep or garden to be a somewhat mini self-sustainable homestead. To further this burr, most listing databases I use don’t have a data entry box so I can sort through covenants. I have to research each listing individually. To further drive this burr in, some Realtors and sellers don’t make this information easily available and don’t want self reliant buyers.

So, buyers beware, though there are many properties that may appeal to you, be sure to ask the Realtor to research the covenants before you even waste your time and don’t make an offer without knowing the covenants and/or making it a contingency for them to be provided, reviewed and approved. If you find a property you like and want to move on it, move and make an offer! But reserve the right to approve the covenants as a contingency to the sale. Also, don’t rely on the Realtor or owner to answer this question – go to the courthouse and title company to double check. Even though I’m a Realtor, there have been times that the listing agent or owner I requested the information from told me, “There are no covenants or minimal ones.” Then I did further research and found out – it was not true!

Buying bigger parcels are usually not affordable for many people. So you may seriously want to consider getting together with other families and raise the funds to subdivide the property and not add on additional restrictive covenants in order to get what is needed for living as free as possible in these days. We may all very well be forced to come together out of necessity and not individual self comfort to find a place where we can continue to raise a family and have a future.

We are fast coming into more bondage in this country. It is not far off that we may have to provide our own straw to make the bricks for the homes we will never own. So, don’t wait too long to get out of the comforts you have now have before it is too late to make that move

[TS adds; One last note, for the ultimate in seclusion., privacy and protection ask Viola about listings in the Yaak River Valley, where less than 4% of the land is privately owned, perfect for the ultimate retreat!] If you would like more information on unrestricted land and homes here in Northwestern Montana please contact me! Viola K. Moss Phone 406-293-2939 E-mail: mtnmama@kvis.net

Odds ‘n Sods:

Perennial contributor Eric S. sent us this: Saxo Bank’s ‘outrageous predictions’ are grim. (They are predicting a 25% drop in the S&P and as much as a 40% drop in China’s stock market.)

   o o o

Don’t miss the new SurvivalRealty.com listing in North Carolina with gravity-fed spring water.

   o o o

On a recent road trip over the holidays, we noticed that the graffiti blight in America’s urban areas seems to be getting worse. Living out in the hinterboonies as we do, the only significant graffiti that we see is the mobile sort that comes to us–painted on the sides of train cars. But in the big cities, and now even in the suburbs, it seems to have become more pernicious and widespread than dandelions. If graffiti is any gauge of respect for the property of others, then my advice is: don’t consider an area where you see graffiti a viable “retreat” area.

   o o o

Jim from Illinois suggested this article: Disappearing Towns in North Dakota. Jim asks: “I would think that there are already wells and electrical power at these sites, but I was wondering if a group of survivalists could buy a declining town, appoint a Sheriff and deputize everyone in the town. This would allow the deputized residents more freedom in the selection of firearms and concealed carry should not be an issue. In the article one man said that he often goes six months without seeing anyone, so the area is quite isolated. The down side would be the brutal climate, nuclear weapons close by and the lack of jobs.”