Financing a bug out retreat

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by fl4848, Nov 20, 2022.


  1. fl4848

    fl4848 Monkey+

    I'm just a middle class guy. I don't have lots of discretionary cash lying around, so I don't think I would be able to purchase a bug out retreat with cash

    Do people finance their bug out retreats? Do you get a mortgage on them?

    What are the pros and cons of doing this? If SHTF, would the bank simply come and take it if you don't own it outright?
     
  2. BlueDuck

    BlueDuck Monkey+++

    Depends on the SHIF. Probably won't be any banks. I bought 40 acres 35 years ago on a owner contract. The longer one waits the more it will cost.
     
  3. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    I'm planning on bugging in, not out! I and my immediate family live on 10 acres in a rural setting, although we're a little too close to a near-by large town/small city for my taste...especially if SHTF! My Father's family has lived on this piece of Alabama red clay for 100 years and I'm staying put, come hell, high water or SHTF! In addition to my land, I'm surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland, pasture and woodland, in a true SHTF situation I'll just take what I want, need, can work and can hold! I also have a water well, fishpond, gardens, fruit and nut trees, large metal barn and equipment shed, small tractor and the equipment to go with it, heirloom and hybrid seeds, stored food and fuel, tools, etc. My plans for the near future include an enlarged solar power system, more wood heater/stoves, more propane, greenhouse, and small livestock. I have also been looking into fortifying my home and defending my Doomstead! I was lucky to have been born into this situation, and your local and situation may dictate that you bug-out, but consider staying put if you can!
     
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  4. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    With an attitude like that, better pray no one around you is armed.

    Anyhow, to the OP...kinda late in the game, but it isn't going to be getting any cheaper than right now. I would recommend "owner financing" over a financial institution.
     
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  5. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    If you go to a bank and ask for a loan for a bug out retreat, they will bust a gut laughing.
    Call it a retirement or vacation property, and you may get a loan, but with interest rates like they are now you will need a hefty down payment since banks are trying to cover the coming wave of defaults.
    Look for distressed borrowers trying to salvage something before the bank gets it all.
     
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  6. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    I bought 40 acres by taking out a loan against my 401k, paying cash for the land, although they did have owner financing at the time for 10%, which I thought was kind of steep.

    I switched jobs, and towns, before the loan was paid off, so used some of the proceeds from the sale of my house in the former town to finish up the loan. That was back in 2007. Own a house near a city as well as the remote 40 acre property some 275 miles away. Nearest town of any consequence at all is 60 miles one way.

    Over the years I put in a well with a solar pump (powered with second hand solar panels), small solar power system for everything else (off grid is the ONLY option here), septic, but have only a travel trailer on it which beats the hell out of a tent. Takes years unless you buy property with that stuff already on it or you have a large sum of cash to pay for it up front.

    Retired now so spend most of my time there, doing small improvements as finances allow. Hate debt, so I pay as I go.

    I'm a middle class guy with little more than a high school education and almost a lifetime of experiences. If I can do it, anyone can.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2022
  7. sec_monkey

    sec_monkey SM Security Administrator


    .. .. yer correct about dat .. ..

    .. .. tis an OPSEC violation jus talkin about it .. .. never tell da bank or any folks wut yer up to .. ..

    .. .. dey is gonna aks fer a 10 ta 20% downpayment almost fer sure fer sumthin dat aint yer primary residence .. ..

    .. .. dis is a reel bad time ta be buyin land or a second home .. ..
     
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  8. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    A bad time if you are looking to finance land or anything, but there may be some good buys if a person has cash...
     
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  9. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    It's ALABAMA just about everybody is armed! However, in a TRUE SHTF situation I'll be about the only one around with the tractor, equipment, fuel, seed, etc. to farm the land! In a REAL SHTF situation we'll be about the only ones left alive after about 30 days, seeing as I'm better prepared. Also, most landowners around here are elderly and/or absent so that shouldn't pose a problem, but if it does...hopefully it can be settled by paying a share of the crop and maybe some firewood, otherwise...
     
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  10. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    Establishing a bug-out location is not as easy as y'all think! The "easy" part is finding a good location and buying it! The hard part is actually building and establishing said bug-out location, and then keeping it! In every community, no matter how idyllic, there is a criminal element that will steal your preps the moment you head for home! Thirty years ago, I bought a 40-acre farm from my grandfather's estate in the western part of this county, and my Father warned me that I would never be able to have anything down there or it would be stolen or vandalized! Sadly, he was right! The only way that I could keep a tractor or equipment down there was to park it at a neighbor's place! I eventually sold that farm to the neighboring landowner and bought a 3-acre tract that adjoins my homeplace! It not only added to my property, but it has a house trailer, metal barn and equipment shed. I rent out the trailer and equipment shed, which paid for the land and now pays ALL of my insurance and property taxes. So, unless you have close friends or kin that live NEXT door to your bug-out location you will have to haul all of your preps to that location!
    Also, don't expect to fit right into the community. Most people that live in that remote rural area have lived there all of their lives, and their families have been there for generations. These people have a history that you don't share! Don't make the mistake of joining every organization around, and if you do join a few be sure to sit on the backrow and keep your mouth shut! Two "safe" organizations to join are a local church, and maybe the local volunteer fire dept./neighborhood watch (once you have been asked). Again, join don't try to a leader, and for God's sake NEVER say anything about how you did something somewhere else! Maybe someday your kids or grandkids will be accepted as full-fledged members of the community!
     
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  11. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    Also, some folks, even on the SM forum don't seem to fully grasp the concept of SHTF! Maybe a better term is TEOTWAWKI! Neither refers to anything so mundane as a recession, depression, elections, etc.! Example, the University of Alabama football team is sadly not going to win, nor even play for, the National Championship this year! So, no SHTF! Even though I'm not going to get a new hat with a big #19 on it, that is not a TEOTWAWKI situation! When society collapses, and there is no food, water, power, or fuel, then it will be SHTF! When the people riot, cities burn, and there is no rule of law, then it will be TEOTWAWKI!
     
  12. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Spot-on Wildbilly! I can attest to this personally when I moved here (North Idaho) from overseas. Believe it or not, it took almost 5-years before people here would even talk to me or recognize me with a wave. Most here, came here because they wanted to be 'left alone' by people and the government. However, I can happily state this mentally is changing as people now understand they must organize or be overwhelmed by the Left or the Left's government, so they do reach out more and are more involved with everything and I do mean 'everything.' They realize the days of being left in peace and solitude are over and they must be constantly active, involved in their local communities and governments.

    Building and preparing is nothing more than self-sufficiency and that takes either a lot of time or a lot of money, and sometimes both. Frankly, I'm convinced one is never completely done with this, never totally prepared and completely self-sufficient as there is always more that can be done or improved.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2022
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  13. OldDude49

    OldDude49 Just n old guy

    bug out??? did it work in the USSR??? did it work in CCP?

    hmmm...
     
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  14. fl4848

    fl4848 Monkey+

    Establishing a bug-out location is not as easy as y'all think! The "easy" part is finding a good location and buying it!

    This has actually been the hardest part for me. I live in central Massachusetts. Born here. So finding a good bug out retreat is pretty difficult in this region. Probably one of the worst places to live in the country for a SHTF scenario. I've been eyeing Maine, but there's still a lot of left-ists up there. I don't trust the gov't in Maine. Also, there's a strong "from-away" mentality up there.

    I'd prefer to get a retreat in a red state, but the closest one is Kentucky, which is pretty far away from me.
     
  15. fl4848

    fl4848 Monkey+

    The pros for Maine are that there's a lot of open country and you can get land at a good price. There are a lot of unincorporated sections up there, which means less local gov't. I'm not sure if this means that there is also no building code enforcement. That would be a big plus.

    I think it would probably be better to buy land that already has a house on it. Installing plumbing and electric from scratch would be time consuming and expensive.
     
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  16. fl4848

    fl4848 Monkey+

    What state are you in?

    That's a good idea to take a loan out against your 401k. I've only got 120k in there though.
     
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  17. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    Go west young man. One could get lost in Pennsylvania.
    Red state or Blue state. Doesn't matter.
    All political parties want to control you.
    Your job is to stay under the radar and go gray.

    Hell you could do it in Massachusetts as well Massachusetts Land for Sale - 2,751 Listings | LandWatch
    All you have to do is go for a drive and look around.
    Look for a place where the house/barn has fallen into disrepair and go see the county assessor and find out who owns it and send a letter or if you are lucky and can get their phone number. Call them and ask them if they were considering selling.

    Have cash in hand and use a lawyer if it's not listed for sale.
     
  18. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    Yeah, you can do it anywhere! Doesn't matter if it's the Left Coast or New England, Red state or Blue state! Western Mass, NY and Penn are still fairly rural and more conservative than other areas in the region. Not Red state conservative, but more conservative than the major population centers. Just remember, if you really need that bug-out location in a real SHTF situation that there is gonna be little, if any, government to cause you any grief. There might be some attempt in the early stages of the SHTF to impose "emergency" restrictions on everyone for the" common good", but as resources dwindle everything will shift to the major population centers and away from you...hopefully!
    "Your job is to stay under the radar and go gray." Words to live or die by in SHTF! A lot will depend upon how you present yourself to your new neighbors and TPTB. If you come across as a prepper/survivalist/gun-nut and general pain in the ass, then you are going to be treated differently from a second home owning/organic gardening/Earth-loving/wanna-be hippy that just wants to be left alone. In most Blue states, and some Red states, many of the preps that you will need to acquire are regulated, and some are out right illegal (exp. wood stoves/heaters, fuel storage, small gasoline-powered tools, and of course, guns and ammo), so you need to hide your preps and keep a low-profile...or get put on a list and become a target!
    UNLESS YOU WERE BORN THERE, YOU ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE AN OUTSIDER!! GET USE TO IT!!
     
  19. Wildbilly

    Wildbilly Monkey+++

    In some cases, it could! There are plenty of examples of people that were/are able to live pretty normal lives in the more remote parts of the USSR and CCP, and even in the USA, free from most government interference. TPTB love luxury, and that equates to large cities, usually in the more remote parts of the world there is little, if any, government presence except in the local town or village, which could be miles away. To pull this off, you need to be truly remote, fairly self-sufficient, lower your expectations, stay under the radar and be gray. It might not hurt to become "friendly" with a minor local official or two. To the outside world you would need to appear to be a "good and law-abiding citizen". Life can be hard, and you have to be a good actor to pull it off, but it sometimes it is your only chance to live a "free" life!
     
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  20. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    I'm in Arizona. When I purchased the property, it was going for $800 / acre x 40 acres. Raw land, had to hand cut the heavy brush out of the way before I could even begin to drive a vehicle on it, let alone put up outbuildings such as sheds, room to bring in a well drilling, rig etc. Lots of work, lots of ibuprofen.
     
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