This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The End of the American Dream.
In 2017 and 2018, most Americans were generally feeling pretty good about the future, and interest in “prepping” plummeted nationwide. But now things have changed.
All of a sudden, demand for “prepper properties” is absolutely soaring, and this is driving up the prices of rural homes all over the nation. In fact, in some of the hottest areas, working-class families have already been completely priced out of the market. Meanwhile, luxury home prices in the heart of New York City have fallen to the lowest level in six years. Many are deeply concerned about the upcoming election, and many others are alarmed by all the other crazy stuff happening all over the world, but whatever the motivation it is undeniable that an increasing number of Americans are seeking to flee the major cities right now. There seems to be a growing consensus that our society is rapidly steamrolling toward a nightmare, and a lot of people are purchasing “prepper properties” while they still can.
I knew that conditions were shifting, but I was stunned when I saw that even Realtor.com had posted an article about this growing trend…
But today, Americans en masse are again preparing for the worst—and Communists are just about the only thing not on their list. What is? Terrorist attacks, a total economic collapse, perhaps even zombie invasions. Or maybe just a complete societal breakdown after this November’s scorched-Earth presidential election.
And Reuters just posted an article in which they discussed the fact that preppers have “boosted rural land values” in property markets all across the nation…
Whichever camp, realtors say the new dropouts are not “crackpots” and often include affluent professionals whose run for the hills has boosted rural land values and started to change their property market.
“I’ve had hedge-fund managers and billionaires that have made purchases, and they all have concerns about the direction of the economy and social stability,” said John E. Haynes, president of Retreat Realty in North Carolina.
That same Reuters article identified “Idaho, Montana and Wyoming” as three of the states with the hottest property markets. It has gotten to the point where even some of the biggest celebrities in the country are very eager to grab a slice of rural life. For example, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian just purchased a second extremely large ranch in Wyoming.
But mostly this trend is being driven by preppers, survivalists and those that want to own an “off-grid property”. The following comes from a recent NPR article…
Welcome to the world of sustainable, survivalist real estate. There’s a growing market for this kind of off-grid property. Mondale figures over the past six to eight years, sales of these survivalist properties have risen by 50 percent.
“It seems like over the past few years, there’s just this need, I don’t want to say panic or frantic, but people feeling the need to be able to have someplace to go,” Mondale says.
Real estate agent Theresa Mondale has been in this game for a very long time, and she has never seen the market as hot as it is right now.
In fact, some of the prepper properties that she has listed sell for more than a million dollars…
Despite the remoteness of these homes, they’re not backwoods shacks with sagging metal roofs. Some of her listings sell for more than $1 million if there’s a lot of land and if water rights are included. The one with the helicopter pad is a spiffy, two-story log home with a wraparound porch. It has solar panels and inside, a backup generator, luxury bathrooms and a kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
Over in Idaho, real estate agent, Todd Savage has also noticed a huge surge in interest in prepper properties. He told Realtor.com that his sales are up 50 percent compared to a year ago…
For example, sales at American Redoubt Realty, a real estate firm nestled in the heart of prepper country in northern Idaho, are up 50% over the same time last year, says real estate agent Todd Savage, who specializes in such transactions. His clients typically hail from Texas and California.
As we approach the 2020 election, demand is going to continue to surge, and prices are only going to go higher.
And if great chaos breaks out during the aftermath of the election, that will drive prices into the stratosphere.
We live at a time when our nation is very deeply divided, but at the same time, people from all walks of life are extremely concerned about where our society is heading.
In the event that things really start to fall apart, people want their families to be safe, and safety is not going to be found in the major cities.
Of course, some developers are taking things to the extreme. For example, one developer has actually transformed a former nuclear missile silo in Kansas into what he is calling “survival condos”…
Larry Hall is the brainchild behind such luxury developments which he refers to as ‘Survival Condos’. The project is a luxury complex housed 15 stories below ground in a former missile silo near Concordia, Kansas.
The missile silos were originally built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s during the Cold War for the Atlas F missile, and there were 72 of them around the country.
Being stuck in a highly publicized hole in the ground when society starts to collapse may not be the best tactical situation, but apparently there is a lot of demand for these condos.
In fact, the price for a penthouse unit is a cool 4.5 million dollars…
A full-floor apartment, spanning 1,800 square feet, will cost buyers $3million, while a 900-square-foot, half-floor unit is $1.5million. The ultra-wealthy can also make a penthouse selection starting at $4.5million.
Needless to say, only the ultra-wealthy can afford such extravagant accommodations.
But everyone should be preparing in their own way.
The relative stability that we had been enjoying has now given way to a time of great uncertainty. Economic conditions are deteriorating, global weather patterns are going completely nuts, war could break out in the Middle East at any time, civil unrest is on the rise all over the globe, a mysterious coronavirus is spreading very rapidly in Asia, our planet is becoming increasingly unstable, and the 2020 election looks like it could be a flashpoint for all the anger that has been boiling just under the surface in our nation for many years.
If you want to grab a prepper property, now is the time to do so, because time is running out and things are about to start getting really crazy out there.
About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations, I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and anyway that you can share these articles with others is a great help.
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Get out people, get out now. If you are 30 or older for Pete’s sake get out of the City and go to the Country. “Take flight little bird, fly like the wind to land on earth’s distant shore”.
Glen Frey wrote a song for you called “River of Dreams”,
Go Big or stay in your rut; if you think you are in a rat race, well, you’re a rat.
Bought my Rural BOL Property in Central Florida back in 2015 and have been working for 5 years on it. This OFF Grid lifestyle takes time to create on Vacant wooded acreage. Lots of sweat equity in the place. No regrets.. And the wild life is amazing. Why live up in the cold tundra 9 months of the year, doing noting but cutting wood to keep warm and when the wood runs out, other will find your dead body clutching the empty wood stove in search of heat. Whatever you think you will need for a years supply of cut wood, double and triple that amount. Have extra wood you can barter with as it will become gold as the forests in the north disappear and also all the wild life in the woods. You loose natural habitat and so goes the wild life.
In SHTF, you will only own what you can defend from looters or squatters, so get your land barbed wired and hardened with lots of layers of security and motion detectors at the choke points of activity and set up trail cams. Like at your locked gate to the entrance of your property. There are rural private subdivisions, way more safe than a city parcel, where all you got in the cities for your safety, is a deadbolt and thin veneer door between you and the public street. Those in the cities are in big trouble when SHTF and you will most likely have to abandon 95% of your stuff, and bug out with a back pack to survive the slaughter. One swift kick will open most front doors in America. Its a false sense of security. Even a security system is worthless unless you have the fire power to react to an alert signal to defend your property. When minutes count cops are days away from responding, so erase that false LEO entity from your security plan. It will be you and a shotgun or battle rifle, defending you and your family on the front line in your front yard.
Prepper properties? Look at NOVA SCOTIA. Canadian dollar at 75 cents USD
Nova Scotia? Pfftttt… Then spend $2 for heating oil or wood or other heat sources. No Thanks, Head south and stay warm where planting season is 365 days a year. Build a green house to grow food.
Preppin’ in Idaho and other cold weather states? I don’t think so.
Plenty of land in the south where winter weather alone won’t potentially kill you.
Besides…it’s only death. Why worry?
Kanye West and Kim Kartrashian?
Make me puke whydonchya!
The absoilulty necessary must have preps cannot be bought. Know How and Self Reliance have to be learned. without the necessary Skil Set you will not survive no matter what kind of stuff you buy. You need to be certain you own the stuff instead of it owning you. Even the Crusaders castles where breached by poorly equipped adversarys that had Know How. My advise prep for a worst case Stone Age existence. and anything less would be just that much better.
Hey Michael Snyder
They are looking for you over at ZH….want to know where you been hiding during this whole coronavirus flare up.
I’m finding the same thing in my area. I passed on 100 acres for 140k (bought 34) and now I can’t find even 10 acres for that price even 25+ miles farther out of town. It’s nuts. Now I wish I’d bought it just as an investment.
I was prepping like mad in 2007, then started having second thoughts a few years ago. Maybe it’s time to pick back up.