San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

It sounds like you want to buy land based on an assumption that some kind of catastrophic event is going to happen. I think that's a bad idea. Sure, some kind of catastrophic event could happen that would turn San Diego into the next Road Warrior movie, but if that happens, who knows how it would be in Ohio. Maybe worse. Trust me, Ohio has its own economic problems, and some serious sustainability issues.

Are you looking to abandon the urban/suburban hamster wheel and adopt a more agrarian life? The sustainability issues with that are even worse. Agriculture is pretty volatile right now and a tough way to make a living under the best of circumstances.

What much of Ohio (and many other states) offer is cheap real estate that is far less prone to the expansion and bursting of bubbles. The problem is, you have to live in Ohio.

Well said Blissful. I actually once owned a farm in Ohio, grew up there too. I still have friends back there in the ag biz, well not so much really, but you have to keep a hand in to avoid exhorbitant prop taxes. Give me an email address, and we can chat offline.

Geezus, guys! Everyone needs to get a grip on life! Is the board owner reading some of these posts? Where are the wize people of the board who where working during the 70's and 80's recessions? They need to speak up and help the first time recession people out. This board needs some serious hand holding. Remember Y2K, 1986 Haley Commit hitting, that same crack pot stuff is as bad as some of these posts are saying. If you listen to Peter Schiff and I can guess 90% people here do, then you know we are spoiled when it comes to the good times in the economy. This is the market working itself out. There will be mergers upon mergers and some of it will be good and bad. Advice: Stay away from this board for 3 months and figure out your game plan to make it through this recession.

We just have to make it until the Aztec calendar ends in 2012. I'm glad I'm a renter cause I'd hate to lose all that equity when the world ends.

Go to where the crime rate is low.

John

Oh, why not. Go buy your land and look stupid to the locals.

Maybe you should spend a winter there first, and let us know how it went.

I grew up in Cincinnati and went to school in Columbus. Any questions about those two I might be able to answer, anything about farmland I can't help you with.

Ohio is a great place but you have to have a certain willingness to stick out tough winters and hot sticky summers. Many summer nights are quite nice, the fall is great if you have trees though it's a lot of work. I would personally pick somewhere where you can be close to either Cleveland/Columbus/Cinci or within an hour and a half. Land is still cheap but you have access to some of the bigger city comforts.

My wife has informed me if we win the lotto 3 of the 4 of us are moving back to Ohio, and it's up to me if I'd like to be the 4th. I thought why not Olivenhain, and move everyone out here, but she disagrees.

If she wins the lotto, you can keep your winter home.

Truth be told, I live in East Bumfrig, Pennsylvania. It's actually one of the most sought after places to live in the state, which is a matter of winning a tallest midget contest.

It ain't bad though. Cost of living is cheap. Fantastic schools. I'm a college professor and have a very good life here. Do I miss California and all of its benefits? Of course, but we go back to visit frequently. Would I trade moving there for all of the hassles, financial and otherwise (my wife and I both walk to work)? Not unless it came with a LOT of money.

Why Ohio? That's the opposite end of the country? If it comes to the point where you need sustainable lifestyle to survive, you might find that you have no means of getting there. And if you do get there, you might find your land squatted by a bunch of New Yorkers with guns.

May I suggest Utah? Not nearly as wet as Ohio, but you get measurable precipitation, you can concoct some sort of rainwater reuse system, there are other tricks. You can get there on one tank of gas. Average January low in Cedar City UT is 19 F.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/214689...

Another classic sustainability destination is Montana, it's cooler in summer and it gets more rain. But you'd be basically living on top of a supervolcano. Wyoming is a no-no for the same reason.

Thanks everybody for your responses. I grew up in Ohio, so I know how cold it is. Yes, it is doomsday posting....but it seems that to be prepared is better than NOT being prepared.

I think Tuba is a Pollyanna.

At any rate, I'm with you on this and I think Ohio is a good choice.

I have thought of buying land in Arizona, Utah or Nevada where I could park my RV.

Here is cheap local alternative. http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-080077347-18...
$200k cash more or less might do it. Lots of RV parking.

Thanks Rustico/Russell. The fire hazard in those parts is of concern. Water is becoming a serious issue nowadays....by July 1 it sounds like we are going to get fined if you use over a designated amount of water.

MAYAN Calendar

geesh

I think that Florida near Ocala or Talahassee is better. Plenty of rainfall and good fertile land without the cold weather.

It's not like you want income from the farm, right? You can raise some chicken, cows and grow vegetables and you'll have plenty to eat.

You don't have to worry about heat in the winter.

Forget Ohio. I've heard that land and housing is getting pretty cheap in parts of Southern California, particularly in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Maybe buy a cabin in the mountains for $150K. Throw on some solar panels, grab a copy of Theodore J. Kaczynski's memoirs and a few thousand bottles of scotch and count the days 'til 2012.

P.S. - Forgive my ignorance, but for planning the purposes I need to know whether the Mayan calendar ended at the beginning of 2012 or the end of the year, e.g. Jan 1 or Dec 31. This will help me and my financial planner schedule my laddered CD purchases more optimally. I'd hate to have a CD mature after the end of time. That would be wasteful. Thanks.

Southern California doesn't work because the land is bad and the lack of rainfall makes it impossible to live off the land (raise a variety of lifestock and veggies to survive).

In Florida, I suggest buying 100 acres + surrounded by woods so that from the road, nobody knows that the land has been cleared and is inhabited.

A buddy of mine's parents have a rambling colonial mansion is such setting. It's like driving to Tara when you approach their house. They rent out the land to farmers.

If you like solitude, horses and nature, it's not a bad way to live, even in a small house. If you're rich, you can also have a private airstrip.

Higher elevation is the key. Big Bear averages 21 inches per year. Mount Laguna gets 30. Oakhurst (Yosemite south entrance) gets 33. Unfortunately, like everywhere in SoCal, rainfall/snowfall occurs during winter months. So, your capabilities to raise crops are limited.

Are you assuming you won't be able to rent a place in Ohio in case of this catastrophe you are expecting ?

esmith, the land in So. Cal. sucks. It's all rocks and sand.

You have to irrigate and fertilize which is very costly and labor intensive. We're not talking Imperial valley type agriculture here. For survival, you need to have everything on your land. You need fruit trees that will produce year in and year out. You need grass for grazing. You need worms and junk for the chickens to eat. You need ponds for fish and ducks. You need humidity and mulch to fertilize the land.

My cousin's apple trees in Ohio produce a healthy output every year.

As a child, I spent a lot of time in my grand mother's garden. I could easily live off the land like Little House on The Prairie. And I'm not afraid to kill a chicken for dinner, if I need to.

In CA, the Sacramento River area might be a good place to buy land.

I like Florida because it's nice and warm and if you live inland, you don't need to worry about tornadoes. You can live by a lake and stock some ponds with fish and you can easily subsist there.

Aztec / Mayan It won't really matter after January or maybe December 2012 now will it?

I live in a valley in the foothills of San Diego. With appropriate time to establish a productive cycle, the land which is 20 acres, would work just fine until my well went dry. To mitigate that threat and adjust for the scarcity of quality topsoil, I would strategize away from field crops. However, my neighbor has grown oats on seasonal rainfall before. Without outside feed sources, live stock would pretty much have to be goats and chickens,but that is enough.

Fires are a threat but only because we are not allowed to clear the brush enough to mitigate the possibiity completely. I feel the house and family are safe, but a fire could destroy crops.

http://www.foodshortageusa.com/

This pollyanna will now just help business owners make money. If I were the owner of this board, I would be selling banner ads to survival companies like this one.