Wednesday, May 14, 2014

For Sale....Again





If I haven't mentioned it lately The Small-Hold is located at what I call the very edge of Suburban sprawl. Thirty years ago I could stand out naked in the front yard of this place and if I saw a vehicle drive by it was more than likely a relative. Then all the old timers started dying off and the various farms here about were split up. Many were broken down into smaller parcels and the surviving children then built MC-mansions nestled in the woods while selling off the scattered fields but the farmland closer to the highways were turned into sub-divisions.

Up until 2007 I watched in horror as these cheap little sub-divisions continued to expand towards us. To be honest I thought the gig was up then as the stakes went up in the field directly across the road from us and the graders were brought in on trailers. The large lagoon area was scooped out and the road margins were staked. Even the individual lots were marked off.

Those dozers and graders sat out there for over a year waiting until one day I looked out and they were gone. The stakes were gone, the surveyors tape was gone, the lagoon was just a pond and the farmer who had once leased the land was back discing it all up again.

The tide had turned, at least around here locally.

Since that time we have witnessed the sub-urban sprawl in retreat. Most of the houses in the last little sub-division have been up for sale at least once since 09 and a couple just rotate over and over again. Eventually they always find someone to move back into them but the upkeep is wearing em out fast. In the past month alone two more popped up for sale and the families who lived there simply moved out leaving em vacant.

The little town down the road that once boasted a small grocery store, cabinet shop, beauty shop and three gas stations now has one gas station remaining.

Year by year, inch by inch, business by business we are once again becoming more rural.

The government can scream recovery, they can post all the phoney numbers they like but we have been at the ringside seat to watch this slow grinding collapse and decline. It has been in full retreat mode now for years.

I for one am not sorry to see it go.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!



13 comments:

  1. It's not just economic growth. Population growth is slowing and baby boomers are dying. There's going to be a glut of surplus housing for years and years.

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    1. Anon - I know I don't see near as many youngsters running around these days as I used to. I wonder how much time before that starts taking it's toll?

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  2. We're in one of the few areas still expanding & growing. I wouldn't mind seeing it slow down, here, at least a little.

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    1. RP - If I travel to the West a bit the city that way is still expanding like crazy. I think most of that has to do with education money coming in from the Fed more than anything else though.

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  3. I have to admit, I'd be thrilled to see it gone. But alas, the growth around here has not stopped....slowed down a lot, but definitely not stopped.

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    1. Carolyn - What I saw was what little new growth that still went on retreated back into areas that had been skipped before. Instead of developing new single family houses out here they went back and built a bunch of duplexes five miles closer to the bigger town of the area. There is still some growth I guess if you want to call it that but it isn't near the same thing.

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  4. That's exactly what the author of "The Long Emergency" predicted. I've seen similar results here. The big second home market and lake house market went away in the 2007 crash, and have never come back. There are many cabins here that are just falling down. The bank took them back, can't sell them, and won't spend any money on upkeep. So they just fall apart.

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    1. Harry - It's like they forget the losses of last quarter and only count what they want around here. We had a major employer close up shop last Fall and let some 500+ people go yet they will proclaim a new retail store hiring 15 people as growth.

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  5. It's no better in Central FL. As soon as you hear a false story on the news about a housing recovery here, the banks put a glut of foreclosures on the market. The number of homes selling in our area is slim to none.

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    1. Izzy - It has been all the rage lately to mention the numbers of cash purchases in housing. Florida is usually mentioned prominently in that. Almost all of them have been foreign buyers as well.

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  6. The only growth here is government or healthcare related as those two groups have unlimited funds as the law pretty much lets both confiscate money from people.
    Anyone building a new house has to work at one or the other.
    Hey they sheared the sheep at work this afternoon and guess who was so lucky as to help 2 girls catch the ram. I wouldn't have one of those things here very long(ram that is).

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    1. Sf - The state government here seems to be keeping a lid on things nicely. The Democrat governor of course wants more taxes and more spending but the Repubs are keeping him in check. They haven't managed to shrink the worthless over paid government employee rolls yet but they sure aren't spending much money on other stuff though.

      The only growth I see regionally is of course at the large College town. They got a one way spigot to Federal money.

      We have one ram that is a sweetheart... The other one, well he acts all nice but you got to watch him close.

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  7. You had mentioned in the past that you were within the last collapsing zone of the housing bubble.

    RTP in North Carolina is doing well, and we have lots (and I mean lots) of little kids running around. BUT, even we have single family homes that went rental property. The flip in tenants is to fast. Some people near us sold their homes, and the purchase price is almost exactly what they bought them for 5 to 8 years ago. So you no a lot of people would be underwater if you factor in the cost of sale.

    I think the builders are being reigned in by the banks. There are buyers around here, but by keeping a lit on the market, the banks can slowly sell their back inventory, and also not risk another big loss if it all goes to pot again.

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