# Prepper Condominiums?



## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

I've been reading what others have said on the subject of prepper communities. They have obvious challenges.

My personal objective (aside from the obvious prepping objectives) would be to have a weekend retreat where I could ride an ATV, ride a horse, shoot a gun, fish and hunt occasionally. A prepper retreat could easily sit on a few acres, but the other things that would motivate me to spend time and money doing require sizable acreage and commensurate expense.

About half of the male members of my family have a hunting lease. I've been to a few of them. I'm shocked at what they spend to have the right to hunt, and a crappy place to stay while they are there, but apparently that part of the deal. That seems like an almost workable compromise, but I wouldn't want to show up and be locked out because the land owner exerted his superior property rights. Furthermore, I don't believe the leases are compatible with the types of structures I would want to build. (On a side note, my uncle's place is called the Taj Mahal by his hunting buddies because it is by far the largest and nicest enclosed 'structure' and I guarantee his guns cost more than that...thing.)

I work for a large homebuilder. One of the things we are doing is building condominium developments. They look like any other subdivision, but they are legally classified as condos. I've owned a few condominiums, but I've never seen it applied to individual lots. I did a little more research and found that there is such a thing as an open land condominium. Municipalities like them for a variety of reasons. 

If I owned a large ranch and wanted to raise of revenue, I think I would turn it into a condominium and market it to people like us. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a 3 acre condominium if I had rights to use and enjoy a common area of sufficient size to satisfy my recreational needs. Ultimately, I'd probably retire out there. It isn't something that I would spend $200,000 to have, but I'd be willing to pay $50,000.

Please let me know if others have found properties that might accomplish some of these goals. I'm still looking at smaller parcels of land, but they haven't yet motivated me to pull the trigger.


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## SanAntonioPrepper (Apr 10, 2017)

I live in San Antonio Texas and would love to be a part of a community of preppers. In fact, the more people that have survival and prepping supplies and skills that live together, the greater the chance of success. I wish I could find more locals here in SA that prep. In fact, that was a big reason why I went on this forum, to find this. The problem is not many people prep if any do prep locally they are afraid to meet up. I even emailed a mod who lives here in San Antonio a few months ago but she did not respond back. I have so far been disappointed with that aspect of this forum. Perhaps it is not a problem with the forum but just that we are such a small group, who can be a fearful bunch and most of the population does not prep. 

So the problems I forsee with your idea is vetting people who say they are preppers and and actually finding enough of us. Some are forthright about their prepping and some are closeted about it but the majority of people in this country are not preppers. Many people write off preppers as kooks and crazies but that is before it is needed. Once something does hit the fan, guess whose doors those starving desperate people will be knocking on? This proposed community will be target number 1.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Thought it said prepper condoms


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ntxmerman said:


> If I owned a large ranch and wanted to raise of revenue, I think I would turn it into a condominium and market it to people like us. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a 3 acre condominium if I had rights to use and enjoy a common area of sufficient size to satisfy my recreational needs. Ultimately, I'd probably retire out there. It isn't something that I would spend $200,000 to have, but I'd be willing to pay $50,000.
> 
> Please let me know if others have found properties that might accomplish some of these goals. I'm still looking at smaller parcels of land, but they haven't yet motivated me to pull the trigger.


I have property and am surrounded by woods, ponds/lakes & fields full of deer, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, geese, ducks, etc. At 20 acres, I'm a tiny parcel as most my neighbors own very large tracks for farming & cattle operations. I moved out here to be in a rural environment & I can tell you the last thing anyone around here would want is a bunch of city folk visiting the country to shoot & ride their fancy dirt bikes & 4 wheelers.

I'll say my standard speech. Anytime you get into a joint venture with strangers, or even family/friends for that matter, expect to be disappointed. I strongly suggest you do as I did, and hunt for the perfect parcel of land... and do it all yourself. Now perfect might mean it is not as far removed from the city as you'd like but it must be convenient to your work. You might be surprised how many quiet, rural locations are within an hour's drive of a city. I suggest staying away from major roads, which would become exodus routes in a crisis.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

The Taj Mahal is a tomb.....


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

CONDOMINIUMS AREN'T JOINT VENTURES!

I don't like joint ventures any more than anyone else, but if business operated the way most people here think, we would still have the same technology as the native Americans. Almost every notable event in business is a form of a joint venture of some kind. 

God granted us brains. Let's try to expand them a little bit with this thought experiment. Everyone can tell me how stupid the idea is after thinking about it.

Let me restate the question differently: Is there such a thing as a hunting lease favorable enough to allow me to construct a structure that I can be proud to own, and build away from others so that I don’t have to listen to the other hunter’s BS around the camp? Maybe some form of a hunter’s condominium retreat? I thought it would be a good discussion topic and I happen to have some expertise on parts of it. This sort of thing exists for cars. There was even a TV show about one of them in north Texas. Do they have something like that for hunters? I think it’s a freaking awesome idea and I doubt that I just invented it. So, I put the question to the group. I’ve read enough posts to know something like that would appeal to SOME others. 

Just so we have a reality check: I already established that I know many hunters who have deer leases. These are city folk who go to the country, on somebody else’s land, ride ATVs to check their traps, stock their feeders, work on their blinds, and hunt a couple of times a day. There are ATVs and Jeeps all over the camp location (which is part of what I want to get away from). Last time I checked there were 2.3 million hunting licenses issued in Texas. Most of these leases have 10 to 12 hunters although my cousin’s lease has enough structures in their camp to house 30 hunters. That means there must be hundreds of thousands of leases, and tens of thousands of individual property owners freely encouraging city folk to come out and use their property to do exactly what I propose. I didn't expect this to be a revolutionary, foreign concept that needed to be lumped into the category of little fellers with grey skin and big eyes, descended from a hovering disc in the sky and started making crop circles in a field. It's like a DEER LEASE. Is there some form of a deer lease with favorable enough terms (like a condominium regime) where I can build something nice instead of a shit hole which is all I've ever seen on deer leases?

Anytime the concept of cooperation comes up the flamers come out. Let's hold the stupidity comments a bit for some of us who might have an interest in this topic to come forward with their thoughts. Does it not sound interesting? Who wants to get on the short bus with me? We might even get a little wild and crazy, take off our crash helmets and lick the windows! Giggle away if you like, but let us play with this idea for a few days.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ntxmerman said:


> CONDOMINIUMS AREN'T JOINT VENTURES!


Funny. The very definition of condominium states its a joint venture:
*
an apartment house, office building, or other multiple-unit complex, the units of which are individually owned, each owner receiving a recordable deed to the individual unit purchased, including the right to sell, mortgage, etc., that unit and sharing in joint ownership of any common grounds, passageways, etc.*

Every condo I've ever heard of is a joint venture, where someone owns say the unit but not the land and all participants share in upkeep expenses. Is my experience different than yours in TX? You state you are a builder of condos so what am I missing?


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I would look in the area where you have your hunting leases . Then look for a small acreage or talk up the owners and see if they would sell you a small parcel. Build your "home" on that property garden spot, orchard, pond. 

Try and lease or have your friends / relatives lease the adjoining property. Buy outright if they can. That way you have your retreat/ camp but still would have access to 
Hunting areas. In a true SHTF / end o the world as we know it a lot of people will be streaming out of cities as soon as food, water, energy supplies are effected . 


Lots of ground in my area of Missouri is leased out to hunt on . With the resulting arguments about staying on what you own or rent , messing with fences, leaving gates open , the occasional cow getting shot . 

Had to turkey hunter shoot each other a couple years back one was a mistake the other not so much.


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## Brettny (Apr 26, 2017)

There is something like you're talking about near my hunting club. Its a group of people that are allowed to build or buy a cabin on what is basicly community land. I looked into it at one point but even with the thousands of acres they have i feel that it could be just one step away from a trailer park.

My hunting club is on 2k acres and surounded by other clubs. This fall we went up and saw a record about of people...2 a day. I like seclusion so wouldnt be interested in a hunting condo. Im sure the city types would be.


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## Brettny (Apr 26, 2017)

There is something like you're talking about near my hunting club. Its a group of people that are allowed to build or buy a cabin on what is basicly community land. I looked into it at one point but even with the thousands of acres they have i feel that it could be just one step away from a trailer park.

My hunting club is on 2k acres and surounded by other clubs. This fall we went up and saw a record about of people...2 a day. I like seclusion so wouldnt be interested in a hunting condo. Im sure the city types would be.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

The only commune I know about is on Lake Travis in Austin Texas.

http://www.hippiehollow.com/pages/Rules.htm


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

The only commune I know about is on Lake Travis in Austin Texas.

Hippie Hollow Clothing Optional Nudist Park Lake Travis Austin Texas


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

I found a meetup in Dallas geared toward homesteading which might be more practical than a hunting focus. They have a meetup on Sunday and I will stop by to see what they are considering.

What I would want to build would require significant investment, so a lease isn't preferable. A 99 year lease would work, but I don't know how those would work with current financing regulations.

I will let y'all know if I learn anything interesting.


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

A Watchman said:


> The only commune I know about is on Lake Travis in Austin Texas.
> 
> http://www.hippiehollow.com/pages/Rules.htm


Ha! I haven't been there, but it has an interesting reputation!


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

RJAMES said:


> I would look in the area where you have your hunting leases . Then look for a small acreage or talk up the owners and see if they would sell you a small parcel. Build your "home" on that property garden spot, orchard, pond.
> 
> Try and lease or have your friends / relatives lease the adjoining property. Buy outright if they can. That way you have your retreat/ camp but still would have access to
> Hunting areas.


That's a good idea. I've seen it happen often in rural areas where farmers/ranchers sell 1 acre plots that are located on the county roads. 1 acre being the minimum to support a septic system where sewer is not available.

Thank you for the idea. Sometimes I miss the obvious.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ntxmerman said:


> That's a good idea. I've seen it happen often in rural areas where farmers/ranchers sell 1 acre plots that are located on the county roads. 1 acre being the minimum to support a septic system where sewer is not available.
> 
> Thank you for the idea. Sometimes I miss the obvious.


That is exactly how my property was originally developed. The large farmers, now my friends & neighbors, sold off small plots along the dead end lane... ranging in size from maybe 2 acres to 20 acres. Gives you a wonderful place to live, surrounded by huge tracts of farmland and having a few neighbors. That in my book is the perfect place to live, raise a family & survive a crisis.

Be the captain of your own ship. Own your own property & make friends with your neighbors. In my case, I do business with two of my big land owner neighbors. Both have cattle operations. One also does dirt work and I used him to clean up my property, remove acres of trees & dig my pond. The other owns the local coop and I buy the vast majority of my supplies there... including all my hay. Don't worry about price as much as building relationships.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

ntxmerman said:


> I found a meetup in Dallas geared toward homesteading which might be more practical than a hunting focus. They have a meetup on Sunday and I will stop by to see what they are considering.
> 
> What I would want to build would require significant investment, so a lease isn't preferable. A 99 year lease would work, but I don't know how those would work with current financing regulations.
> 
> I will let y'all know if I learn anything interesting.


Regarding the 99yr leases... might want to check into the history of how they've been handled in your area. On one of the larger lakes near here, the Gov decided to divest itself from being the leaseholder - and all the lakeside plots were auctioned, whether developed or not, with the current leaseholder having first option to purchase.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

SanAntonioPrepper said:


> So the problems I forsee with your idea is vetting people who say they are preppers and and actually finding enough of us.


Do the same thing MCs do, when a guy approaches with the agreed upon minimum of skills, make him a "prospect." If he shows over time he's got what it takes, he earns his "colors."

For example, I'm not a prepper--yet. It's why I joined here and do research.


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

My Report from the Homesteading Community Meeting

Five people attended the meeting with the community organizer. They would not describe themselves as preppers, but a lot of their desires and expectations are compatible with what you would expect to find in a community of preppers (except fewer AR-15s and 5.56 ammo). It is just more focused on self-sufficiency and sustainability.

I would describe the organizer as an old money rancher. He attempted to create one of these five or more years ago in the form of a corporation. That plan failed because he was notified that he would in effect be selling securities without proper licensing and organization oversight. Also, it was located pretty far out in east Texas. This is Version 2.0 of his idea. It sounds much more like a condominium form of ownership utilizing a homeowner association as the umbrella organization. Also, he wants it to be located close to Dallas (probably in Collin or Denton counties). His expectation is that people would live in the development full-time rather than simply be a country retreat.

The organizer is looking for 200+/- acres with an anticipated cost of $10,000 - $12,000 per acre and reserving 1/2 the property for common elements such as animal husbandry, aquaculture or farming. This would mean 1.0 acre lots could be sold for around $30,000 - $36,000 creating a community of not more than 100 families (which seems rather large to me). 

Another attendee was an electrical engineer whose company has developed an EMP hardened solar system. He and the organizer have known each other for several years and they both know people whose names (or at least their screen names) you would recognize from the prepper community. The electrical engineer knows of several other prepper communities because he sold them the solar systems, but he won't discuss them. However he did say that some are successful and some have failed. One of the failures was because the developer took everyone's money and disappeared. That sounds more like a scam than a failure.

So, I'm convinced that these types of communities can be successful (because they already exist whether we know about them or not) and the condominium form of ownership is probably the most viable and would facilitate individual financing should that be a consideration.

Given the organizer's background in ranching and existing relationships with markets and restaurants in the area, he is someone I would want to solicit if I was the organizer. Therefore, I am very interested in becoming part of what he is doing assuming I "qualify." I don't know if I am ready to commit to relocating to the community on a permanent basis, or if it might be priced out of my range. There are a lot of factors to consider. Setting those details aside, I like what I have heard thus far, and will be pursuing the idea with the organizer.

If any of you have experience with communities such as this that have failed, I would be curious to hear why they failed so that we can build in some systems to prevent that from happening. I already know what makes communities successful - good product, good location, good price and good management.

Now that I've made it past the It Can't/Won't Work Phase, I'm going to apply my thoughts to outlining common elements / infrastructure / guidelines that I would like to see in a community such as this.

This is starting to get interesting.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

When you state homesteading community, I take that to mean all property owners are homesteaders (farmers), of one form of another, sharing resources. Similar to, say a community built for horse lovers, where all have horses and share in common grounds & facilities. Maybe even somewhat similar to a golf community, where homes are built around the course and you get a deal on tee times & fees.

But I'm wondering if you are really talking about an agrihood? I've heard of these for a few years, where the homes are built around a working farm, as opposed to a golf course, & the homeowners pay to get a share of the food. NBC news did a report just a few nights ago. I think this would be a great way to live if you want to get out in the country a bit but don't want to farm or do the work. There are several of these in the area you are interested in, such as Light Farms & Harvest. But if you are talking the homeowners doing the farming, doesn't seem to be enough acreage for 100 families to farm. Sounds like of the two hundred acres, half is for homes so that leaves 100 acres for 100 families. When you consider a single horse needs at least 2 acres & a cow with calf needs that much or more, that doesn't leave much land for farming. I know 100 acres sounds like a lot to many city folks, but in the country, it ain't. Most folks that commercially raise farm animals set aside as much or more land for hay as for pasture. My 4 horses have around 10 acres of pasture, and I purchase hay from neighbors.

As a prepper, these locations you mention are too close to a major city. Take McKinney for example. It is only about 40 miles from downtown Dallas. Collin county has a population of almost 1 million. For reference, my county has a bit over 30,000 people.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-new...west-trend-in-millennial-living-1118578243751


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

******* said:


> When you state homesteading community, I take that to mean all property owners are homesteaders (farmers), of one form of another, sharing resources. Similar to, say a community built for horse lovers, where all have horses and share in common grounds & facilities. Maybe even somewhat similar to a golf community, where homes are built around the course and you get a deal on tee times & fees.[/url]


*******, I love your philosophy and your wisdom.

I will answer the first part of the questions because that is what I have the most experience with. Yes, we are talking about a community with a specific interest such as a horse or golf community. It is a way to take the most expensive elements out of the responsibility of the individual and shift it to the community management side which is better suited to handle those issues.

I know several horse people who have something similar to this (but as a lease) where someone is the caretaker of the horses during the week, but the animals are privately owned. I have more experience with the golf communities (which is what my employer does across the country). The concept I have gathered from the organizer sounds like a hybrid of the two concepts of which I have some degree of familiarity. Nothing is set in stone at this point.


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

******* said:


> But I'm wondering if you are really talking about an agrihood? I've heard of these for a few years, where the homes are built around a working farm, as opposed to a golf course, & the homeowners pay to get a share of the food. NBC news did a report just a few nights ago. I think this would be a great way to live if you want to get out in the country a bit but don't want to farm or do the work. There are several of these in the area you are interested in, such as Light Farms & Harvest. But if you are talking the homeowners doing the farming, doesn't seem to be enough acreage for 100 families to farm. Sounds like of the two hundred acres, half is for homes so that leaves 100 acres for 100 families. When you consider a single horse needs at least 2 acres & a cow with calf needs that much or more, that doesn't leave much land for farming. I know 100 acres sounds like a lot to many city folks, but in the country, it ain't. Most folks that commercially raise farm animals set aside as much or more land for hay as for pasture. My 4 horses have around 10 acres of pasture, and I purchase hay from neighbors.[/url]


That is the one of my fundamental issues with the current idea. According to my research (which IS NOT experience) I would require AT LEAST 2 acres just to provide for my family. The organizer did not mention how many families he thought 200 acres would support, so that is why I think he is thinking more toward higher end purchasers which might rule me out or cause me to shift my primary residence. 200 acres will not support 100 families. We were speaking in terms of economics and how much money would be required to put this thing together.

The idea I am considering would require more like 1,000 to 1,500 acres. But for this idea, 20 homesteaders with 200 acres seems appropriate. The issue then becomes one of price and HOA requirements (which can be overbearing).

With the current information I have, a one acre homestead (which is essentially a very small home with a 70,000+ SF garden) and one year supply of food, and rights/share of some community livestock, might be enough to weather a 2 year disruption of services. That is sort of what I am looking to work toward. Personally, I am not looking to provide 100% of my need indefinitely. I am preparing to survive a horrible situation for 3 years.

I think the organizer is leaning toward 20 families purchasing 5 acre homesteads on a 200 tract of land. That sounds very appealing to me, but my wife works and I have schooling for my pre-k daughter to take into consideration. If my wife gets on-board, then maybe we would be great candidates for this idea. My wife grew up in a sheltered religious community such as this. She has more experience with the living environment than I do - obviously.

It's a starting point. I'm going to check out the story @******* referenced.


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

******* said:


> As a prepper, these locations you mention are too close to a major city. Take McKinney for example. It is only about 40 miles from downtown Dallas. Collin county has a population of almost 1 million. For reference, my county has a bit over 30,000 people.
> 
> https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-new...west-trend-in-millennial-living-1118578243751


I agree about the location. That is part of where preppers and homesteaders differ. The organizer currently provides food to businesses in McKinney and he lives in or around north Dallas. He isn't a prepper, but is familiar with members of our community. In fairness, where he is looking for property wouldn't be on the likely trail of fleeing masses. He wants to be off the grid entirely and as such would be removed from significant roads. In prepper terms, say a city dweller got their hands on a paper map, they followed that map to a place with a name on the map, they wouldn't find the road. You would have to have county specific maps to even identify the county roads (which is quite common in these areas).

With his plan, I'm not really worried about the masses. Take a concentration of people and send the out in pie shaped directions (which they WON'T do) and they will still follow the primary road system. How many hours will a city dweller walk down a road that appears to go nowhere on a map? Then when they get there, would they be more formidable than me? Hell no!

This is the point where we have to weigh thought experiment versus likelihood. I recognize I only have about 6,000+ bullets, but it is probably more than they have. Put me in a community of 20 - MS 13 would be hard pressed to find us and get to us.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ntxmerman said:


> I agree about the location. That is part of where preppers and homesteaders differ. The organizer currently provides food to businesses in McKinney and he lives in or around north Dallas. He isn't a prepper, but is familiar with members of our community. In fairness, where he is looking for property wouldn't be on the likely trail of fleeing masses. He wants to be off the grid entirely and as such would be removed from significant roads. In prepper terms, say a city dweller got their hands on a paper map, they followed that map to a place with a name on the map, they wouldn't find the road. You would have to have county specific maps to even identify the county roads (which is quite common in these areas).
> 
> With his plan, I'm not really worried about the masses. Take a concentration of people and send the out in pie shaped directions (which they WON'T do) and they will still follow the primary road system. How many hours will a city dweller walk down a road that appears to go nowhere on a map? Then when they get there, would they be more formidable than me? Hell no!
> 
> This is the point where we have to weigh thought experiment versus likelihood. I recognize I only have about 6,000+ bullets, but it is probably more than they have. Put me in a community of 20 - MS 13 would be hard pressed to find us and get to us.


I find it a bit hard to believe there are so many isolated roads in a county with a population of almost 1 million, being a suburb of a metroplex with a population of over 7 million. That area is the 4th largest metropolitan area in the entire country. None of these facts bode well for someone tying to stay hidden after a crisis. You also can't assume folks will be walking. Could be the case but would you risk everything on it?

No offense, but even if you and all in your community are ex special forces, your bravado is IMO misplaced. Folks die in a conflict... all folks including kids. So what if you happen to be more formidable than the hungry, scared folks looking for refuge? So what if you have 7000 rounds for your AR but get shot by some dude with his .30-06 deer gun with 10 rounds?

For the safety of your family, I suggest you set aside all bravado & macho thoughts and seriously consider every possible option to avoid conflict. Location is key and sorry but IMO, being withing walking distance of 7 million folks ain't a good spot to hunker down for the duration. But even once you get out into a very rural area, how do you ensure those rural neighbors don't become enemies once their food runs out?

I'm certainly not picking on you but attempting to help you along in your thought processes.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

******* said:


> ... how do you ensure those rural neighbors don't become enemies once their food runs out?


This would be my biggest concern with the idea being presented in the thread. The other families in the 'community' will know what everybody else has. When things go really sidewas, a LOT of things go out the window...like retaining ownership of what you have in your personal stores...for the 'good of the group', etc.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

ntxmerman said:


> I agree about the location. That is part of where preppers and homesteaders differ. The organizer currently provides food to businesses in McKinney and he lives in or around north Dallas. He isn't a prepper, but is familiar with members of our community. In fairness, where he is looking for property wouldn't be on the likely trail of fleeing masses. He wants to be off the grid entirely and as such would be removed from significant roads. In prepper terms, say a city dweller got their hands on a paper map, they followed that map to a place with a name on the map, they wouldn't find the road. You would have to have county specific maps to even identify the county roads (which is quite common in these areas).
> 
> With his plan, I'm not really worried about the masses. Take a concentration of people and send the out in pie shaped directions (which they WON'T do) and they will still follow the primary road system. How many hours will a city dweller walk down a road that appears to go nowhere on a map? Then when they get there, would they be more formidable than me? Hell no!
> 
> This is the point where we have to weigh thought experiment versus likelihood. I recognize I only have about 6,000+ bullets, but it is probably more than they have. Put me in a community of 20 - MS 13 would be hard pressed to find us and get to us.





******* said:


> I find it a bit hard to believe there are so many isolated roads in a county with a population of almost 1 million, being a suburb of a metroplex with a population of over 7 million. That area is the 4th largest metropolitan area in the entire country. None of these facts bode well for someone tying to stay hidden after a crisis. You also can't assume folks will be walking. Could be the case but would you risk everything on it?
> 
> No offense, but even if you and all in your community are ex special forces, your bravado is IMO misplaced. Folks die in a conflict... all folks including kids. So what if you happen to be more formidable than the hungry, scared folks looking for refuge? So what if you have 7000 rounds for your AR but get shot by some dude with his .30-06 deer gun with 10 rounds?
> 
> ...


Your in a tuff spot to be looking for a quiet country road to hide from the masses. Dallas is the 9th largest city in the nation with Fort worth the 16 ..... or a total of over 2 million people in the DFW immediate area. The exodus will be massive with many traveling the discrete routes.

May God have mercy on your misguided planning. 
Now .... if your looking for a killer (no pun intended) weekend getaway for a play day and escape from the big city ..... well, now your talking!


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

A Watchman said:


> Your in a tuff spot to be looking for a quiet country road to hide from the masses. Dallas is the 9th largest city in the nation with Fort worth the 16 ..... or a total of over 2 million people in the DFW immediate area. The exodus will be massive with many traveling the discrete routes.
> 
> May God have mercy on your misguided planning.
> Now .... if your looking for a killer (no pun intended) weekend getaway for a play day and escape from the big city ..... well, now your talking!


I wouldn't call it misguided, but rather a step in the right direction. The homestead community is about living and balancing the amenities of the city with a rural lifestyle. They ain't preppers. Also, my wife is not on board with the idea of prepping. If she were to enjoy being in this type of a homestead community, then we might be able to trade up (or rather out) to a superior place later. Also, it would give me some good and valuable experience to learn what it is I want in a future place.

My first car wasn't a Jaguar, and my first home wasn't my dream home. If we keep making progress in the right direction, we will probably end up at a pretty good place.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ntxmerman said:


> I wouldn't call it misguided, but rather a step in the right direction. The homestead community is about living and balancing the amenities of the city with a rural lifestyle. They ain't preppers. Also, my wife is not on board with the idea of prepping. If she were to enjoy being in this type of a homestead community, then we might be able to trade up (or rather out) to a superior place later. Also, it would give me some good and valuable experience to learn what it is I want in a future place.
> 
> My first car wasn't a Jaguar, and my first home wasn't my dream home. If we keep making progress in the right direction, we will probably end up at a pretty good place.


If I were your age, in a huge metroplex, with young kids & a wife not into prepping, then I'd seriously consider one of those agrihoods already in place in the areas you are interested. Learn from the experts & start growing a bit of your own food. Let your family see the advantages of fresh food & a bit of space. Take it slow & easy & then as your kids move on, maybe then get yourself a small farm.

Kinda like us. Started with one horse for the wife after the kids finished high school. I got one to ride with her. Kept them in a local boarding stable. Riding friend died suddenly & family asked us to take her horse. Picked up a young colt and realized this was getting way too expensive, so bought this land out in the country. Plan was for years to keep the horses there & just stay on weekends but long story short, built out here & moved within a year or so.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

ntxmerman said:


> I wouldn't call it misguided, but rather a step in the right direction. The homestead community is about living and balancing the amenities of the city with a rural lifestyle. They ain't preppers. Also, my wife is not on board with the idea of prepping. If she were to enjoy being in this type of a homestead community, then we might be able to trade up (or rather out) to a superior place later. Also, it would give me some good and valuable experience to learn what it is I want in a future place.
> 
> My first car wasn't a Jaguar, and my first home wasn't my dream home. If we keep making progress in the right direction, we will probably end up at a pretty good place.


Hi ntxmerman.

I think what you're doing is good...in that you are looking ahead towards a better way to live, for yourself and your family...and any step in that direction _(as long as you're fully informed)_ might be the right one, for you. As long as you realize that what you've described in your posts will NOT enable you and your family to 'survive' SHTF long term (1yr+) then you'll be alright. The kinds of set-ups that have the best chance, imo, are relatively well equipped stand-alones, similar to what ******* has created, or the very isolated areas similar to where I am... and there may be other types of set-ups with good chances for a long term survival - but as you stated, this community is about homesteading, not surviving. And if that is what you are looking for, good on ya. 

If everything goes sideways - there will be a lot of people (survivalists and preppers alike, myself included) who will learn how we've been 'misguided' in one way or another. Survivalists develop 'ways' to improvise their way out of anything; preppers move in the direction of "Ok...I think I have enough stocked & ready for SHTF...(even though they're always buying more and always will, lol)" but the simple truth is no one, none of us here, including me (especially me), KNOWS what will happen post-SHTF. We all have ideas, some better than others, as to what might come in the first days, weeks, months... but after that - everything is just a guess. Some here bet their lives, and the lives of their loved ones, on that guess... and on the choices they made leading up to the event.

There are no right answers. There are only folks doing the best they can with what they got, moving in the direction that is right for them, and I wish you (and all of us) the best of luck in the world. Stay safe.


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## ntxmerman (Aug 5, 2017)

******* said:


> If I were your age, in a huge metroplex, with young kids & a wife not into prepping, then I'd seriously consider one of those agrihoods already in place in the areas you are interested. Learn from the experts & start growing a bit of your own food. Let your family see the advantages of fresh food & a bit of space. Take it slow & easy & then as your kids move on, maybe then get yourself a small farm.
> 
> Kinda like us. Started with one horse for the wife after the kids finished high school. I got one to ride with her. Kept them in a local boarding stable. Riding friend died suddenly & family asked us to take her horse. Picked up a young colt and realized this was getting way too expensive, so bought this land out in the country. Plan was for years to keep the horses there & just stay on weekends but long story short, built out here & moved within a year or so.


Yeah, I'm thinking that smaller steps could lead to something more interesting. As interest builds, then another step could be an upgrade. Staying at home isn't particularly relaxing because we are plugged into the usual duties associated with day-to-day life. It's more like shifting duties from office work to house work. However, when we go away, we tend to feel more relaxed or maybe rejuvenated. It is a different set of chores, but I guess it is far enough different that we don't come back feeling burdened.

I think a cabin in the woods would do us some good just from a mental health perspective. There would need to be another "amenity" (such as hunting or fishing) associated with it to justify the expense with the family.

There is a way to reverse engineer the plan, but I'm not there yet.

Thank you for the advice and suggestions to keep me on track or at least dreaming in the right direction.


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