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Walternate πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡ΌπŸ‡©πŸ‡°πŸ‡¬πŸ‡±πŸ‡²πŸ‡½πŸ‡΅πŸ‡¦'s avatar

If Trump did all of the things he says he'll do, it'll have potentially devastating consequences for the economy. Pulling out of NATO and refusing to support allies will cause tectonic geopolitical shifts, destabilizing the world and resulting in increased conflict. Conflict is bad for business (unless it *is* your business). Rounding up immigrants by the thousands or millions would destabilize so many industries. Linda Chavez wrote a great article about this the other day. Houses would be vacated, companies would be understaffed, supply-chains will struggle, inflation will go up. Never mind the consequences of yielding global influence to an increasingly powerful China. A Trump 2.0 could be devastating to many businesses and the wealthy behind them. Nonetheless, some would find new ways of exploiting the situation and manage to extract more wealth out of an increasingly fragile economy, Γ  la Russia.

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JF's avatar

Back in the Fall I was preparing to sell my off grid remote cabin - then I decided to wait until after the election. Too much uncertainty right now for major decisions. I can’t be the only one, putting off important life changes because of fear, really.

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Walternate πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡ΌπŸ‡©πŸ‡°πŸ‡¬πŸ‡±πŸ‡²πŸ‡½πŸ‡΅πŸ‡¦'s avatar

My wife and I are currently living off-grid in AK. For a number of reasons, we're likely to leave next year. If we don't want to endure another winter, we have to get started on leaving in the spring to ensure we can get out of here. At the same time, we've discussed reasons to stay and one of them is, what if there's major social upheaval? What if there's mass civil unrest? Do we really want to be in the Lower 48 where there are *more* people? We are pretty isolated out here, so we'd be able to avoid a lot. At the same time, if civilization does start to crumble, do we really want to be in such an inhospitable place? If the cost of fuel were to jump, we'd be facing major challenges with electricity and heat during the long, cold winter.

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JF's avatar

Wow, it’s amazing to connect with someone dealing with the same exact calculations. My thoughts tumble along the same lines. Another feature that caused me to apply the brakes on listing my property was the weird stagnant real estate market for both buyers and sellers. Even if I sold my place, I’m not eager to pay current exorbitant rents or mortgage interest rates that are common on the west coast. My place is ineligible for a mortgage because it has water access only and no utilities, which results in a very small pool of potential buyers; they’d have to have cash, without even the option of taking out their own second mortgage on an existing residence - because of interest rates. On the other hand, I’m not getting any younger, and as you know it’s a rigorous lifestyle. I do pretty well with solar (except during the shortest days of winter) for electricity, and plentiful free wood for warmth. But it’s a lot of work. And medically risky at age 71. Are you optimistic about selling your place?

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Walternate πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡ΌπŸ‡©πŸ‡°πŸ‡¬πŸ‡±πŸ‡²πŸ‡½πŸ‡΅πŸ‡¦'s avatar

I think we have some reason to be optimistic. It's a great property for recreational purposes. It's 20 acres that's remote enough to feel like you're away from the city, but only 45 min drive to most things you need (10 min. to the local post office and gas stations). We live near a major recreation and tourist spot on a mountain (10 min. in the other direction). Our property is bordered on 2 sides by public state land (must be 1000s of acres) and an established sledding/atv trail runs across the southern border. This is the kind of place that, if you don't live here year-round, you come with friends and family in the summer, park you RV and ATV trailer, then ride right off the property into the Alaska wild for all sorts of fun. It would potentially make a great rental property for summer tourists that want to hunt and recreate. Still, we have a lot invested in this and can't afford much of a loss. I'm hoping as the economy rebounds from COVID/Ukraine/etc. and interests rates come down, someone out there will want to shell out for a summer place like this.

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JF's avatar

More similarities. I’m surrounded by private β€œindustrial” forest land. I have access to hiking on miles of logging roads that are closed to public vehicle use. Amazingly, once I boat 5 minutes to my car, I’m a 5 minute drive to Costco! It’s an odd juxtaposition. I have the same hopes, about attracting outdoor enthusiasts. And I’m one mile from the Pacific Ocean. But I had two realtors β€œghost” me; I think their assessment is it’s too much work, for their commission compared to a residence in town. So I may have to sell it myself, when the time comes. It will be interesting to see what the future holds, one way or another.

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JF's avatar

My thoughts exactly. I can’t believe the elite business world doesn’t see it, loud and clear. A Trump win means the end of the world as we know it.

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