APOCALYPSE ROOMIES
*note: free books. Militia porn https://amzn.to/2k95OI1 . Zombies https://amzn.to/2IAOR7V . Sounds like a "group stuck together in a small shelter" type https://amzn.to/2rWZNSp .
*
It might be time to
revisit the concept on taking on boarders.
Well, you won’t necessarily be feeding them, so roommates rather than
boarders. Shared housing,
co-ownership. Whatever your situation
encourages. You might not be needing the
extra money now, and single nuclear family dwellings are still affordable ( ish
), but with the clear direction of the economy, might you wish to plan
ahead? Isn’t that what preppers do, make
plans for the future prior to being force to react?
*
I hate roommates. With good roommates you are still on
financial razorblades when ( not if, but when ) they bale right before rent is
due and with bad roommates they try to force you to share in their abundant
drama. That said, I never had a good
enough shelter situation where I had the option of walling them off and out of
my life. If they were more like
apartment renters, if I had a detached converted garage or a Mother In Law
house in the back yard, I don’t think it would have been so bad. And, I was never able to fall back on my own
resources to pay the rent should I need to, which increased the stress.
*
If you are a homeowner, in
theory you can take on the full burden of the monthly payments. Taking on a renter, you can save enough to
cover the lack thereof as needed, plus have extra money for prepping. Plus, get ready for that inevitable
unemployment, either through taking the rent and doubling down on the mortgage
payment or being able to partially replace lost income. Ideally, you and another prepper couple
jointly buy the home and pay a lot less for everything, but that probably won’t
happen due to incompatibility and their uncertain future earnings. Most likely you’ll have to retain complete
control to protect yourself. Although if
you could legally protect yourself co-ownership might be the best inducement
and cheapest price.
*
Of course, that introduces
lawyers into the equation ( because let’s face it, you can’t even trust family
not to screw you, let alone friends ).
Is paying one quarter of the Internet connection fee and one quarter the
mortgage offset by the limitations? A
better bet would be to buy that twenty aces of junk land for $250 an acre and
divide it into five acre lots selling it at $1,000 an acre. The three lots make your payments plus give
you an income for five years and nobody is in anyone else’s business. But if you lose a buyer you wait far longer
than if you were renting a room ( far fewer folks want to rough it ).
*
There is always a semi-RV
park. If you bought the twenty acres and
kept one, then rented out the others you could start at one acre and
pay-as-you-go add septic tanks, gravel pads, electric lines and used
trailers. If the person had their own
trailer you could charge half of in town rent and still pay off the add-ons in
a year, then it would all be profit after that.
You’d probably have to do a Rent-To-Own to avoid the zoning police. But of course, that is just the ideal
assuming you could live out in the country ( if not on grid you could also just
haul water for everyone or have a community well, plus have solar panels, all
on a fee and a rent to own nice mark-up ).
*
If you are in town like
most, adding roommates is pretty darn simply.
There is limited investment. You
could turn the house into a duplex, cover and convert a big porch, change over
the garage or the basement. Obviously,
this is problematic. Isn’t ANY form of
earning extra money? They all come with
a mental price. Yet, as I said, look at
the direction of the economy. Build now,
prior to materials costs skyrocketing or disappearing. Get ahead in savings and stockpiling before
you need it. Renting is a much better
deal than it was.
*
Rents have doubled in ten
years. It is a sellers market. And unemployment has more than doubled. There is a built in market for cheaper and
cheaper shelter options. The trend is
already there with parents housing their unemployed children, far more
expensive schooling requiring roommate markets, and what have you. Join the trend while costs are still lower
and profit off of it. And things are MUCH
easier today with online verses the old newspaper classified. Plus as expenses rise yearly you only
benefit. In the 90’s, you were
practically begging for roommates.
Today, they are begging for affordable options.
*
Taking on ONE roommate
means your mortgage went from $800 to $600, your Internet connection went from
$50 to $30, your water bill cut by a third and the guy renting is still only
paying one quarter of the national average rent. And that is a room. Rent a separate building and your mortgage is
half, the Internet is free as is your water and the renter is still getting a
great bargain at half price. And that is
if you are stuck with a conventional mortgage.
If you did things smarter you can charge less, pay less yourself and
have little risk of losing your renter.
*
Of course, needless to
say, in the end no one is employed and if you don’t lose the house you at least
lose the income. All the more reason to
do this now and get those debts eliminated.
This is preventive medicine economically. And keep in mind, if you DO rent, that is one
less family member that can horn in on you for free rent. “Oh, sorry, honey, we’ve rented out your
room. With the price of your fathers
heart medicine, we really need the help”.
If you didn’t have that excuse, the bitch be moved back in and within
one month and she is knocked up and then you are raising a bastard grandchild
and paying for the daughters rehab and bail.
Just saying.
END ( today's related link https://amzn.to/2G8SRXh )
* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there
Then on Jan 30 the following year, not giving you much time to respond, the roomie drops that IRS form 1099 on your ass stating that all the money he paid you is a business expense to him and now a legal income to you that must be reported. Yeah, you can slit his throat and carbonic acid flush his ass down the tub drain but if he already filed electronically you're in the noose for that coin.
ReplyDeleteI'm too old and wise now to have roommates. I'd hire lawyers, build soundproof walls/floors/ceilings, install expensive locks and video camera's, etc. The liability would just be too high for my comfort.
Back in my single 20's when I had some roommates life was simpler. I didn't really care about a lot of stuff, and to a certain degree people were more reasonable back then (circa late 70's early 89's) and if push came to shove I never let anyone live with me that I couldn't beat their ass. LOL
I had 3 different male roommates (1 at a time) and they all worked out OK. Had several female romantic live-ins and they never worked out good. Hurt feelings all around and once some stuff was stolen. But I don't need to dredge that stuff up.
My garage/workshop/office is detached from the house with about 30' in between them. It has full electric, water, and septic and wireless internet and a TV antenna. In rough times I could build some walls in the workshop (after emptying the contents) and create maybe 3 bedrooms and another bathroom. My office has a bathroom and a kitchenette. The whole building is 24' x 36' (office 12' x 24', workshop 24' x 24'). Insulated and propane heated and air conditioning.
Rent the whole thing out for $700/mth on a month to month basis. Cash only (legal tenders).
No matter what you do, people can try to screw you. I had a guy looking at my room for rent ( twenty years ago ) and acted all noble he didn't sue me for lack of handicap access.
DeleteSurely 'Ghostsniper' does not mean 'carbonic acid,' a chemical essential to breathing. Is this poor proofreading, or merely self-confident ignorance from someone who describes himself as 'wise.'
DeletePlay nice!
Delete@Anon, I made that word up on the fly, as a joke. Didn't know it was a real word. Are you always so gullible?
DeleteBrilliant analogies again Jim! Minions should rent to stable persons who are probably older with a locked in income stream from pension,social security,disability, etc. This will allow a certainty/stability to the cash flow as they get paid automatically outside of economy ups and downs. Ensure some form of background verification through people networks or police to cover your ass. Some old coots just want a room/bathroom, minimal kitchenette and a t.v.-internet and they are happy all day. In the cities 400 +/- is a deal to pay for considering alternatives. They may be a casino lizard and spend the whole day away there and never be around anyway.
ReplyDeleteOf course, an old person might keep getting sick on you, ambulance needing to be called, etc. But them, a youngster can be smoking the glass dingus, so I guess it is a toss up. At least the old guys have no energy to mess with you.
DeleteIf a trustworthy or like minded boarder/roommate/roomie can be found (that will be a challenge for reliability/security reasons) then there is a side benefit of a sort of in place security component to the arrangement. If you rent to an old veteran, etc. They can double as a look out or caretaker-security function in your absence. It would be in their interest as well mutually. As our splendid economy recollapses deeper and foreclosures abound with squatters and scavengers increasing in the area the b-pods and bunkers are vulnerable and this will be the highest threat and risk exposure. Dig in and reinforce fortifications.
ReplyDeleteI'm noticing more videos on rural break-ins and theft/vandalism. Until gas become unaffordable...
DeleteIn my experience roommates cost a lot more than any monetary gains you get in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteFirst they start drinking yer beer, cuz they don't have any money after paying rent, then they move their girlfriend in and yer food and beer disappears.
Then you start finding needles and other paraphernalia which confirms the meth habit you suspect, which leads to a confrontation, hand to hand, and ejection of the pair.
Then you go into town and find out everybody knew what that joker was all about, but didn't bother to tell ya.
After all that, I choose to be a hermit and turn a deaf ear to all the hardship pleas. Not my problem anymore.
If I ever choose to be a landlord again, it will be a property widely separated from mine, I go to them to get the rent and they never know where I live. Then I can rely on court orders and local law enforcement to evict and only have to worry about fixing the place back up after they trash it
I rented weekly and my only out of pocket was a new door lock and some keys, plus a new classified ad. But then, the emotional toll of dealing with their problems was indeed "priceless".
DeleteYeah guys, covering a lot of variables to plan for. I think bestest option is separated dwelling structure or separate quarters walled off with own entrance and ammenities. Remember evictions get dicey with this me society that will squat and refuse to leave, crying 9-1-1 on you, then requiring court action and police/marshals etc. (pain in the ass) an r.v. lot type arrangement is ideal, their own quartering facilities just requires parking space and maybe utility hook ups, that can be on a limited camping scenario basis as your rates are bestest in area. Immigrants of the right stripe (conservative/religous/hard working under radar types) would appreciate a squat spot in austere living conditions as you don't squeeze them for proper I.D./background-credit checks etc. Just slum lord it. If in military town can advertise in base newspaper for off base rooming or storage for their gear (safer than storage units) while deployed.
ReplyDeletethat stuff is music??
DeleteSo they say :)
DeleteSounds like a sure way to earn an income, if you can somehow minimize the people associated problems with such a venture. I’ve known more than a few friends that have rented sheds in someone’s backyard. You would want to know that the people being rented to are cool on some level, since technically, it’s not legal to live in a shed. But then again, technically, it’s not legal to be homeless in the land of the free (And any non-permitted residence would legally classify you as such, though it varies by state).
ReplyDeleteI recall visiting a friends brother near Nevada City California some years back. He had a neighbor that was renting trailer space to a few people on his acreage. He was charging very little; say around a $100 a month, but they were responsible for waste/water hauling, etc, so he had no responsibility to them, other than to provide them with a place to park. In this scenario, you would probably wish to know the people that you’ve entered into such an arrangement with, and know that they’re cool enough to not ruin a good thing for themselves, and for you as well.
In regards to the trailer space, everyone would probably "stay cool". They have a strong incentive. Five times the rent elsewhere. The issues start when they only have a mediocre incentive. If they can move in with a buddy, in a bigger apartment, for the same price? You are going to get hosed. Human nature means they want to blame you for their bad behavior. Count on that.
DeleteThis is where the leadership and group dynamics enter. If they are kinda pre-screened for like minded-ness and you have their personal data/I.D. etc, for control freak purposes, they will be in your orbit. Then a barbecue/drinking-social setting can allow a bit of organizing and feeling out to nail down contingencies, etc. Even a liberal gov't retiree or some such can be re-programmed to your purposes in a quasi-tribe setting. Minions will need to be the overlord here and grab the bull by the horns and drag that transaction to the ground in some dirt. Minions, you are the "land lord" after all, so swing the battle axe. The people for the most part will appreciate the strength of your leadership, especially as things get dicey.
DeleteIf you have a clue, they will cling to you. Well, of course, in general. Some folks are too stupid to bail the water out.
DeleteI have put considerable thought into something similar. However I always get stuck on one point. I hate people.
ReplyDeleteWell maybe hate is to strong a word. but sheesh, they sure do make it hard to like 'em
I don't know if you recall. Your old blog I used to leave a comment about dreaming about living on a large block of land and sitting on the verandah with a shotgun across my lap ready to back up the dirty look I give to anyone thinking about visiting Mr Grouch
Hopefully my article stressed the negative aspects sufficiently. After the last time I had roomies, I made sure to use strategies that would allow me to avoid them henceforth.
DeleteSounds like the perfect neighbor, to me.
DeleteWish there were more like ya.
You have to be very careful if you are a male owner renting to a female. I had rented a room from a guy for about 10 years. when I moved out he made the mistake of renting to a female about his age (mid 20's). first she paid her first months rent and deposit, then climbed into bed with him. No more rent was forthcoming and she got more mean. He thought it was a good idea to sell the house and inform her to move. Three months later the house was to close escrow the next day and she was not out. An argument started with the cops being called. cops informed him he needed to do a formal eviction (taking about 3 months here in Cali). the only thing that saved him was the Officer sat in his car for about 10 minutes after leaving, returned to the door, asked for his female renter, and handcuffed her and took her to jail(writing bad checks!) He collected all her things and took them to her sisters and left them on the porch, changed the locks and transferred the house to the new owners before she got arraigned. He was damn lucky!
ReplyDeleteLucky he was screwed the right way.
DeleteYep, 4:22 is right, you definitely have to be careful there. The California governor eliminated the statute of limitations on all cases considered sexual in nature. So now that flaky female roommate that you evicted back in 1986 can claim that you raped her back then. Oh sure, any evidence is long gone. But don’t worry, your mangina boss, at the feminized, PC, corporate entity, where you work, will be sure to let you go, in the interest of doing right by the matriarchy (well that, and to avoid masses of screaming feminists protesting outside of the corporate office). Throw in a few of her friends saying that you did the same to them, and this constitutes solid evidence, and it’s a done deal, or rather you are. And she and her friends will be praised for having the “courage and bravery” to finally come forth after all these years.
DeleteI swear, it’s getting to the point where you need to wear a body cam when you interact with other people these days, and in fact, I did get one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077PYVVFZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Could people possibly suck more?
Delete