Housing Crisis

Seems like things are quiet in the mainstream news, but in reality the economy is turning to crap faster than a fat kid eats cake. I found this article linked from the Guardian. Seems like the congressional Bailout Bill is just going to sweep the whole housing mess under the rug to fester some more.

I just tried to figure out how much my property value has dropped, but the damn calculator sucks. I found another calculator and my home was valued at $315K in may of '08, and now it's $270k. Well that is on paper, in reality I think these numbers are hogwash. No houses have sold in my area in quite some time, and I think that is forcing my value down.

I'm still in the black as I've been paying a little extra on the mortgage every month, and I dropped a good chunk of dough when I bought the house. Just for the record I bought it for $299k, less the down payment.

Statewide, houses are down over 18%, median house value is down 58%. that's bad, but at least I don't live in Las Vegas, Florida, or California! I cannot even begin to imagine how bad it is there.

As a nation I feel we are at a crossroads. There is no denial even from staunch Republicans I know that we are in a full-bore recession. One of my close friends is a LEO, and I heard him mention he bought 1000 rounds of ammo the other day for when "The shit hits the fan". I have never, ever heard him mention anything like that before. I'll have to talk with him some more and see what he has planned. He cannot keep his mouth shut to save his life, so I'll be able to figure out how serious he is about prepping. If he is prepping I might have to subtly guide him until he's got the basics covered then let him in on how I'm prepping so we can join forces.

Although he is a friend, he is possible a JBT-to-be, so I need to be careful. Oh, and for those who are not up on the acronyms, a JBT is a Jack-Booted Thug. I know that if his kid was starving he'd have no compunctions of driving to my house and making me "share". So I'll play with my cards close to my chest until I know he can feed his family, then let him in on the big secret. Then again, he might not have food, but has access to the government, has 10x the amount of firepower I have, and is a crack shot with his AR-15. Plus if they come to take my guns, I'll be able to hide them at his place, no problem.

It's sad that as survivalists we need to evaluate our friendships in such a manner. "Will this person shoot me for my food?" I feel it's wise to play it safe. I haven't even told my Mum or my brother about my preps. I figure it's easier to tell them when they need to know then to tell them now and hope they don't let it slip out to another person.