Article – Selling Survival

Posted on by

Broker Theresa Mondale and her client stand in a clearing on the patch of mountain forest he wants to sell, making small talk about whether society is going to collapse. The topic, weighty in any context, might be anathema to other agents, whose business trades on the promise of better days. In real estate, amenities always mingle with aspiration: The house has space to grow into, the yard is big enough for a dog or the patio will entice neighbors to come by for barbecue.

But Mondale’s big, cheerful voice doesn’t waver. This is her bread and butter. She has been following the latest buzz online predicting a “global reset” in September and wants to know if the client is worried.

“If something like that were coming I would feel it, because I’m a pretty intuitive person,” says Seth Pogue, a bald man with weathered skin, strong arms and an intense manner that seems to contradict his tie-dye shirt.

The local lefty fishwrapper has an article about a local real estate seler who is quietly specializing in properties that would appeal to those of us who share our rarefied interest. I’d heard some of the commercials, and seen some of the print ads, that were put out for this gal and I recall thinking that she might be on the same page as me.

The article, which isn’t too terrible for a lefty publication, goes on to mention Friend Of The Blog ,Rawles  and his coining of the ‘redoubt’ moniker as an appelation for the region.

In my years here I’ve seen more than a few properties that had odd little quirks and features that could not be explained away as anything other than ‘survivalist’-themed. But out here, those features are not necessarily considered to be odd or strange.

If I had the money, I’d be getting myself a nice acreage out in the middle of nowhere to build my quiet little concrete home and ride out what’s left of my life in quiet and security.

Anyway…interesting article and worth the read. I’d be curious to know if her business takes off or suffers because of the spotlight being shined on her particular niche.

7 thoughts on “Article – Selling Survival”

  1. Right now fear sells – just look at the markets, China, Russia, etc. Just for giggles, what kind of concrete home would you have? The more I read about them, I’d opt for one of the monolithic domes with at least half of it in a hillside or just a trio of them in a triangle connected by corridors. If going to dream, might as well dream big! I’d just like to find a 5 acre wooded spot outside of a small town/village and put up garage type structure or a 16×24 shed

  2. I analyze it by the kind of survivalist fiction you prefer. If you’re into ,Rawles, then an isolated place in the boonies (with a dozen or two of your friends) makes sense. My leaning is more towards “The Postman” with the thought that isolated places will fall and villages or small towns will offer better odds. If it ends up like the Bielski brothers in “Defiance” then there are drawbacks to both plans.

    • Me too – the Postmen idea. Strength and safetly in numbers. I recently read a children’s book called “The Girl Who Owned a City” with the same conclusion. Interesting how those ideas are filtering down into children’s lit.

  4. When I moved the redoubt we used mark twit reality. The guy was top notch. Ended up buying from a private seller but I would also recommend mark.

    Jason

Comments are closed.