As I said in the November 1 post, there was immediate interest when we listed our house. We had five showings within two days and one or two per day since. After a short bidding war, we accepted an offer for our house that was above our asking price. I did not believe it was that hot seller’s market until I saw it first hand. People are highly motivated to move out of the city.
That’s a positive side effect of COVID-19. Another is that it is now accepted practice to do all the signatures related to an offer and sale online via DocuSign or a similar app. That made it easy to accept the offer from a remote location. I doubt we will even need to go to the closing.
Assuming the level of post-election day violence remains low, we’ll be heading back soon to meet with moving companies and obtain estimates for our move. Then, a few days later, we’ll bring another load of gear back up here. We’ll be making a round trip every week until we officially move. If we stay on track, moving day will be before Christmas.
The Impending Move
I previously mentioned that we have already moved many of the things moving companies will not take, like guns and ammo. I’ve moved all my spray paint, bottles of WD-40, brake cleaners, gun cleaner, wasp and hornet spray, and other aerosol cans; all the automotive oils and chemicals; and all the chainsaw bar oil, oil for gasoline, and the premixed gasoline. Now that we have a target date, we’ll start moving other liquids, like lawn and garden sprays, laundry detergent, household cleansers, etc. We’ll also have to take the propane and fire extinguishers.
Most of what we have moved is prepping stuff and my gear. I moved enough clothing, footwear and personal items that I could show up at our prepper property with only the clothes on my back and live comfortably. My wife, on the other hand, has only a few things in her side of the closet. I’ve anticipated the cold weather and moved a parka and thermal underwear as well as a sweatshirt and fleece. I don’t think she has anything heavier than a fleece. Now that the move is six weeks way, I think she’ll probably ramp that up.
In any case, I am very excited at the prospect of moving to our prepper property full time before the end of the year.
Fence Repair
I spent several hours yesterday repairing fencing. Two sections had been damaged over the years by fallen trees. While we don’t have any livestock we need to keep in, a good fence adds value to your property and has the added benefit of defining your property line, which makes it clear to a third party that they have crossed into your property. Combined with no trespassing and/or no hunting signs, this can be a deterrent.
Will fencing stop someone from attacking you in a post-SHTF situation? Nope, not if they are standard barb wire fences. They might slow down an attack by a group of people, giving you a chance to shoot them. You might be able to use a barbwire fence to funnel people towards a specific location, creating a choke point and, again, allowing you to shoot them as they attack.
In our case, it doesn’t really matter because the fence separates us from a neighbor, and to get to their property you would have to pass through ours, unless you came up over the mountain, which would require a huge effort.
The Outer Layer
I consider fences and gates the outer layer of defense for which I am responsible. They help keep people off the property. We still need to be aware of what goes on beyond our fence line, but outside the perimeter requires different rules.
I bought two large posts which will be the gate posts when we gate our driveway, and I’ve found a 14-foot gate. Installation may wait until after we move in, which may mean that it has to wait until the spring thaw. There’s a lot to do around here before we get to the gate.
Like door locks, fences will only keep out people who are honest or lazy. To be an effective deterrent in a post-TEOTWAWKI scenario, we would need coils of razor wire or a higher, difficult-to-climb security fence. Such a fence would need a road on the inside for roving patrols, and possibly on the outside, and maybe an occasional observation tower. (Whenever I start to think like this, I have to remind myself that this is not a fort or even a compound, and that my budget is limited.)
I’ll feel a better once the gate is up. It’s a nice reassurance that no one can drive up on you.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the posts detailing our property search.
I’m glad to here that worked out so quickly for you guys. Congratulations on the big sell and thanks for the great posts.
Keep your powder dry.
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