The housing shortage and public lands

[hank4elk]

Big changes around these parts too.
Never seen this many vehicles traveling thru. Half with 5th wheels & Razors. Giganto RV's. The other half with their belongings.
This county grew by at least a few hundred in last year. Like 10-15% of the total.
Local store is always sold out now. Lines in the few funky restaurants.
And the good ones are packed, usually. I am going to call in to go from now on.
For sale signs or new roads all over.
Traffic.
It used to be once or twice a week I would see a truck,I recognized,on the county road across the valley. I've seen half a dozen vehicles racing down it this morning.
The newbies either are loaded or look like the locals. Homesteaders.Dustbowlers.Most who will not make it 1 year.
There is no here, here. No jobs nor housing. Building materials. Prices for what there is stupid high. Good luck finding reliable help. Or any for that matter.

I think I picked a good time to retire & observe. Rio & I have it made.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I will continue to take my chances with the bears

Bears are honest. Humans are not.

 

[BigHornRam]

A one percenter cashed out of his Park City property last year and bought a 240 acre farm near me. He never farmed before but decided to give it a go. I think he fell out of frying pan and into the fire. I wish him luck, the land was prime for subdivision and continuing to farm it will postpone the inevitable.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Plan to go thru later in the day, late afternoon or even early evening. Much, much nicer.

Better chance of seeing critters too.

 

[noharleyyet]

@Ben Lamb caption this pic

 

[hank4elk]

I was going to go basic and get a container for a woodshop. $1500 2yrs ago. Local guy wants $4k,on back order............lol.
Screw that,I'll build a 12x24 shop & carport for less. Lucky I have an in at the local mill.

 

[SaskHunter]

we sometimes are able to sell an igloo at a premium in the fall. we even provide a 6 month warranty on the structure ( if sold in the fall )

seriously, interest in homesteading was on the rise, before covid. The asphalt jungle is looking less attractive to more people today

I was reading about the crime in Chicago, especially the shootings, wow. We have people burning church's here in Canada right now.

I will continue to take my chances with the bears

Even the "country" is getting expensive and I'm not talking about country living with a view of the Rockies. Housing in a 30min drive bubble around Saskatoon has exploded. We're not even talking about places like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, etc...

As for burning churches, I fully understand the pain and suffering some are feeling, however, violence and destruction has never been the answer. This does nothing but create a further divide and "us Vs them" attitude. But I digress...

 

[hank4elk]

@Ben Lamb caption this pic
View attachment 187700

they come in 2 colors too,red & blue,the better to screw you

 

[Randi]

I had high hopes that COVID would make a bigger dent in this problem. Not really. Too bad. We humans seem incapable of dealing with it on our own. The ONLY president of US that I know of to address the need for zero population growth was ... believe it or not ... Richard Nixon. He also set aside more national monuments and parks than any other president (even TR as I recall ... though I think Carter set aside more acreage with his Alaska deals). Nixon was also responsible for Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. A helluva conservative, eh? Anyway, when I heard him bring up ZPG in his State of the Union Address I almost fell off my chair. No one else since has had the balls to acknowledge the source of ALL our problems is situated between our legs. Head in the sand (and I'm looking at you, Right to Lifers).

out of respect for Randy, I will say nothing !

I do hope April see's s this post and responds as she is far more tactful than I

 

[SAJ-99]

There is no housing shortage. Therenis a shortage of houses for sale, especially those looking to buy a starter home. A lot of the problems in the west can be directly attributed to local city councils. They want people (especially rich people) to move there so they can say “yeah, growth, yeh economy”. Unfortunately almost all lack a solid plan to deal with the growth. All can be fix with changes to the tax code. Limit deductions of mortgage interest, enforce rules in passive income for second homes, limit ownership of single family residences by corporations, and encouraging boomers to downsize.

 

[Ben Lamb]

@Ben Lamb caption this pic
View attachment 187700

Any politician is too leaky a vessel to put much hope in. If you're looking for DC to solve this problem, they won't. There's no money to be made in solving problems.
The best bet is through local gov't and massaging zoning laws. I was privvy to a good conversation with a uber-liberal representative & a former conservative legislator who were about an inch away from agreement on how to solve some of these housing issues while retaining the overall character of the land everybody loves.

Solutions are out there, but we have to stop the BS binary political thinking. Politicians are not here to save us. they're here to enhance their own selves.

 

[SaskHunter]

Bears are honest. Humans are not.

Bears go through my garbage if I am not responsible enough to store it in a way to prevent them from doing so.

Humans will bust my windows to make sure there were no valuables in my truck which was left clearly empty to prevent just that.

 

[Sytes]

20 years ago workers around Jackson Hole would take up entire campgrounds as their own Hoovervilles. The problem isn't new, we're just suddenly noticing it since a significant portion of Americans can't go abroad to vacation and our favorite places are getting jacked.

Unless those moving to counties unable to manage the significant and sudden boom of $$$. (Covid factor)
Throwing the $$$ into Flathead and surrounding counties is flipping our communities upside down.

I worked Jackson Hole back 20 years ago... general areas (Moran, Jackson lodge, Colter Bay, Bridger-Teton) lodges offered room/board though for those not working g lodge or FS, the campgrounds turned underworld criminal. Was a challenge for all.

 

[noharleyyet]

Any politician is too leaky a vessel to put much hope in. If you're looking for DC to solve this problem, they won't. There's no money to be made in solving problems.
The best bet is through local gov't and massaging zoning laws. I was privvy to a good conversation with a uber-liberal representative & a former conservative legislator who were about an inch away from agreement on how to solve some of these housing issues while retaining the overall character of the land everybody loves.

Solutions are out there, but we have to stop the BS binary political thinking. Politicians are not here to save us. they're here to enhance their own selves.

Yes, I should've included Nan saying, "Chuck, you and Mitch...."

 

[Ben Lamb]

Unless those moving to counties unable to manage the significant and sudden boom of $$$. (Covid factor)
Throwing the $$$ into Flathead and surrounding counties is flipping our communities upside down.

I worked Jackson Hole back 20 years ago... general areas (Moran, Jackson lodge, Colter Bay, Bridger-Teton) lodges offered room/board though for those not working g lodge or FS, the campgrounds turned underworld criminal. Was a challenge for all.

We've undervalued labor for decades, and we're paying for that now. Those Californians selling a 200 sq foot midcentury ranch for $1.5 million put down 20% too much on a similar house in Whitefish, pushing the locals out.

Welcome to the Reagan economy, emboldened by Clinton, Bush II, Obama and 45.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yes, I should've included Nan saying, "Chuck, you and Mitch...."

Nancy gets her orders from the Billionaire class just like the rest of them. #1 rule in politics: Everyone is dispensable.

 

[rwc101]

Bears are tasty. Humans are not. I assume.

 

[BigHornRam]

I had high hopes that COVID would make a bigger dent in this problem. Not really. Too bad. We humans seem incapable of dealing with it on our own. The ONLY president of US that I know of to address the need for zero population growth was ... believe it or not ... Richard Nixon. He also set aside more national monuments and parks than any other president (even TR as I recall ... though I think Carter set aside more acreage with his Alaska deals). Nixon was also responsible for Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. A helluva conservative, eh? Anyway, when I heard him bring up ZPG in his State of the Union Address I almost fell off my chair. No one else since has had the balls to acknowledge the source of ALL our problems is situated between our legs. Head in the sand (and I'm looking at you, Right to Lifers).

Godwin's Law 2.0. Any thread involving @OntarioHunter makes the inevitable come exponentially sooner.

 

[Panda Bear]

As for burning churches, I fully understand the pain and suffering some are feeling, however, violence and destruction has never been the answer. This does nothing but create a further divide and "us Vs them" attitude. But I digress...

I agree on both counts

as long as I have your attention: Do you know whether or not I can get a tax break if I buy a house that was previously used to take the edge off, after a man had a very stressful day. Improving the image of the community and all that type of argument. Harley do you have any first hand knowledge of the current status of the home in Texas, that Dolly and Burt made famous ? Well, I guess it was famous before them. BTW, what college did you attend in Texas

I look for an increase in population and possibly a sharp one in The Yukon and Northwest Territories, but not Nunavit, after Covid. At least we are investing in that direction.

 

[Gerald Martin]

As much as the population growth and rising housing costs cause stress on locals trying to find housing, it does provide opportunity for those in a position to and willing to provide the necessary goods and services.

Home ownership has never been possible without significant sacrifice. “Affordable” has always been an ever moving target. When has paying retail market prices for the most desirable properties ever been possible for a person living on blue collar wages?

I drive the Gallatin Canyon every day. In comparison to how it was 20 years ago, I am sure it’s terrible. In comparison to city traffic gridlock…. it’s heavenly. Most people accustomed to city traffic would laugh if they heard me complain about single lane traffic that only averages 45 mph at peak rush and 55-60 the rest of the time.