Why are different ones saying sell your homes in the city and move to the country,what would this accomplish

-- Adelle Glenn (hipAdelle@webtv.com), January 12, 1999

Answers

Fewer potentially cannibal neighbors, more garden space.

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), January 12, 1999.

Adelle,

I think it goes beyond the safety issue Blue mentioned.

There is a feeling that the economy could go into a deflationary spiral where home values would plummet. I purchased a home almost exactly a year ago before I was a GI. Well, I'm still happy I did it regardless of what "might" happen. My son has a yard to play in and I have a great office to work out of.

The best thing you could do is plan on numerous ways to bug-out in an emergency. That is, plan escape routes and places to go or simply take a vacation somewhere out of large metropolitan areas around the beginning of 2000.

While it's wonderful to own and occupy a home I do not own anything I would trade for the lives of my wife and son. I could care less about home and property values and taxes and bills and what have you if there are serious, put your life in danger, kinds of problems come y2k.

Mike ==========================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), January 12, 1999.

Do what YOU feel is right for you and your family. Only you can make this type of decision. Educate yourself, which is becoming harder to do since there are so many conflicting stories, and make your own decision.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), January 12, 1999.

Whether or not Y2K disrupts, there is still the spectre of massive deflation. We hve experienced in the last 50+ years the most massive inflation in recorded history. And every inflation in history has been followed by deflation. The more the excess, the more the correction. One of the precursors is a massive stock market speculative bubble. ("The Reckoning" -- not exact title; look for authors James Dale Davidson and Lord Wm. Rees-Mogg).

If you have a mortgage/TD to pay off, your earning power will likely not be enough to keep the place. So, sell to get your equity out, while the getting is good.

If it's paid off, then your only consideration is, do you want to live there when (if--likely) the mobs come. Sell and get your safer location.

Better to have some paid for land and just a trailer house in the boonies than a city house only part way paid for.

Of course if you "own" a home, but have no equity

-- Seer (seer@fin.com), January 12, 1999.

Refinance your house (only if you have a large amount of equity), pay cash for a dwelling in the country, and when the time comes go to your new home. Or purchase land where you have septic and water already there. Purchase a mobile home or travel trailer and place it on the property. There's many ways to do it. I'm thinking about refinancing my house and taking what equity I can now. If Y2K fizzles, I can always refinance and pay down the loan. If Y2K is a disaster, who is going to kick me out of my house? I'll have either cash or another place to live.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 12, 1999.

What it would accomplish? Only the survival of you and your family.

-- cody varian (cody@y2ksurvive.com), January 12, 1999.

Adelle--

You should understand that each of these responses reflect the convictions of the writer. As Linda said, you have to come to your own judgment on this.

The "get out of the city" recommendation is based on the fairly predictable consequences of social chaos in our large cities in the event of prolonged failure of electric power, water supply, and food delivery. There is some possibility (estimates vary) that widespread equipment failures in power generation facilities and water treatment plants may be associated with the calendar roll-over to January 1, 2000.

Essential operations functions of many computers and embedded control systems may be compromised as a result of certain date-processing features programmed into them, leading to failures in many systems. Many people are working to identify and correct the problems, but it seems unlikely that everything can be fixed in the time remaining.

In any case, no one knows what exactly mayl happen, how severe any disruptions might be, where they might occur, or how long they might last.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 13, 1999.

Adelle -- I just read the thread headed What is credible information?

Read through it. I think you'll get a sense of the uncertainty that exists about this.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 13, 1999.

There were near-riots in Los Angeles 1999-01-11, because of panic over getting 1 cent stamps (1st class postal rates increasing 1 cent). Long lines, people angry, some branches ran out, people panicked.

All you believers in the "goodness" and "cooperativeness" of the unwashed, take heed.

Maybe cooperation and community will occur after Y2K. But only about a year later after millions (billions?) die.

-- fu_the_dgi (f@f.com), January 13, 1999.

Oh, there's no good reason to leave! Just stay there in the city. After all, if there's no water, or electricity, or working toilets, or food, hey... the government will take care of you, as always, right? *I* live in the country, and believe me, it's no picnic. Hard place to live. Please don't come out here, it's not in the least comfortable. Thank you.

-- Y2Keeper (dont@think.so), January 13, 1999.