“It has been most truly said that our land does not belong to us only,” said William Morris. “It is not in any sense our property, to do as we like with it. We are only trustees for those that come after us.”
How common it is today to hear about the outrageous cost of having a home. After the usual sentiments of antipathy and disbelief get declared in response to “that house that sold for $100,000 over asking price,” us commoners usually resign to the new serfdom we so meekly find ourselves in.
There exists in our age a housing racket, yes. People and organizations are responsible for designing and maintaining said housing racket. It is a cunning invention, a particularly bad one for civil society and a tremendously good one for plutocrats.
But thankfully, as is the fate of all ploys that burden mankind, it too will fail.
As a human family I suppose we’ll be fine. But let’s just remember, one day the human family will not exist. Until then, we should probably just sort out the housing thing! Life might become bleaker if we are made to surrender our humanity for a colourful prison cell disguised as a luxurious dwelling. Here’s how to avoid the racketeers of house and home.
First things first, to rent is to throw your money away, and to mortgage is to throw less of your money away (sometimes more!). Not a good idea going forward, in my opinion.
Besides the two “traditional” options available to us poor souls vying for a place of our own, I sense more people are buying real estate as tenants-in-common.
This is a type of land tenure that can include multiple parties on title. Naturally, if dwellings are getting too expensive, some of us will cooperate with one another and pool what little capital we might have in order get that three bedroom house on the outskirts of town. Now, the farther out you go from an urban centre, beyond the burbs and into the small towns or rural areas, the more economical things will become. With a few friends, it could be easy living on a big frontier.
In New Brunswick I have a friend who bought a 30 acre woodlot around the corner from me for $30,000.
Imagine if the $30,000 were absorbed by three savings individuals instead of one? That means any assets and any potential labour invested by these three hypothetical rusticators would be tripled, loosely speaking. That’s 10 acres each. That’s no small turnip. Room for gardens and pastures, a soccer field, a smattering of guest houses and outbuildings, inroads, magical hideaways, a big pond, and so on.
But friends or not, ordinary folks are reluctant to explore this option. Why? I say it’s a matter of trust and a lack thereof. All things considered, the spirit of advancement has shown that those who decide to trust one another can accomplish unbelievable things together.
Another example is to find farmers or landowners in the countryside willing to subdivide or partition some of their land for an affordable price or some other equitable exchange. You might think this idea is an improbable one, and I wouldn’t even necessarily disagree with you. However, I’d wager that one could find a landowner who would rather earmark a few hectares of their land to preserve its legacy than see their territory regress into commercial plazas, industrial parks, or subdivisions.
To conclude, it can be done!
My neighbourhood is living proof. But that’s for a future post… happy rustication.
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