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Being a land wholesaler, I work with many different individuals who are looking for that perfect parcel of land to call their own. Some are looking to build a nice week-end retreat away from the crowds, noise and stress of everyday suburban life. Some are ready to trade life in the city or burbs completely for the slower pace of country living. I sell to hunters and outdoor sportsman alike. One guy just purchased a 6 acre parcel on the side of a mountain with no direct access by car. All he wanted was a place of solitude, where he could go, have a cup of coffee and ’not be found’.  The point is that many people buy land for many different reasons.

Recently there has been a lot of attention given to a group of people called  ‘preppers’.  A prepper is an “individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons ,  or without substantial assistance from outside resources  in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.”  Recently thrust in the spotlight by the emergence of TV shows like Doomsday Preppers and Doomsday Bunkers, prepping is not a new concept. Dating back to the cold war days of the 1950s, people were constructing ‘fallout shelter’ in their backyards  to protect themselves and their families from nuclear fallout.

Today’s preppers are  not just be your typical, stereotype survivalist. They may be your neighbors, your lawyer or your auto mechanic.  Everyday people just trying to protect their families.  The events that unfolded on 9/11 has made many of us ‘preppers’ to a certain extent. Keeping a supply of bottled water, non-perishable food and full gas tank are all forms of peppering.

About 2 weeks ago, I got a call from adentist who was interested in one of my properties that was ‘off the beaten path’, located about ½ mile into the woods, very remote. He was asking about the possibility of building a ‘house’ out of metal shipping containers, welded together to form a fortress. He wasn’t just planning on living in a box. He was having an architect design this shelter with all the comforts of home. I wondered. Was this my first ‘prepper’?  As it turned out, the parcel wasn’t suited for his needs and we parted company.

So, are doomsday preppers a bunch of overzealous survivalist or just everyday Americans trying to protect themselves and their families from a world of uncertainty.  People trying to take back control of their  lives, a control that has been slowly taken away by government dictate over the years. For more information about the ‘prepper movement’, check out http://www.prepper.org/Prepper.asp .

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