ALTERNATIVE LIVING | Reader Submission

The backwards broker has received it’s first article written by Steve Wilson, one of my first subscribers. This is a bit different to the financial education I focus on and a wonderful chance to hear of a real life experiences.

ALTERNATIVE LIVING 

As I go for my morning walk along the beach, I am starting to see more and more small dwellings being erected.

They are very basic, and lack a lot of modern conveniences. but they are very affordable, ranging from a few hundred dollars, to zero. They also tick all the environmentally friendly boxes.

These sad pictures tell a story of a section of society that has given up, and no longer wants to enter the housing treadmill.

NEXT LEVEL 

There is another Teer up from these basic conscientious objectors. 

A friend of mine recently shut down his small business, bought a few acres of land on a dirt road a few miles outside a small town.

He has built a small cottage, with large water tanks and a filtration system. He has rigged p a functional 12v power, system with solar and batteries.

He lives quite comfortably 

No approvals or fees for service.

He is one of four people I know in the last year to have done something similar.

You don't necessarily have to sacrifice comfort to live alternatively.

I am currently living on my yacht in a marina. Sounds basic, but I have all the conveniences of a waterfront studio apartment. Very nice living indeed.

A fiend of mine and his wife lived this way for nearly a decade while they saved every penny towards a house. They bought a house in Malainey. Mortgage free!

KEEPING UP 

To avoid F.O.M.O ( fear of missing out) it is prudent to invest your money where it keeps up with the housing market. I don't want to give any advice on this, but some things ( such as gold) keep up with the housing inflation, and preserve your purchasing power over time. Do your research. There are endless historical records available these days.

TIMING

When should you buy?

There are a lot of personal considerations that factor into this. The property market is cyclical. Not linear. If you can afford to wait for the right time, you will secure a bargain.

Houses may not go down very often, but they are cyclically cheap or expensive compared to the average wage for example.

I use the price of a house, in ounces of gold.

Where I live, the asking price of an average house is currently 180 ounces of gold. This is historically high. Once houses reach 150 Oz or below I will buy.

In the mean time, it doesn't matter whether houses go up, down or sideways. The cycle always completes.

The prudent are always rewarded.

Steve Wilson