ghost towns/abandoned properties?

be careful going into old cabins and homesteads. The buildings can be very unstable and always be aware of your surroundings if there was a homestead there should be an old well some place near by. Will be nothing more than a hole in the ground.

Old homestead are probably owned by someone and if they aren't then they are reverted back to the crown/gov't. Doesn't mean you can't purchase it but you can't just move in.

What about squatters rights. I've been told by several people looking into finding abandoned homes/cabins or land. If you stay for six consecutive months without leaving the property there's not much the Canadian law can do. But I myself have never read it anywhere. So I could be very wrong.

LOL when the SHTF there will be nobody there to tell you nothing. This land issue is a dead horse. The queen needs nothing, deserves nothing. The fact that the world can crumble around you but you still look for the law?? Cmon?? The paper note is worth nothing. It states clearly that you can stay as long as you like in a provincial park however you cannot make any permanent dwellings. Everything can be reworded and then some. Fact of the matter is when SHTF and you actually happen to find an open apartment its yours for christs sake. You will have to defend it. You would if you bought it or not. Its that simple. Who would ever convince you otherwise? Listen to your heart!

I know of no clause and care not about that. When you are pushed from your home everyone else will be as well. Its dog on dog.

Okay, you're right on that one. But that being said what about a slow crumble? Where things slowly fall apart. I'm sure some format of government will try to enforce law somehow, until it's can't be enforced anymore.

I have thought of abandoned properties as well and would definitely use one if I needed to. As for squatter's rights, I believe it is something like 19 years on a property before it becomes legally yours. You'd have to look it up to find out the exact length of time, but it is WAY longer than six months.

The only abandoned property I'm aware of that was successfully claimed is what is now the community of Takla Landing. During WWII, it was a military refueling station and was later abandoned. The aboriginals in surrounding areas moved in and formed their own community there.

I don't believe you could find abandoned property these days that hasn't been reclaimed by the government at some point, or isn't an asset of some bank.

Unless you intend to really punch into the North, and I mean North, such as toward the Yukon border, your odds of settling somewhere unnoticed are getting poorer. The local forest service office has guys that practically know every inch of the area they're responsible for. Hires satellite imagery along with helicopter spot checks, and anything that's changed will get noticed in a short time.

I've been out with a few ranchers that came upon people that decided they could set up residence and camp on their land.....not good and the mess people make and leave behind. Not something you want the cattle to get into. Make sure of whose land you are thinking of setting up a bug out place at.

On hwy 97 - 179 acres for $209,000 by 70 Mile House. You get 17 people 10 acres each cost is $12,294.11 each. That's do able for most and also a great vacation location. You can still purchase land for fairly cheap just so long as it isn't on or by a lake.

I've been out with a few ranchers that came upon people that decided they could set up residence and camp on their land

Yes, you really need to know the area you intend to set up at before actually doing it. Just because a place looks abandoned doesn't mean no one is paying attention to anything going on there. I used to do med-evacs into remote areas of the interior during the 90's and the pilot would point out areas where people were camping, or had been camping. In a SHTF scenario, you could probably get away with disappearing on an abandoned logging road for quite some time, but it's certainly not worth trying to set up long-term.

When the mine shut down at Granisle, the properties and houses sold dirt cheap mostly on a 'must sell' basis. A lot of people who normally couldn't afford to buy decent property grabbed it all up. More recently, property prices dropped considerably around Burns Lake after the mill burned down, but has since stabilized after the decision that the mill would be rebuilt. If an announcement came out that the Huckleberry mine near Houston was reaching the end of life, properties in that area could end up selling cheap as well.

All good thoughts and opinions.

What I was thinking of is more along the lines of what I have read about (admittedly, mostly in the states).

1. find a property you like.....*do not* attempt to "move in" and "claim" it or try squatting! (this could create hard feelings down the road)
2. do your research and see who owns it (bank or whatever) haunt the clerks offices etc. until you find who owns it.
3. see if it's available for sale, if prices are negotiable or if some kind of "rent-to-own" arrangement can be made.

I have read stories (can't vouch for the accuracy of any of them, hence the reason I asked the question) both in Canada and the States about abandoned properties being bought from the bank for the price of back tax (plus interest) or rent-to-own arrangements or sometimes even a more passive occupancy being permitted (such as "you can live there, but can't cut down any trees or plough large fields" or something along that line)

For where to find places, I used Wikipedia and started with a search for "Canadian ghost towns". Not the be all and end all, but at least a place to get started.

I know people who buy up properties that go into foreclosure. They all have partnerships and can offer a cash deal which gives them good leverage when working out a deal with the bank. I've never met anyone who has actually done it on their own.

I've heard about people simply taking over mortgages as well, but don't know anyone who has actually done it. Either way, I believe it's something you would need to know all the intricate details of before ever trying it.

I'm closer to Alaska than the lower mainland. As a teenager in the 70's, I was very much aware of people moving into the area from the cities because of what they deemed tough times in the future, whether it was financial collapse, nuclear war, earthquakes, or what have you. People now call themselves 'preppers', and have 'bug-out' locations, but those are just new names for something that's been going on for as long as I can remember.

I think you'd have much better success looking for property in an undeveloped area than abandoned properties, I think that idea got used up long ago.