Today more than ever our fractious, factionalized society seems closer to the brink of collapse than at any time since the Civil War. Our political differences appear irreconcilable; economically speaking, the gap between the haves and the have-nots appears to be widening; our electrical grid is in constant danger of being hacked and destroyed; world war once again is a very real concern.

So it makes sense that the elites among us are investing in bugout plans and remote properties in distant lands like New Zealand, where they are setting up “boltholes” thousands of miles from any expected societal collapse and chaos. (Related: The world’s elite getting more nervous by the day as more resort to building survival bunkers.)

The fact is, however, most of us don’t have that kind of coin laying around to invest in such an extravagance. After all, most folks are busy trying to make ends meet in an economy where the majority of Americans can’t even scrape together 500 bucks in an emergency.

Still, average Joes and Janes also want a place to go should the world (or their country) collapse around them, and that’s understandable: We all want to survive. But since we can’t shell out millions for foreign shelters or the money to reach them when SHTF, the better plan is to look for a closer bugout location that a) you can afford; b) can get to; and c) can actually survive at long-term.

That takes some planning, as noted by Survival Life. When looking for some prepper real estate, you should definitely take these things into consideration:

— Acreage: You really should not consider any parcel of land under five acres. That’s about the minimum amount of space you’ll need to build a home and barn, and put in a modest garden. You’ll also have some space for small livestock. Ten to 20 acres is better; 50 is ideal. Find a place with running water and some woods for hunting/trapping. Just be mindful of your budget.

— Location: You should not consider any land that borders highly trafficked roads, or be within an hour of a major city. Indeed, if you can keep your home hidden from the country road you take to get there, that’s even better.

— Life-sustaining water: As mentioned above, a freshwater, spring-fed creek would be ideal, but that’s tough to find. That should be your goal, however; otherwise, you’ll definitely need a well. Don’t rely on “county” water systems.

— Good defense: If you can find a place with a fair amount of steep cliffs, ravines and rock formations, that’s good because those are natural defensive barriers against attackers and other predators. It also will keep vehicles from getting too close undetected.

— Electricity: You can harness a flowing creek for hydroelectric power, but the next best thing is solar-fed electricity. Wherever you decide to put your solar panels (rooftops are best) make sure they get lots of full sun throughout the day. Oh, and battery storage systems are getting better.

— Heat: Backup generators are great (as are solar-powered generators) but they can either run out of fuel or fail. So ensure that your property has decent forest coverage, and always keep trees felled and curing so you will have dry, seasoned firewood to use for warmth.

— Sanitation: Waste disposal, bodily and otherwise, will quickly become a “situation” in a SHTF scenario. Be prepared to deal with it: You can bury (in shallow holes) bodily waste, but don’t do it near your water source or you’ll contaminate it. Think compost piles for food waste and find an area to store the rest. You can burn some of it, but you’ll run a risk of being discovered.

— Producing food: Garden & can, garden & can. If you don’t know how, learn. Also, dehydrators work well to dry meats for long-term storage. Make sure your home has dedicated food storage space.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

SurvivalLife.com

MoneyCNN.com

NewsTarget.com