Galt's Gulch

[Brant Gaede]

People elected those government officials, so its only fitting that they should get the government they deserve.

To turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones all that's necessary is to cultivate the Galt's Gulch mindset, and creatively adapt to the constantly changing world. The solution to the property tax situation is so simple. Ask yourself, what did they do in Galt's Gulch?

They built their own homes.

The government cannot tax you on business transactions you make with yourself. So be your own bank, and buy raw land for cash. Hire yourself to be your own land developer, then hire yourself to be your own general contractor and trade laborer, so that you completely own the production pipeline from concept to finished product by building for all cash with no debt. When it's done, simply give it to yourself, move in, and enjoy it. Since the home is never actually sold, the property tax assessment remains at the wholesale developer's basis which is a small fraction of the actual market value.

Is a certificate of occupancy needed to live in it legally?

--Brant

Yes. I have a C of O. The home is completely legal, and was built in one of the most heavily government regulated areas in the nation, with two overlapping regulatory bureaucracies, Department of Building and Safety and the Coastal Commission. Even though it took two and a half years and $30K to obtain a building permit, the investment was still well worth it to own a home free and clear.

You survived the CCC? I'm impressed.

--Brant

[moralist]

You survived the CCC? I'm impressed.

--Brant

Not just survived the Coastal Commission, went around them entirely. An old timer I befriended in the area let me in on a secret... the land I wanted to buy was in an area that was ruled exempt from the Coastal Commission around 1980 or so. My only guess is that someone with a lot of what Ayn Rand called "pull" in the government wanted their own land exempted, so mine was also exempt along with it. This exemption was so obscure there wasn't even a form for it when I applied and no one knew what to do. I obtained a credentialed letter from the person who knew about it, stating that it was exempt. And even though it took the same time it would have taken for the normal process, it was worth pursuing just to not have to deal with another government bureaucracy.

Events have a timing and a flow to them...

So by diligently watching and patiently waiting for the right indications, it is possible to opportunistically "surf" that wave by choosing to move in harmony with it instead of stubbornly pushing and shoving trying to get my own way which would only create more obstacles.