Will all the brands survive ?

[xlr82v2]

I agree. If you're making money in these times, there's going to be some great deals out there. Lots of property is coming on the market and it's going for prices well below what it would have sold for 2 years ago.

Not around here... land that would have normally gone for about $2000-2500 an acre is going for 6000-6500 an acre, just so some rich city slicker can have a guaranteed place to put up a deer stand in the fall.

It's sickening...

 

[jwcinpk]

Is anyone taking into account how many baby boomers will be leaving major companies in the US soon. This will do 2 things. 1 open up good jobs for younger folks (hopefully) and 2 send the older generation into the country with their defined benfits plans money, along with their 401k's, and even some buyouts. This money should support some manufacturers in the compact sector.
I suspect all tier 1 (JD,NH, IH, Agco,etc.) companies will survive and almost all tier 2 (Kioti, Mahindra,etc.) will make it, but the tier 3's (Montana, TYM, Branson, etc.) we will lose quite a few of.
It will all depend on how bad it actually gets. If there is a major recession we could see some tier 2's and maybe even a tier 1 go. Who knows what might happen if we see another depression.
Lots on the table right now for the US. Elections, war, terrorists, mad cow, avian influenza, drought etc. Who knows what might happen!

 

[Builder]

Not around here... land that would have normally gone for about $2000-2500 an acre is going for 6000-6500 an acre, just so some rich city slicker can have a guaranteed place to put up a deer stand in the fall.

It's sickening...

I'd say you're in the vast minority. The rest of the nation is suffering from falling home prices, slow construction and loss of equity in mortgage positions on their homes.

 

[Builder]

One thing that'll help the compact market is that there's a movement in America to get out of the Toll Bros type developments with .3 acre lots and giant energy consuming homes and over to bigger 3-10 acre farmette lots with a smaller well built home with gardens to raise fresh food, etc.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

One thing that'll help the compact market is that there's a movement in America to get out of the Toll Bros type developments with .3 acre lots and giant energy consuming homes and over to bigger 3-10 acre farmette lots with a smaller well built home with gardens to raise fresh food, etc.

Builder, just wondering, have you seen this, or are you reading this someplace. Either way, doesn't really matter, one thing I do know for sure is that that statement doesn't apply out here. Heck, out here they sell 7000sf houses on 6000sf lots!!! Can you please define what you consider to be a smaller home. Everybody's definition seems to be different. And out here, those 3-10 acre farmettes, well pretty hard to find one that doesn't have a 6-10,000sf house on it. But then last month I was talking with a guy, and the stuff that he worked on, well, they never worked on anything that small. That's why I'm asking.

 

[john_bud]

I have to laugh about the big houses! Lot's of my buddies bought houses 2-3x the size of mine when they were full into the "buy all you can as the price only goes up" mode. Now they are looking at electric rates up 30-40%, heating rates up 100% in a house that uses 3-4x the power mine does. It doesn't feel too good to spend 400 in electric a month and 500 for heat! Glad I spent my money paying off the house and not "moving up"!

Oh, yeah and living in the country allows me to heat with it with wood. It's taken under $700 in propane since October and that for hot water and clothes dryer too.

I really do think that lots of the McMansions will break people on energy consumption.

 

[davitk]

Not around here... land that would have normally gone for about $2000-2500 an acre is going for 6000-6500 an acre, just so some rich city slicker can have a guaranteed place to put up a deer stand in the fall.

It's sickening...

Same deal here. Farm land is UP about the same percentage, going for 6 - 8K/acre. Aledgedly because corn is ^

 

[Builder]

Builder, just wondering, have you seen this, or are you reading this someplace. Either way, doesn't really matter, one thing I do know for sure is that that statement doesn't apply out here. Heck, out here they sell 7000sf houses on 6000sf lots!!! Can you please define what you consider to be a smaller home. Everybody's definition seems to be different. And out here, those 3-10 acre farmettes, well pretty hard to find one that doesn't have a 6-10,000sf house on it. But then last month I was talking with a guy, and the stuff that he worked on, well, they never worked on anything that small. That's why I'm asking.

Not only have I seen it, I'm building it! I get a lot of customer action on 3-10 acre stuff. People just don't want the neighbors house 30' from their house anymore.

 

[Dodgeram]

Not only have I seen it, I'm building it! I get a lot of customer action on 3-10 acre stuff. People just don't want the neighbors house 30' from their house anymore.

30 Foot?, Most of what we build is 18' max.
A 2/3 acre lot here will run you $1 Mil, at least, and that get's you a teardown

We just bought a 8000 sqft lot, close to DC, for over a Mil.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Times have a changed,
I picked up 20 rural acres, 25 min from the DC line for 140K 8 years ago,
I entered it in a forest management program, hate to think what it would go for now.

Slack