Thoughts on buying a primary residence or keep renting and invest

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Thoughts on buying a primary residence or keep renting and invest

Caleb Rogers
Rental Property Investor · Oak Park, CA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 12 votes

Should I save up a down payment for a primary residence, or use that money to invest in one or more rental properties? I know there are plenty of people on both sides, but I'm curious if someone here has done one and wished they had done the other?

I have one rental property, and I'm currently renting an apartment. My wife and I would like to buy a house, but we would also like to invest in a lot of real estate. For one 20% down payment in my area, I could probably acquire two or three good rental properties (with 20% down) in the same market as my current rental. But as we know, I can get into a primary residence for anywhere from 3.5% up.

If I buy a primary residence with a big enough down payment I can use a heloc to invest, but it take a while to get to that dollar amount. If I aim for rental properties, I'll get cash flow, but I'll keep using my cash reserves to buy houses and not be able to have a down payment for a primary residence. At least not for several years.

Renting isn't too bad, but houses in my area have always appreciated well, so that's a consideration. I know at some point, I'll have enough cash flow that I'll be able to buy a place to live, but should I wait? Who has done one and wished they did the other, and why?

Oh, and there are no duplexes in the area, so house hacking is likely out of the question. Also, I don't have the money saved now. I'm trying to figure out my strategy here, because I need a clearly defined objective to create the success I'm after.

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Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
8y

@Caleb Rogers

Here's my two cents. Money paid on rent is money completely thrown away. You'll never see it again. Money paid on a mortgage, on the other hand, only tosses away the money you spend on the interest of the loan. The rest builds up your equity stake in the home. And over time, you own the house. With rent, you own nothing, and if the owner of the rental property wants you out, if something goes really bad in your life, you'll be looking for a new place to live, usually at the worst possible time.

The biggest mistake I've seen my friends who are not in real estate make is to invest as soon as they can in "a family home." And I've seen this over and over again. It makes their wives happy, it makes their parents happy, and it sets them up for a life spent paying down debt they didn't have to assume.

They buy the biggest and nicest house they can get a loan on in the finest neighborhood. And then they're stuck paying boatload of interest on their gigantic mortgage, and inflated real estate taxes, and all the rest of the expenses that come with living in an upscale neighborhood. It's just easier to give in to the urges to buy a Lexus and not another Toyota, to do most of your food shopping at somewhere other than Aldi, and of course, there are the children's expenses.

Creating an environment of artificial scarcity through budgeting to get you extra money becomes more and more difficult. If your wife is not completely on board...man, it's draining. You will be worn down to a little nub, and sooner or later, you'll be just another bozo in a house that costs too much driving a car that costs too much living a life where you can't pay off your credit cards (like 60% of Americans), caring about the financial judgments of your social status made by broke people, and making one excuse after another about why "I just can't get ahead...I just can't."

You say that there are no multifamilies or granny apartments in your area. So if I were you, I would find the absolutely cheapest house in the poorest neighborhood in your area that you can live in. I would buy that house and move into it. Pay it off as soon as possible while you investigate real estate investing and come to solid, reasoned decisions about your business plan going forward.

Your miserly new home won't be comfortable, it won't be nice, if won't be your castle, your wife will not appreciate nesting in it, but you will have a roof over your head, and that roof will be paid off. You'll have your rental property, making money for you. You'll have figured out your moves. That's a basis for something.

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    8y

    Your profile says you are living in Oak Park, CA which has a population of over 13,000 yet you claim there are no duplexes? I live in a town of 9,000 and we have a ton of multi-family. As long as you have four units or less, it will qualify for a house hack.

    I highly recommend you talk to a lender to see what your options are and hire an agent to help you find a multi-family property. You should be able to buy a property and live for free, possibly even get a little cash flow. It doesn't make sense to continue paying rent unless you require the ability to move any time you want.

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    1Reply
  • Caleb Rogers
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Oak Park, CA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    Correct, there are no duplexes or small multifamily properties in this area...that I've found. It's all houses, condos, and large apartment complexes. And horse ranches. So for the sake of this discussion, let's assume they don't exist.

    We've essentially settled in this area, and have no intention of moving. Buying a home would be ideal, but should I put it off for a few to several years while acquiring multiple rental properties in a cash flowing market? I see advantages to both strategies, but I'd really like to know what some other people have done after being faced with a similar decision in the past.

    0Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    8y

    @Caleb Rogers

    Here's my two cents. Money paid on rent is money completely thrown away. You'll never see it again. Money paid on a mortgage, on the other hand, only tosses away the money you spend on the interest of the loan. The rest builds up your equity stake in the home. And over time, you own the house. With rent, you own nothing, and if the owner of the rental property wants you out, if something goes really bad in your life, you'll be looking for a new place to live, usually at the worst possible time.

    The biggest mistake I've seen my friends who are not in real estate make is to invest as soon as they can in "a family home." And I've seen this over and over again. It makes their wives happy, it makes their parents happy, and it sets them up for a life spent paying down debt they didn't have to assume.

    They buy the biggest and nicest house they can get a loan on in the finest neighborhood. And then they're stuck paying boatload of interest on their gigantic mortgage, and inflated real estate taxes, and all the rest of the expenses that come with living in an upscale neighborhood. It's just easier to give in to the urges to buy a Lexus and not another Toyota, to do most of your food shopping at somewhere other than Aldi, and of course, there are the children's expenses.

    Creating an environment of artificial scarcity through budgeting to get you extra money becomes more and more difficult. If your wife is not completely on board...man, it's draining. You will be worn down to a little nub, and sooner or later, you'll be just another bozo in a house that costs too much driving a car that costs too much living a life where you can't pay off your credit cards (like 60% of Americans), caring about the financial judgments of your social status made by broke people, and making one excuse after another about why "I just can't get ahead...I just can't."

    You say that there are no multifamilies or granny apartments in your area. So if I were you, I would find the absolutely cheapest house in the poorest neighborhood in your area that you can live in. I would buy that house and move into it. Pay it off as soon as possible while you investigate real estate investing and come to solid, reasoned decisions about your business plan going forward.

    Your miserly new home won't be comfortable, it won't be nice, if won't be your castle, your wife will not appreciate nesting in it, but you will have a roof over your head, and that roof will be paid off. You'll have your rental property, making money for you. You'll have figured out your moves. That's a basis for something.

    3Reply
  • Matt K.
    Walnut Creek, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y

    Crunch the numbers... I rent and invest out of state. I'd be able to pay my rent and then some just with the down payment I'd need to match my current rent. Plenty of similar deals all day around here since rents haven't kept up with appreciation.

    Now, I won't see this kind of appreciation elsewhere so in a sense I've lost out on that but on the flip side I'm unlikely to see the depreciation. I'm free to do what I need to and if for one reason or another my current place stops working I move to another one that does.

    I can rent a far better place then I could afford to buy that gives me a better quality of life...and I can invest some of my down payment money to offset my rent and build equity in a more stable market and properties I don't use a primary. 

    1Reply
  • Ali Boone
    Real Estate Coach · Venice Beach, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    8y

    Personally, I always advocate that investment properties (properly purchased ones at least) are way better than a primary. I'm on the side of the fence with Robert Kiyosaki and all those guys who say owning a primary residence is a liability rather than an asset. 

    I wrote this a while ago, maybe it offers some additional perspectives-

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/1...

    Hope that helps!

    1Reply
  • Caleb Heimsoth
    Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    8y
    I’d buy rentals and keep renting
    1Reply
  • John W.
    Rental Property Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 257 posts · 130 votes
    8y

    Not sure if the rents you are paying are outrageously high or not, but I think either way, financially speaking, buying rentals will be much better for you in the long run. Short term, renting will free you of a lot of time and money. Unless you can find a smoking deal under market value to live in or something to renovate which will create a good chunk of equity in the near future. 

    0Reply
  • Joseph M.
    Flipper/Rehabber · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 732 votes
    8y
    Caleb Rogers ,, I’m not too far from you as I’m in the San Fernando Valley . I think Jim’s suggestion is good. There are a lot of advantages to owning your own home . Although appreciation isn’t guaranteed , long term SoCal real estate has gone well . I’d find something with equity though , which is tough to do in this market but not impossible .. I bought a fixer REO in the SFV during the housing crash and while it wasn’t pretty or the best area I’m definitely glad I went that route instead of just renting . Also I have looked in that area and around and know that there aren’t really multis there or Thousand Oaks Area . I think you have to go city of Ventura for that maybe . They aren’t many in my part of the valley either and everything is priced more for someone planning to redevelop the property instead of as a rental. $300,000 Per unit or more on a run down rent controlled duplex paying like $900 rent a unit. Best of luck
    1Reply
  • Caleb Rogers
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Oak Park, CA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    My wife and I aren't the type that we have to own a home. As long as we're living in a good place, we're ok with renting for a while. If we do continue to rent for the next few years, we would be missing out on equity building via paying down principal and appreciation. I know appreciation is never guaranteed, but my area usually does pretty well in that regard. Still, everything could come crashing down or at least correct to stale.

    So I'm crunching some numbers with various scenarios to see how much equity wealth I could build up in 1, 2, and 5 years, all using conservative appreciation rates. The logic here would be to use a heloc against that property to fund more investment purchases (excluding creative financing and such).

    The other side of the coin is how much cash flow can I generate in the same amount of time. That depends on how many high-performing properties I can acquire.

    I guess it boils down to do I want my primary residence to fund one or more of my investment properties, or do I want my investment properties to fund my home? Hmmm...time to crunch some more numbers.

    Keep the input coming!

    0Reply
  • Robert M.
    Investor · Dundee, OR · Member since 2016 · 104 posts · 162 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:

    @Caleb Rogers

    Here's my two cents. Money paid on rent is money completely thrown away. You'll never see it again. Money paid on a mortgage, on the other hand, only tosses away the money you spend on the interest of the loan. The rest builds up your equity stake in the home. And over time, you own the house. With rent, you own nothing, and if the owner of the rental property wants you out, if something goes really bad in your life, you'll be looking for a new place to live, usually at the worst possible time.

    The biggest mistake I've seen my friends who are not in real estate make is to invest as soon as they can in "a family home." And I've seen this over and over again. It makes their wives happy, it makes their parents happy, and it sets them up for a life spent paying down debt they didn't have to assume.

    They buy the biggest and nicest house they can get a loan on in the finest neighborhood. And then they're stuck paying boatload of interest on their gigantic mortgage, and inflated real estate taxes, and all the rest of the expenses that come with living in an upscale neighborhood. It's just easier to give in to the urges to buy a Lexus and not another Toyota, to do most of your food shopping at somewhere other than Aldi, and of course, there are the children's expenses.

    Creating an environment of artificial scarcity through budgeting to get you extra money becomes more and more difficult. If your wife is not completely on board...man, it's draining. You will be worn down to a little nub, and sooner or later, you'll be just another bozo in a house that costs too much driving a car that costs too much living a life where you can't pay off your credit cards (like 60% of Americans), caring about the financial judgments of your social status made by broke people, and making one excuse after another about why "I just can't get ahead...I just can't."

    You say that there are no multifamilies or granny apartments in your area. So if I were you, I would find the absolutely cheapest house in the poorest neighborhood in your area that you can live in. I would buy that house and move into it. Pay it off as soon as possible while you investigate real estate investing and come to solid, reasoned decisions about your business plan going forward.

    Your miserly new home won't be comfortable, it won't be nice, if won't be your castle, your wife will not appreciate nesting in it, but you will have a roof over your head, and that roof will be paid off. You'll have your rental property, making money for you. You'll have figured out your moves. That's a basis for somethig.

    Very well said.

    1Reply
  • Rachel H.
    San Antonio, TX · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8y

    @Caleb Rogers It depends on your situation. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. Though, once you own a home it's yours to keep paying mortgage payments and taxes. If you can see yourself in that area and you find the right place in a neighborhood you like, it may be worthwhile. However, you could also put the money into buying more rental properties. Know that acquiring more rental properties involve more work in terms of management and the unexpected. It just depends on your situation. Good luck with your decision! 

    1Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    8y

    @Caleb Rogers

    I'd just like to re-emphasize the main reason I'd have a primary single-family residence instead of renting. It isn't the money issues --  real estate investing and number crunching, make a buck here, lose one less there. I came here as a baby from Greece, and I also lived there from 2000-2007. I turn on the Greek news regularly and see places that I know well going up in flames, desperate rioters throwing Molotov cocktails at the police, EU and Greek officials routinely making surreal pronouncements and projections about the economy for one politically-expedient reason or another that has no basis in fact.

    Bad things happen. Sometimes really bad things happen, amazingly bad things. When you own your home, however modest it is, you take some of the risk out of your life. You have a home and hearth. Maybe a legal entity you owe money to can take that away if you can't satisfy a lien, but with good planning and smart efforts, you can postpone such a loss for a long time. Maybe a judge can force you to sell and move out to pay down debt. Again, you have legal recourse and protections you don't have as a tenant with a landlord.

    The world breaks people, usually in hideously impersonal ways. There are times when all the calculations go out the window and all the plans collapse. The snarling wolf comes to the door, and you realize that illusions were all you had in the first place. That's when it's good to own your own home. That's where you can rebuild your shattered sense of self.

    If all this makes little sense to you, I bless your luck in life and sincerely hope it continues for the rest of it.

    2Reply
  • Gene Fish
    Warrington, PA · Member since 2017 · 15 posts · 5 votes
    8y

    How about buying a house that you plan to move from 2-5 years later that you'll rent out and buy a more permanent house?

    0Reply
  • Dennis M.
    Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    8y
    I’d tend to agree with Jim k on this . There is much truth in what he wrote
    0Reply
  • Ivan Barratt
    Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2015 · 764 posts · 953 votes
    8y

    @Caleb Heimsoth I started with house hacking a duplex on fha financing. I now own about 2,000 units and growing. If I had a time machine I would have a house hacked (add value, refinance out of fha) and moved to another house hack (use fha again, add value, etc) as many times as possible before settling in on a home for the family.

    2Reply
  • Joseph M.
    Flipper/Rehabber · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 732 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Ivan Barratt:

    @Caleb Heimsoth I started with house hacking a duplex on fha financing. I now own about 2,000 units and growing. If I had a time machine I would have a house hacked (add value, refinance out of fha) and moved to another house hack (use fha again, add value, etc) as many times as possible before settling in on a home for the family.

     I bought a live in flip in 2010 and sold last year.,but I was thinking the same thing. I should of done something similar. People should take advantage of strategies like that when young and single. Congratulations on owning 2,000 units  !

    0Reply
  • Caleb Rogers
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Oak Park, CA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    @Joseph M. Since there aren't really any small multifamily properties I could house hack around here, I thought about using a live-in flip instead. The only problem with that is it's just all nice inventory around here. Ah, the curse of living in a really nice area.

    1Reply
  • Shawn Ward
    Real Estate Investor & Consultant · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 620 posts · 386 votes
    8y

    IF you live in a city where you can buy a home with minimum down payment and pay a mortgage that is almost equal to the same rent you'd pay for the same standard of living do it. 

    But us Angelinos, SFers and NYers, its better to rent and invest. 

    No way living in a cheap home in a cheap neighborhood just to own and not have a good standard of living. You only live once.

    sjw

    0Reply
  • Matt K.
    Walnut Creek, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y

    If everything went bad...why couldn't you just live in a previous rental ?

    0Reply
  • Joseph M.
    Flipper/Rehabber · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 732 votes
    8y
    Caleb Rogers yeah I know that is a high income area so there doesn’t seem to really be many run down homes. Seems like everything is kept up and updated mostly. Even in the valley it’s tough but you do see run down places but all those deals seem to be off market now.
    0Reply
  • Caleb Rogers
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Oak Park, CA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    @Shawn Ward Yeah, I'm really leaning towards renting now and investing. I could get into a condo with 3.5% down, but then pay $1-1.5k more per month than what my rent is now. So I'm thinking that money will be better served saving up cash for purchases, and that 3.5% to 5% down payment on a condo would be 20-25% down on 1 or 2 rental properties in the market I'm looking at right now.

    For those of you that rent in high cost of living areas and invest elsewhere, at would point did you (or will you) buy a place to live in? Do you plan on renting forever? I'm thinking I would buy a place when I have enough cash flow to pay the mortgage each month, but then I think about how that cash flow could be turned into even more rentals... 

    1Reply
  • Matt K.
    Walnut Creek, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Caleb Rogers:

    @Shawn Ward Yeah, I'm really leaning towards renting now and investing. I could get into a condo with 3.5% down, but then pay $1-1.5k more per month than what my rent is now. So I'm thinking that money will be better served saving up cash for purchases, and that 3.5% to 5% down payment on a condo would be 20-25% down on 1 or 2 rental properties in the market I'm looking at right now.

    For those of you that rent in high cost of living areas and invest elsewhere, at would point did you (or will you) buy a place to live in? Do you plan on renting forever? I'm thinking I would buy a place when I have enough cash flow to pay the mortgage each month, but then I think about how that cash flow could be turned into even more rentals... 

    For me it's more than just price. I missed the (likely) once and lifetime opportunity to buy at low prices for short period in the bay area.... and now prices keep going up. Even if they go do decent amount that's the same as what they'd of been just few years ago. I'll just wait it out to see if that opportunity comes up again, if it does I'm positioned to move... if it doesn't then oh well I adjust. 

    Renting gives me that freedom to adjust as needed, I am not tied to anything. My rentals provide me the long stability as a backup if I had to I could live in one of them.... they also give me some income to offset the high rents in my area and tax deductions I'd see from owning a primary.

    Maybe once I'm retired and empty nester I'd buy as at that point stability could help.... or maybe it gives me the freedom to move around again.

    0Reply
  • Isiah Ferguson
    Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2017 · 321 posts · 157 votes
    8y

    Tough decision here, me and my wifey is currently in the same situation. After months' of contemplating, we decide, to buy our primary residence soon here. At that point, we will have a primary residence and rental 3 units. I think thats' a good start. We're only 27. 

    I think it boils' down to your personal circumstances. The reason we decided to buy a primary single family because of inventory here in our market is low to house hack a small multifamily in a decent area. Theres' alot of sharks in the tank in Charlotte. We're renting now which is a 1 bed and its me, my wife, my 5 year old and we have another 1 in the oven. We have to get out this 1 bed and get something new. We can rent a 2 or 3 bed but why not just our home ? You get equity build up and more stability. Woman want stability. From there, I can focus on building my portfolio and least worry about where we gone live next. !! Hope this helps.

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Lender · Pensacola, FL · Member since 2017 · 658 posts · 626 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Matt K.:
    Originally posted by @Caleb Rogers:

    @Shawn Ward Yeah, I'm really leaning towards renting now and investing. I could get into a condo with 3.5% down, but then pay $1-1.5k more per month than what my rent is now. So I'm thinking that money will be better served saving up cash for purchases, and that 3.5% to 5% down payment on a condo would be 20-25% down on 1 or 2 rental properties in the market I'm looking at right now.

    For those of you that rent in high cost of living areas and invest elsewhere, at would point did you (or will you) buy a place to live in? Do you plan on renting forever? I'm thinking I would buy a place when I have enough cash flow to pay the mortgage each month, but then I think about how that cash flow could be turned into even more rentals... 

    For me it's more than just price. I missed the (likely) once and lifetime opportunity to buy at low prices for short period in the bay area.... and now prices keep going up. Even if they go do decent amount that's the same as what they'd of been just few years ago. I'll just wait it out to see if that opportunity comes up again, if it does I'm positioned to move... if it doesn't then oh well I adjust. 

    Renting gives me that freedom to adjust as needed, I am not tied to anything. My rentals provide me the long stability as a backup if I had to I could live in one of them.... they also give me some income to offset the high rents in my area and tax deductions I'd see from owning a primary.

    Maybe once I'm retired and empty nester I'd buy as at that point stability could help.... or maybe it gives me the freedom to move around again.

    My two best days as a homeowner were the day I bought my house (the American Dream) and the day I sold my house (harvesting my equity and having a major responsibility lifted off my shoulders). I was advised by my realtor to rent for awhile to learn the neighborhoods where I'm now living before buying a home here.

    I'm questioning whether I want ever own a home again. As a renter, I write one check a month to the landlord who takes care of everything (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance, and repairs). I realize the landlord is not losing money and will benefit from any appreciation in real estate prices. Relative to being a homeowner, as a renter, I have the luxery of being able to change my address on short notice (subject to the terms of the lease).

    My investments are separate. In my case, I access them through any Internet connection to my online brokerage account. On the other hand, some landlords on BiggerPockets own rental property at locations far away from where they live. All that matters about one's personal address is to have the current one on file.

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Lender · Pensacola, FL · Member since 2017 · 658 posts · 626 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:

    @Caleb Rogers

    I'd just like to re-emphasize the main reason I'd have a primary single-family residence instead of renting. It isn't the money issues --  real estate investing and number crunching, make a buck here, lose one less there. I came here as a baby from Greece, and I also lived there from 2000-2007. I turn on the Greek news regularly and see places that I know well going up in flames, desperate rioters throwing Molotov cocktails at the police, EU and Greek officials routinely making surreal pronouncements and projections about the economy for one politically-expedient reason or another that has no basis in fact.

    Bad things happen. Sometimes really bad things happen, amazingly bad things. When you own your home, however modest it is, you take some of the risk out of your life. You have a home and hearth. Maybe a legal entity you owe money to can take that away if you can't satisfy a lien, but with good planning and smart efforts, you can postpone such a loss for a long time. Maybe a judge can force you to sell and move out to pay down debt. Again, you have legal recourse and protections you don't have as a tenant with a landlord.

    The world breaks people, usually in hideously impersonal ways. There are times when all the calculations go out the window and all the plans collapse. The snarling wolf comes to the door, and you realize that illusions were all you had in the first place. That's when it's good to own your own home. That's where you can rebuild your shattered sense of self.

    If all this makes little sense to you, I bless your luck in life and sincerely hope it continues for the rest of it.

    The stability of owning a home is a two-edge sword.

    When I bought my home years ago, I stopped worrying about whether my landlord was going to raise my rent next year and instead started focusing on how I was going to afford a new roof in a few years. Then when my employer announced a major reorganization three weeks after I moved in, I started worrying about how I would cope if I lost my job (which I did, but luckily was able to find another one soon therafter) and couldn't afford to pay the mortgage.

    For those people who owned their home outright, the Financial Crisis of 2008 became: What financial crisis? As long as they wanted to stay put, they were fine. If they wanted to move, however, who would buy their home (banks weren't lending money at that time)? If they decided to rent out their home instead of selling it, would the renter still have a job after moving in (the economy was faltering and people on financial media were looking for "green shoots")?

    While there are legal recourses against lenders and creditors, the government can still seize your property through an eminent domain proceeding. The government has to pay fair market value and if you disagree with the government's offer, a jury will decide the fair market value. But when it's all over, you have to surrender your property.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_States

    The examples I cited my be less violent than Molotiv cocktails (or major storms, earthquakes, or volcanoes), but they still have the potential to disrupt one's life in a major way.

    1Reply
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