Went for a walk after supper last night and bumped into a few people. What should have been a 20 minute walk turned into an hour.....LOL
The builders are still building houses on our subdivision/estate. In fact the houses are selling like hotcakes, both the brand new ones and the previously lived in ones/resales. I think the builder is building too fast, and I am sure down the road it may affect the quality of the product. I have no proof of this, it's just my thoughts, as I have lived in a home where the builder was overwhelmed and closed two phases at once and the houses suffered from this.
We have been watching the resale prices carefully and are surprised and shocked at how much they are going for. Now for us the higher they go the more money we make on our home. If I haven't mentioned it before I will now. This is not our forever home, I want to move. I LOVE, LOVE the house, and would pick it up in a minute and move it out into the country onto an acre or two tomorrow if I could. Realistically though that's not going to happen.
Back to why I am unsettled, uneasy or what ever. The builders are in a heck of a hurry to finish one particular house that backs onto the golf course, just along the road from us. It turns out the couple have paid over $900,000 CDN for this house. This is not gossip, this is a fact. As I said I love my house but would not pay that amount of money (couldn't afford too) for a house with basically no land, that you have to pay a condo fee on top of that, and have semi-detached houses opposite you.
For that money I would expect a lot, lot more. It shocked me to say the least when I heard this. It also made me question whether or not we are "good enough" to live amongst these kind of people. They obviously have money, but what will we have in common with them? There are a number of people who live on our subdivision who do have money as the house on our subdivision is their summer home and they winter down south in the States. Some even have a cottage up north, so the house on our subdivision is their "in between" home.
The majority of the people on our subdivision are great folk, but I have never lived anywhere in close proximity of others where houses can be worth close to $1 million CDN. We are your average middle class type of folk, worked hard all our lives; dh is still working hard. Paid our bills on time, paid for everything we own, and enjoy the once a year vacation and the odd treat here and there. I budget, I use coupons, I try to save a buck or two as much as possible, as far as disposable income we don't have much.
We have always lived in subdivisions where we are all on a level playing field, everything felt right with the world. Here I am not too sure? I am feeling a bit unsettled right now because of this.....
Thanks for listening.
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19 comments:
Wow, I suppose you have to look at the positives and think about how your house has risen in value and how that will open more for you when you look for your next move xx
Houses are ridiculously expensive in the UK. The price you quote is not unusual here. Our cul De sac of 6 houses has one on market now and it's up for £750k. The houses behind us are treble that. That is where our neighbour from hell lives. We have nothing in common with her and i wouldn't want to. Unfortunately she back onto our back and makes our business hers. I had a six foot fence put up to stop her nosing. Now she's sold half her land and going to build another house on it at our end. At least she won't be our neighbour. I think it's more comfortable if like mixes with like. That's my conclusion.
Hi Gill, I think it is the personality that matters more than financial equality. Some people may have more money than us but we still may have a lot in common to enjoy each other's company. You could afford your home so, you are absolutely entitled to living there comfortably. I am a very social person but, I do not like to socialize with neighbors. It is a childhood thing. There were a lot of gossiping where I grew up and my folks always made a point of keeping our distance with the neighbors except for a few that they were truly friendly with. So, if you find some common interests with your wealthy neighbors, you become friendly, if not, you can comfortable ignore them.
If I were you, as long as I like my home, feel comfortable in it and can afford it, I wouldn't mind some folks forking over extraordinary amounts of money for a home that may or may not worth as much. It is a good thing that your home value is appreciating. So, when you are ready to move to your forever home, you will have made great money on it. That is something I would be happy about.
Just because you may not have the same amount of money as someone does not make them any better than you are. True friends and neighbours are about having common interests not money. Stop worrying and see how it goes.
Now, you listen to me,Missy. We are all equal..money or lack of doesn't make you a bad or good person. Have the 'rich folk' spurned you? Do they point as you walk by? Have they checked out your bank balance...or you theirs? To quote Eleanor Roosevelt "The only person who can make you feel inferior is yourself"..so hold your head up high. If you have other reasons to move ,then do so...but do not feel inferior,or you'll have me to deal with.
Jane xxx
You are good enough! You don't know how these people came by their money. They could of won it. Or inherited it. And they might be indebt up to their eyeballs. And even if they are stinking rich. That does not make them better than you. Hold your head up and be proud. It they are snobby and don't like you. That's their loss xxx
okay Mam!! It has just made me think and you know how dangerous that is!!
like her comment above , you are just as good as any one else. they may not think so but we know it
I can't believe how ridiculously expensive houses are right now. The last time I remember that happening, we had a financial collapse here in the States. You are as good as anyone else. Money means nothing. It's the person and how they treat others. Hold your head up. Be kind and help others. That's it.
Blessings,
Betsy
I find myself thinking quite often that houses in certain areas are priced much beyond their actual value- and that real estate agents, trying to max out whatever commission they make, are pushing those values up.
You've earned what you have, that makes you aces in my book - and anyone who looks down their nose for such silly reasons isn't worth wasting your time with.
Oh, and what Jane said! =P
The price of houses here in the Lower Mainland of B.C. has also risen beyond belief. Also the price of a lot. When we bought this lot in 1978 we paid 24,000 and according to our tax bill is now valued at 300,000.
I would find it hard to live in too close proximity to neighbours. I'm always glad for tall pine trees that give at least some privacy.
Hi long lost friend, sad to hear you are unsettled, know that feeling, back in uk at the moment kris is at university here, back and forth not sure we're I am at the moment.I have known you for years Gill even though we haven't kept in touch, hold your head high, you'll know what to do when the time is right, everything falls into place for the right
reasons, talk soon, give our Luv to dh. Ann & Mel
p.s, haven't replied to these blogs before so will have to sign anonymous
Good morning, Gill! We live in an area not too different from yours. It is a small pocket neighborhood with 75 houses. They were originally built for "empty nesters" -- smallish garden homes with easy care amenities (like travertine floors that are killing my feet). We live behind a wall and a gate that requires keypad access and the lawns are taken care of for us with out HOA dues. When we first moved here there were no children in the neighborhood and I sort of felt like I was living in an old folks homes (I didn't consider myself ONE OF THEM! LOL!) We now have some children which is nice but a lot of the original owners are not on board with the things of children -- like basketball hoops at the driveways and such. My personal problem is that now, instead of feeling like I live in a senior facility, I feel like reside with Big Brother. We have a group of morning walkers who peruse everybody lawns and decide who is keeping theirs up to snuff. We just got an email a couple of days ago that said the management company was taking a drive thru and just wanted to remind everybody that the yards needed to be spruced up for the fall and then a list was given of what needed to be done. I don't like that. I feel like I am being watched and I live next door to the HOA president! So, while these sorts of areas have a lot of positives, there are some negatives as well. I would move closer to my children but the house is paid off and Hubs doesn't want to move! So, I just grin and bear it.
I completely agree with Betsy. Don't underestimate yourself -- you are as good as anybody! Money doesn't make people "good". With that said, I have become very aware that people who appear to have a great deal of wealth because of what they pay for things don't necessarily have all that wealth. Most times they have a great deal of debt and I don't want that! I had a great-aunt and uncle who were very wealthy (maximum amount of insurable money in every financial institution in Dallas, Texas). He was a plumber. They worked for every penny and....they kept many of those pennies! My great-aunt would go to Neiman-Marcus with a little sketch pad and sketch out the clothes and go home and make them herself for a fraction of the cost. We always teased her that if she could get a Cadillac-in-a-kit she would build her own. Really rich people aren't the ones who look it and REALLY rich people don't base their wealth/worth on material items.
I understand. Sometimes I wonder if I should be mingling with the bloggers in blog land!...LOL It is our own insecurity.
Deb
I read this last week and didn't know what to reply, so I didn't. Then I remembered my first experiences in Canada when I moved from the UK in 1996. I was amazed how friendly people were and how integrated everyone was. I joined an amateur theatre group. There were people in it from all walks of life. Lawyers, nurses, doctors, unemployed, bar tenders, policemen, shop assistants. There was no class snobbery, everyone mucked in and got the job done. The backstage folks, the onstage folks, the producers and directors all worked as a team and put on a show.
I found this to be the same in all aspects of my life there. I had rich friends, poor friends, old friends and young friends. There were no biases. I lived in a city of about 50,000 people, so not huge but not a small town either.
Likewise with neighbours, retired folks with good incomes, young families with just one wage earner, single folks, older professional families and everyone got on really well. Same thing down at the pub and RAOB Club. People from all walks of life.
I wouldn't be worrying about it at all if i were you.
I live in a small semi-detached 2 bed bungalow which backs onto a huge, 8 bedroomed, 4 story, Victorian villa which has a huge garden and which is situated on a private road in a conservation area. The houses are worth at least 4 times what mine is, but I don't think the occupants are any better than I am.
Just read your post and all the comments, Gill. As others have said, you have no reason to feel less important than anyone else in your neighborhood. And, if you are not truly happy with the area, then you should consider where you would want to move to and eventually do that. And, if the places are selling that well, then you may also be able to make a profit which should be nice as well.
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