The highest priced property should be found in a Cul-de -sac. It is an island within a sea of people. Having never living in one before this year, I found out about the little nuances of Cul-de-sac: With a front window position for viewing in an arena setting; Watching the semi circle of things going on in everyone's life; you are changed. The lack of traffic going through as its flow is exclusive to only those who live in the semi circle, makes the magic happen. The vision of the cul-de-sac is similar to a tribal village on the river of life. Neighbor's canoes put-in on its drive ways where expressions on neighbors faces tell the whole story of the day. One neighbor drives fast coming in, spinning around the circle and backing into its driveway. The other (new) neighbor doesn't know the rules of trash yet and puts out a huge TV box for which the city disposal won't pick-up.
After pealing back of layers of the Cul-de-sac culture reveals a trash day for yard leaves in November. I got this tip from my other neighbor on my starboard side. He wanted to know who did my re-roofing. Then went on to explain how he wanted me and himself to get on the irrigation board for the sixteen homes in the two adjoining cul-de-sacs. The system is for pressurized lawn watering coming from one well making this "water district". Somehow, I felt important by this subliminal offer for a neighborhood power play.
My other neighbor didn't even live in the Cul-de-sac. He was from Vancouver, Wa and bought the house for his daughter, who just moved in with her three children. She just went through a nasty divorce as her ex went to live with his boy-friend. Oh-my, unplug the cable TV. I don't need it, its all happening out the front window. She's the one who whips her car around and backs-in her drive-way several times a day. She is rattled and it shows. Another neighbor in the circle is a single guy about age 31 is having trash issues on garbage day. His neighbor on his other side within the semi circle is a single women in her mid twenty's. She is never home during the year I've lived at the crown of the circle for almost a year. Her dad owns the house and she is never home.
So far I've got this going for this analysis. One neighbor bought his house back in 2005 without even walking through it before buying. The Vancouver Guy drove-in one day and bought his house for daughter because he liked the feel of the Cul de sac. The next "neighbor" a 31 year old, had looked months at countless homes and found this one at an affordable price and bought the day he saw it.
Twelve months ago we turned the corner into the circle when looking at homes and before we got out of the car "we mentally bought the house". The Cul de sac had cast a spell on us within 30 seconds and once walking through the home my son made an offer on the spot for the home. Here we are and it is like living on an Island surrounded by other far flung neighborhoods, only they have continuous flow through traffic and noise.
The must be something going on here that is missed. Maybe it's the water and the water board guy was on to something. Five homes on the semi circle and five buys with the same story. The houses were sold the day the buyer turned the corner into the cul de sac. No matter the condition or size the house was sold and the tribe began to grow around the circle. Within a year's time we have become a community whether or not it was intended from the start. Being a reclusive soul. I have talked more and gotten to know more in one year of time than ever before in my life. In fact a strange thing happened. The estimated value of our home has increased price by $66,000 in ten months the other homes around us have increased in value with only a nominal increase over the same period of time. The strange part is all we did was just mow the lawn, that's it!
There is magic in the air and now I am considering being a member of the two person water committee within the sixteen homes near us. People have a story to tell but they need to sit in a semi circle to tell it and that is what a cul de sac does. It makes neighbors be neighbors, then friends and finally they have your back (or at least your back fence).
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