My husband and I purchased our first home in nineteen seventy five. I was twenty seven years old at the time and actually felt that we were a bit late in moving from an apartment that we rented to the joys of home ownership. We found a cute place that had been impeccably maintained by its original owners. It boasted three bedrooms and one bath with a nice den in addition to the kitchen, living room and dining room. We were over the moon to be able to close the deal for nineteen thousand dollars.
It was a great neighborhood with the most wonderful people living there that anyone might ever imagine. We joyfully brought our two daughters who were five and two years old to the place where they would spend their childhoods. They had their own bedrooms and lots of other children with whom to play. We were over the moon with happiness and that joy would only grow over the years.
Our yard was enormous so we had plenty of room for renovations from time to time. We added a large den and enlarged the two smallest rooms by moving walls and making one space that included another bathroom. We used the old den as a bedroom as well and found a way to move the washer and dryer from the garage to the inside. Best of all we gutted the kitchen and created a modern and beautiful space for cooking and gathering with guests that made our home seem perfect.
I loved that old house so much that I might have stayed there till the end of my days but the general area had gone down and I worried that we might one day find ourselves among strangers as our neighbors saw the same things and moved away one by one. We were lucky to net a huge profit on the sale that allowed us to move quite easily to our present home. Such was the way of home buying for most of my generation.
Things have changed dramatically for my grandchildren. Even in Texas, which is known for its affordable home prices, that little house that was once ours in now valued at close to three hundred thousand dollars even though the neighborhood did indeed take a fairly bad dip. Some streets and homes look fine but others are rundown and in need of massive repairs. For most young first time home buyers the market is not inviting anywhere in the United States. They are more often than not renting apartments until their thirties and usually need two incomes to even think of purchasing a house.
In some places like Maine the shortage of homes is in a state of crisis. As senior citizens live longer and healthier lives they keep their houses for much longer. When they do sell, the price tags and far beyond what many young people are able to afford. The cost of housing has risen way faster than salaries. Some people even in their forties and fifties have never owned a home and most likely never will.
It saddens me to think that the young people that I know will have a much longer wait before they will be able to purchase a nice home with good neighbors. Some may possibly never reach a moment to have a home of their own. Somehow that American dream is growing dimmer and dimmer for countless individuals.
So many children will endure uncertain futures simply because they are segregated from the best schools and safest neighborhoods because their parents are unable to purchase homes in the more popular areas. Surely there is a way to rectify the situation if we get experts to consider alternatives. Perhaps the answer is in creating smaller starter homes on enough land to renovate later or maybe we create programs that improve schools and conditions in older neighborhoods that have gone into a slump. For starters we also need to watch for investors who buy up houses, turn them into rentals and do little to maintain upkeep but nonetheless raise rents constantly.
There really is no place like home and I can’t help but think that there is an innate longing in people to have a place where they feel comfortable. It does not have to be a mansion with all the bells and whistles as long as the roof does not leak and the doors and windows are secure.
We may also consider working together as families. There is no reason to think that only a nuclear family should live together in a house. Our ancestors understood the value of having many generations under one roof. Such arrangements worked out well for everyone as they shared the limited resources that they had. Maybe that will ultimately be a doable answer to the housing problem that we face.
I think that Kamala Harris is right in making housing a priority if she becomes President. It’s long past due for somebody to at least attempt to do something. Jimmy Carter has been building home for the poor but right now not even the young middle class is able to find what they need. We should be helping them as well.
Maybe none of my ideas will make a difference. I’d still like to think that we are at least willing to begin brainstorming ideas. Nothing gets done by ignoring the situation.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 