Apparently, I should be more specific when I talk about my desire to sell this house.
What I need to be saying is: "I'd really like to sell my home to someone who does not plan to take 200+ years of history and feed it to a wrecking ball."
Yes, we have someone interested in our property. He's a developer looking to take advantage of the fact that the lot is zoned commercial in an area undergoing a booming business transformation. Down the street, a big-box shopping center is under construction. The highway, visible from our property and with an exit less than half a mile down the road, oozes potential profit.
Our house is currently not used in any commercial capacity. We just live there. It was built at the tail end of the 18th century and is filled with well-preserved nods to history. Its tie to the past extends to the appellation of our section of town, which comes from the family name of the home's first inhabitants. Though the house is not registered in any national, state or local registries, it is only paperwork that separates the wood sided walls from historical-treasure status.
I should be grateful that the gentleman contemplating an offer was honest with our real estate agent when he told her that he is seeking approval from the town historic district commission to level the home should he purchase it. He didn't have to tell her. Our ignorance could only be beneficial to his business bliss.
Though I think it's unlikely that the historic commission will grant his request, we need to be aware of the situation so that we can do everything we can to protect the moral high ground from demolition.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hate when morals and money collide. Probably because I'm partial to both of them (when they suit my purposes).
let's trade.
i'd like something with more history. our house is brand-new.
blogwhore@hotmail.com
mommiesarepeopletoo.blogspot.com
Yuck.
Just yuck.
Don't let the bastards get you down. Or raze your house.
Wow, that's the most tree hugging, hippy, Democrat thing I think I've ever seen come out of your brain. Morals won't keep The Boss warm in the winter.
Apparently, I am a heartless mofo. But I'm a heartless mofo with 2-zone central air.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you have a buyer, and you have a house lined up you want (whose upkeep and taxes you can afford), that's in a good school district, and you are dissatisfied with the town that you are in (due to educational ambivalence on the part of the parents or crazy trailer-park neighbors), move on by moving out. Cash out. Take the money and run. Woo woo woo!
The house doesn't have feelings, you do.
Houses can be rebuilt. Your health, safety and comfort and Boss's education are eminently more important.
And money, lots of money.
ha! funny chris, my first thought after reading this was, hmmm, i wonder if chris has the same feelings... and i also laughed at the thought of that area EVER becoming a booming center of economic growth. get out while you can!!!
Oh gosh. That's a hard one. Especially since commercially zoned property can be so much more valuable. Gah. I don't envy you being in this position. That would be hard for me too.
I say let em take it, but before you do, could you get the approval yourself and sell the commercial land for more?
I'll paint your bathroom. Chris, get a blog so I can stop using Binky to reply to your painting requests. You don't even need to write in it. Just leave a spot for comments.
Binky, I love you.
Post a Comment