and another thing
i found a bit from lynne at left in lowell about various topics that are often discussed here, (self-serving comment alert--it's got links to here and i commented there as well), and was struck by one of the comments she made about the price of real estate here, and the general tone that we have a problem because of depressed values. it's not unlike many of the sentiments expressed by dick howe over at his lowelldeeds blog, (a highly recommended read), where his recounting of the registration statistics if often accompanied by editorializing about the strength and or weakness of our housing market and implying that higher prices are the best thing for all.
huh?
i don't know about you, but between alimony and the general cost of everything from gas to milk, (but don't get me wrong, i'm eager to pay my $1.55 for each quart of shaw farm goodness), i honestly couldn't afford much of anything in any other market here in eastern masschusetts, and i will tell you right now i'd rather consider staying at the bus station than moving out of the area, so we can quit that talk right here and right now. i happen to enjoy a GREAT standard of living here compared to almost anywhere else i could stand to be, and the reason is exactly that the real estate prices are exactly as lynne and dick would complain that they are. if i'm short and can only afford $2 for a beer as walter bayliss thinks is the price everywhere, i can amble on over to furey's and have one, and still enjoy some free live music while i'm doing it. what could possibly be wrong with that?
so who should i be rooting for? me? and all the other people like me? or someone or someones else with a fatter wallet?
"depressed" property values are a relative thing, and they are only relative to people who want to flip their real estate and sell out. me? i don't. i like it here. in fact, i LOVE it here, and i am not going to move. if my condo becomes near-to-worthless, it's all the same to me as if it becomes worth a kings-or-queen's ransom. (some folks think cheap real estate means lower taxes, but they're wrong, and i am not confused that our tax rates vs our tax bills are just funny math that always leaves us holding the same sized bag to pay for our police and fire protection and what have you regardless of how the total was derived). in fact, i'm actually rooting for the values to stay low, so i won't have to deal with people who might be inclined to complain about the kind of joints i like to frequent in my neighborhood. (ain't no worthen house in the town where i grew up, and that's a fact). my skin crawls when i'm in cambridge. it's an empty, self-aggrandizing place with far less worthwhile culture than they enjoy to give themselves credit. (though if you want to spend $15 for a martini, they can write you a list as long as your arm of places to get one). here in lowell, if you want one of those, i can tell you to skip over to the blue taleh, and everyone is happy.
or almost. some people prefer backed up toilets and fistfights on the stairs to clean and safe, even if still divey, establishments, and some other people feel that things can only be better once other people can't afford to live here. in my opinion, both are wrong.
furey's on saturday night. c'mon down. or up as the case may be.
huh?
i don't know about you, but between alimony and the general cost of everything from gas to milk, (but don't get me wrong, i'm eager to pay my $1.55 for each quart of shaw farm goodness), i honestly couldn't afford much of anything in any other market here in eastern masschusetts, and i will tell you right now i'd rather consider staying at the bus station than moving out of the area, so we can quit that talk right here and right now. i happen to enjoy a GREAT standard of living here compared to almost anywhere else i could stand to be, and the reason is exactly that the real estate prices are exactly as lynne and dick would complain that they are. if i'm short and can only afford $2 for a beer as walter bayliss thinks is the price everywhere, i can amble on over to furey's and have one, and still enjoy some free live music while i'm doing it. what could possibly be wrong with that?
so who should i be rooting for? me? and all the other people like me? or someone or someones else with a fatter wallet?
"depressed" property values are a relative thing, and they are only relative to people who want to flip their real estate and sell out. me? i don't. i like it here. in fact, i LOVE it here, and i am not going to move. if my condo becomes near-to-worthless, it's all the same to me as if it becomes worth a kings-or-queen's ransom. (some folks think cheap real estate means lower taxes, but they're wrong, and i am not confused that our tax rates vs our tax bills are just funny math that always leaves us holding the same sized bag to pay for our police and fire protection and what have you regardless of how the total was derived). in fact, i'm actually rooting for the values to stay low, so i won't have to deal with people who might be inclined to complain about the kind of joints i like to frequent in my neighborhood. (ain't no worthen house in the town where i grew up, and that's a fact). my skin crawls when i'm in cambridge. it's an empty, self-aggrandizing place with far less worthwhile culture than they enjoy to give themselves credit. (though if you want to spend $15 for a martini, they can write you a list as long as your arm of places to get one). here in lowell, if you want one of those, i can tell you to skip over to the blue taleh, and everyone is happy.
or almost. some people prefer backed up toilets and fistfights on the stairs to clean and safe, even if still divey, establishments, and some other people feel that things can only be better once other people can't afford to live here. in my opinion, both are wrong.
furey's on saturday night. c'mon down. or up as the case may be.
posted by kad barma at 10:06 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home