littlecircles

Not much riding lately. Housing search complicates life along with the roller coaster ride of finding a place, putting in an offer, and having the reality of an inspection dash our hopes. Wish there was some magic document that would show a history of materials and improvements that people have made to their homes over their life. Poor decisions made by previous owners are then passed on (often unseen) and inherited by future owners. We are investing a large chunk of savings and future income – and folks wonder why we ask so many questions and are particular about electrical systems meeting code (basic safety things!), cracked chimneys, water damage in all the basements we’ve seen, window upgrades, ancient furnaces, and the list goes on. (It doesn’t help that I’ve lived and worked in the hand crafted and custom home building world for the better part of my life…)

Burlington – we love you and want desperately to stay in town… but your housing prices are outrageous for the quality we’ve seen. As a working family its hard for me to see how others make it work – the college market hyper inflates prices in an already tight market. Lovely Victorians and Colonials hacked to pieces by the college slum lords… and the smaller, odder pieces inflated to pre-bubble levels left for the folks who want to put down roots and stick around for more than four years.

But, Saturday mornings with my sweetie make it all seem worth it. Strawberries, heart pancakes, and a big smile. Time to color on recycled architectural prints…!