what makes a house a home?

So have you ever wondered why people want to buy an old house?

I do sometimes...

I think people buy old houses because of the feeling that you get when you own a piece of history. The architecture shows great pride of craftsmanship. To know that in between the paint and the plaster these walls hold secrets that they will never tell. Yes sometimes she will give you hints but that is all you get.

Mostly I think people buy old houses because of the neighborhood. In real estate it is always about location, location, location. So what makes an older neighborhood more appealing then a new, to some? Think about it people spend tons of time and money to own an old house. Working day and night on the old fixtures and plumbing... for what.

Why do the "woodstreet" houses command more money per square foot than larger, newer houses? The neighborhood!! The people that live or want to live in this hood know that if you get involved in neighborhood you can demand more money for the cracking plaster and the fact that you can't run any 3 appliances at the same time.

So what's the moral of the story. If you get involved in your area you too can have the luxury of asking more for your house. Not that you will ever want to move because your neighborhood will soon be the best in town, but hey we all have to move sometime. You can keep it simple at first, attend a local neighborhood group or watch. Take a walk around your neighborhood, pick up trash even if you didn't put it there (something I am still desperately trying to teach my children) say hello to your neighbors. exchange emails if you are not the talkative type. You don't have to know everything about your neighbors. Just remember what it was like when you were growing up, you knew which houses had the friendly dog and which one your parents had standing plans to play cards at. Give it a shot. Let me know how it turns out