Open Houses

My husband and I love to visit open houses. Last weekend, we went to a new neighborhood being built about a mile from our house. This neighborhood is planned to have something like 43 different developments, 15 parks, a golf course (complete by 2010), etc. The problem is that our town is quite recessed. These 4-6 bedroom houses their building speak of wealth that doesn’t reside in our immediate area. Worse, there is no real industry here. Most jobs (that aren’t retail or service related) are at least 30 or more miles away. I don’t know who’s going to buy these houses, but it’s clear that the whole town is having a ball wandering through the dreamy models.

The biggest model we went in ($570,000 to $640,000 range) had a home theater complete with three rows of suede barka-loungers with cup holders and a projection screen TV. The next floor featured a home gym complete with a mobile sauna. The bathroom had river rocks for the floor and walls, embedded in white grout and covered with some kind of varnish that made them smooth. It was gorgeous and totally over the top. Some of the rooms really made me want to go shopping - not for overpriced houses, but living room and bedroom furniture shopping. We always joke that we only want to buy a new house if they come furnished like the models.

My favorite house, the middle price range ($460,000 to $510,000) had 60 square foot walk in pantry in the kitchen! Seriously, I would buy that house. If it wasn’t grossly overpriced in a downward spiraling real estate market.

Oh, what I wouldn’t give to live in a state where home prices were reasonable.