Real Estate Information |
|
The Sadness of Old Buildings
From the book No Smooshing! For years, I've carried on a not-so-friendly debate with some of my artist friends from the West Coast about their ideas of what constitutes a good subject. We seem to be able to agree on certain things, like apples and oranges-and even certain landscapes. But when it comes to their paintings of dilapidated old farm buildings, we part company. Some folks see rundown farmhouses and caved-in barns as romantic. Artists paint pictures of buildings with weathered boards, leaning at impossible angles-and people take those paintings home and hang them on their walls. But for me, I see those same abandoned farmsteads as unspeakably sad. After all, each one of those boarded up farmhouses represents the death of someone's hopes and dreams for the future of their children and themselves. I get the same sad feeling whenever I pass through a small town that was once a thriving place, full of life and activity, but now sits empty and lifeless, slowly crumbling back into the black earth from which it sprang. Last week, I was lost on some back road (not an unusual situation for me) when I came across just such a ghost town. There was no name that I could see, but there were three buildings, huddled next to each other against the prairie wind, and I could still make out some faded letters above their doors. The first one had been a general store, the second a garage, but it was the third building that captured my imagination. On its side was printed the word "Hotel." Hotel? The word seemed so incongruous. After all, what could have been the attraction in this little town that would have warranted a hotel? There didn't seem to be anything of interest in the area, and if any place in the world could have been said to be in the middle of nowhere, this little town was it! And how did people get to this village in order to stay in this mysterious hotel? I saw no railroad tracks, and there's only one road running through town. The garage implied the town was still alive when cars came into general use, but cars have been around a long time, and that still didn't explain the need for a hotel in a town with only two other buildings. Perhaps that's why my artist friends find old buildings and farmsteads so intriguing. There's definitely a sense of mystery about them-stories that will never be known. On that much, we can agree. But no one can convince me those lonely scenes are picturesque. I can hardly look at old towns like that without being overcome with a sadness that's difficult to explain. What are the stories of those forlorn storefronts? Why did people come to that little town and stay in their little hotel? What about the rusty skeleton of a combine on the edge of town, its bones bleaching in the sun? I don't know, and I never will-and ghosts don't talk. Just don't try to tell me that such a scene is something I'd want to hang on my wall and look at every day. © 2004. Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved. About The Author Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He's published more than 500 articles and four books. He's also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary's website at www.abciowa.com. abciowa@alpinecom.net
MORE RESOURCES: Landmark Settlement Breaks Up the Real Estate Cartel The American Prospect Top real-estate CEO sees decades of housing pain ahead: 'What the Fed did will have a 30-year tail on it' Yahoo Finance Commercial Real Estate's Systemic Threat: Separating Fact From Fiction Commercial Observer Rules that helped set real estate agent commissions are changing. Here's what you need to know The Associated Press Who are real estate lobbyists talking to in New York? City & State New York Brockton-area real estate sales for Dec. 26 to Dec. 29, 2023. Enterprise News Refined Real Estate: Historic Queen Anne Polson House lists for $6,950,000 seattlerefined.com Pension funds snap up real estate at steep discounts Financial Times Luxury's Latest Battleground: Real Estate | BoF The Business of Fashion The Realtors' Big Defeat The New York Times Investigation underway after 44-year-old real estate investor seen on video firing shots off boat docked at Lakeview ... WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale Will March bring more madness to Craven County's real estate market? New Bern Sun Journal A luxury agent on how the NAR settlement will change his business The Washington Post Rules that helped set real estate agent commissions are changing. Here's what you need to know Lufkin Daily News Cities Face Cutbacks as Commercial Real Estate Prices Tumble The New York Times Rules that helped set real estate agent commissions are changing. Here's what you need to know KXLY Spokane What National Association of Realtors agreement means for Texas real estate KAMR - MyHighPlains.com Realtor group will pay $418M to settle commission lawsuits The Associated Press Israeli real estate event: Legal complaints escalate NorthJersey.com National lawsuit could shakeup housing market, cut into real estate agent commission 11Alive.com WXIA Realtors settlement to lower home sale costs, alter commission structure The Washington Post Swimmo Invest Opens up a New Chapter in the Real Estate Industry Markets Insider What Seattle-area homebuyers should expect after national settlement The Seattle Times CrewBaltimoreâs mission to accelerate womenâs success in real estate Afro American Newspaper Realtors Reckon With a Seismic Shift to How They Get Paid The Wall Street Journal China's Real-Estate Market Just Set a Recordâbut Not a Good One The Wall Street Journal What the death of the 6% real estate commission means in D-FW The Dallas Morning News Settlement will affect Iowa homebuyers KCCI Des Moines Real estate commissions, unassailable for decades, could crumble after landmark settlement The Denver Post Is the Era of the Celebrity Real Estate Agent Over? Industry Reacts to Settlement That Could Slash Commissions Hollywood Reporter Making Sense of New York's Confusing Luxury Home Market The Wall Street Journal National Association of Realtors Agrees to Slash Commissions to Settle Lawsuits - The New York Times Rules that helped set real estate agent commissions are changing. Here's what you need to know Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal A commission settlement may affect housing market 9News.com KUSA Illinois real estate: Home sales in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford counties Peoria Journal Star Bay Area Real Estate Executive Charged with Wire Fraud, Identity Theft in Investment Scam - Hoodline Realtors Reach Settlement That Will Change How Americans Buy and Sell Homes The Wall Street Journal Rules that helped set real estate agent commissions are changing. Here's what you need to know News10NBC Real estate lawsuit settlement upends decades-long policies that helped set agent commissions WQAD Moline Once America's Hottest Housing Market, Austin Is Running in Reverse The Wall Street Journal End of 6% real estate commissions could mean lower home prices The Atlanta Journal Constitution Real Estate Credit Investments (LON:RECI) Shares Pass Below 200 Day Moving Average of $126.75 Defense World A Look Into the Future of Home Buyers' Agent Commissions The Wall Street Journal Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:GRT.UN) Given Consensus Recommendation of âBuyâ by Brokerages Defense World Manhattan Real Estate Update westsiderag.com National Association of Realtors to cut commissions to settle lawsuits. Here's the financial impact. CBS News Bridgemarq Real Estate Services (TSE:BRE) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average of $12.93 Defense World Blackstone, World's Top Alternative Asset Manager, Eyes Record Highs Amid Real Estate Bottom Investor's Business Daily Chicago Voters Face Choice on Tax to Fund Homeless Programs The New York Times 4 Ways a Settlement Could Change the Housing Industry The New York Times Colony Ridge violated deceptive trade practices, Texas says The Texas Tribune Real Estate Stocks Drop As NAR Agrees to $418 Million Settlement Markets Insider |
RELATED ARTICLES
What is a Foreclosure? A foreclosure is an action taken against a property owner by seizure of his/her real property. It can be for many reasons. Rehab Your Way to Wealth: The Quick Way to Fixer-Upper Success Completely rebuilding a house is not necessary to make money in investment real estate. Most times, if you have bought smart, you won't have to make a huge improvements on your investment property. Condo Hotel Trends - A Look at the Big Picture in Vacation Home Ownership Condo hotels are one of the hottest products in today's real estate market. New properties are cropping up in different parts of the country and new buyers are entering the market daily. 10 Things You Shouldnt Do When Youre Buying a Home Home Buying Don'tsYour home buying process is well underway. The sellers accepted your offer to purchase. Rapid City Real Estate Agents Take me Back to the Black HillsLocated in Western South Dakota, Rapid City is a thriving community with many amenities to offers its residents. This city is nestled among the beautiful Black Hills, offering endless recreational activities for the outdoor enthusiast in the Black Hills National Forest. Successful Property Letting And Management Successful Property Letting And Management is not something that just happens, it is something that has to be worked at, and planned professionally. When a landlord or an agent has a problem let, it is almost certainly to do with the suitability of the selected tenant. Thinking About Selling Your Home? Owning a home is the original American dream. It's the old frontier spirit, wanting to claim your own tuft of the New World. Dont Overpay for a House, Even in Todays Market If there's one thing American investors love, it's an over-inflated market. Which is why they keep buying houses and new ones keep coming onto the market. Getting Raw Land, Not a Raw Deal! There is more to buying raw land than meets the eye and more than a few individuals have wished they'd had a second chance upon finding themselves duped, conned, misled, ill-advised, uninformed, oversold, undereducated and often unprepared. They realize, often too late, that a raw land purchase should be properly investigated, evaluated and negotiated using a logical and rational plan. Real Estate: Reasons and Priorities for Purchasing Property Real Estate: Reasons and Priorities for Purchasing Property. It's not just about Real Estate as an Investment. Destin Florida Triples In 3 Years Do you want to see something that is absolutely amazing? Let me show you what has happened in Destin, Florida over the last 3 years. Back in August of 2002, the median price of a home selling in Destin was $229,000. One Stop Shop for Buy to Let As the buy to let market continues to go from strength to strength, a unique selling opportunity has been created for landlords looking to dispose of both residential and commercial buy to let property with the ability for transactions to take place directly between landlords.Set up by experienced property investors with an acute understanding of all aspects involved in buying and selling of investment property. Checklist for Buying a Home I had a client who called saying that his bath tub just fallen through the floor in his new home (new to him). Mold had eaten away the floor from the crawlspace up. San Diego Home Evaluation The Southern California city of San Diego has all the attractions of a big city with the tropical feel of the coast. Covering nearly 350 square miles with over 1. 7 Different Ways Anyone Can Become a Real Estate Investor Being a real estate investor is not really that hard, Sometimes you do not need any money down. Other times you do not need any of your own money down. When Showing Your Home Here below are some of the reasons why buyers may be put off when visiting your home.1. Find Bucks in Yucks! 20-Year-Old Woman Turns Doghouses into Dollars! Do you dream of making money in real estate? Do you realize how easy it is to make big bucks? Even a young inexperienced person can transform houses for great profit.How to Fix, Flip, and Laugh All the Way to the BankAt the age of twenty, our family friend Dawn made her first fortune flipping houses by herself. Condo-Hotels - A New Second-Home Alternative to Time Shares Condo-hotels have evolved as a better, more reliable second home alternative to time-shares. They are usually attractive, high-rise hotels on the ocean or in other prime locations, and range in price from the mid $200,000s to over 1 million, depending on the size, location, and amenities. The Secret Jewel in the Mediterranean Crown Since the Northern Cypriots famously voted 'yes' to the UN backed Annan plan for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus in 2004 the world has awoken to the secret and hidden beauty of this untouched jewel in the Mediterranean crown. Those open-minded and individual thinkers seeking elegant living, unrivalled Mediterranean-region investment property opportunities or their own hideaway are today embracing Northern Cyprus. Real Estate Investors Kick Away $1,000 Those new to real estate investing often fail to take actionbecause they don't have much cash. The truth is that thevery best investors got their start when they had little orno money. |
home | site map |
© 2006 TIGER MEDIA |