Not for Sale

The letter is addressed "Dear Neighbors" and signed "Mikel," as if the writer is my friend, my neighbor.  But he doesn't live on my street and I don't think he lives in my neighborhood and he is most definitely not my friend.  He is -- according to the billboard at Piedmont and Peachtree -- "Atlanta's Greatest Listing Agent."  He also is asking if I want to sell my house, even though it is not for sale.

Dear Neighbors,

If you desire to sell your current home or have an older home that is beyond remodeling or repair, I have buyers for both.  Through my "Dream Home Program" I am able to get my clients stronger prices often well above market value.  We are definitely paying upwards of 10-15% more than most builders and investors are offering for the older homes that are potential building lots.  If you have a home you'd like to sell for a higher price than most are telling you it's worth, call me today at 404-273-3186.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Mikel

We saw our neighbor Miriam at Caramba a couple of nights ago.  I asked her if the real estate people had asked her if she wanted to sell her house.  She said they'd been by three times, including once at 8:30 in the morning.  

The apartments at Wessyngton & Highland have been sold, and Muffley & Associates signs are advertising the houses that will replace them.  Someone on the street asked me the other day what I thought was going to be built there.  I was surprised by the question as there is only one answer possible -- very large, very expensive homes are going to be built there.

We already knew that the house Angela had lived in is going to be replaced with new construction, and just this week a "For Sale" sign has appeared in the lawn of the duplex next to Lynsley's house.  This is where Mathew -- one of the original Wessyngton Road guitar players -- used to live, and where the dog belonging to one of Mona's previous tenants had ended up taking refuge a couple of years ago.  So now there is only one house in between Angela's former house and the duplex, and it's a rental property too.  So there are three houses in a row that will probably be replaced sooner or later with large, expensive houses.

Kathy said that someone had recently stopped by their house and asked if they wanted to sell.  She said they didn't, but the real estate agent said that if they did they could get a lot of money for it.  The amount quoted was large -- larger than the appraised value of many of the houses on the street.  Of course, it's not the house they want, it's the land that the house is on.  Our homes are "potential building lots."

I know that the only people on the street who are sad to see the apartments go are my family and the people who live there.  Next is going to be the other rental property on the street.  The question after that is will rising property values start driving away longtime residents.  Are all of us going to be able to afford the property taxes that are going to follow?  I know that when people think about gentrification they are not thinking about neighborhoods like ours, but I don't know what else to call it.  From Wikipedia:

Gentrification is a dynamic that emerges in poor urban areas when residential shifts, urban planning, and other phenomena affect the composition of a neighborhood to the point that the people who currently live there can no longer afford to do so

Just to be completely clear.  Our house is not for sale.  Muffley & Associates and the rest of you, please stay away.