I would ask that you not get me started on this whole housing crisis thing, except that I’ve already decided to get started without you. Come with me in the Wayback Machine to 2005, when gas was still less than three bucks a gallon but a 2000 square foot home was pushing $450K, in the country’s fastest-growing, least desirable suburb: Elk Grove, California. Ask anyone from the Sacramento area who changes their underwear every day, if they had their druthers, would they live in Elk Grove? Who wants to put “Elk Grove” in the real estate search box when the nation’s headlines about the poor city lead with “Squalor“?
And I don’t want to hear, “Well it used to be nice.” “Used to be” doesn’t let you sleep at night. “Used to be” doesn’t keep you from getting shot while pulling out of Chili’s. “Used to be” doesn’t stop the house from across the street, and another one around the corner from becoming pot farms.
We held out as long as we could. Our tight-knit neighborly little court began to disperse, saying the neighborhood was going downhill. Plus, in 2004 and 2005, they were panic-buying like everyone else, buying bigger McMansions before they were priced out of the market. Of course they exacerbated the blight of the street by abandoning us, moving out so fast that all we could make out were elbows and assholes in the dust. And everyone who moved in after them were loud, rude, obnoxious, wouldn’t speak to us, etc… Eventually our annoyance and fear won over our laziness and we moved.
Now, by “going downhill”, do not mistake for a minute that I mean anything racial. In fact, when we were a happy little party-having group, I was the only white girl. Well, actually there were two of us, but the other one high-tailed it out of there because she saw the writing on the wall long before we did.
No, I’m talking about class. I’m talking about behavior. I’m talking about moving two or three families into one house and parking your 12 cars all over the court leaving no room whatsoever for our own guests. I’m talking about letting your yard go. I’m talking about leaving your front door open all day long while your unsupervised children run around half naked and barefoot in the middle of the street, screaming until well after midnight.
So, late to the party, we finally gave in and sold our house. Here is a picture of it just before it sold in November 2005. Please note the green and well-maintained lawn.
A few months after that we began to hear rumors of our old house going into foreclosure. More than once.
Last week, my niece happened to ride by it and snapped a picture from her phone. It’s the one on the left…
What is that, a “For Sale, Sort Of” sign?
This is the backyard when we moved out in 2005…
I’m too chicken to climb the fence to see what it looks like now.
When we left, we bought a bigger McMansion. In Elk Grove. But that’s another long story.
One year later, we moved again, out of Elk Grove and into Sacramento, which is another long story, one that involves bending WAY over.
Wishful thinkers, manipulative speculators, and real estate talking heads are now going to be calling the bottom of the Sacramento market every week for the next 2-3 years. We’ll just be calling it “rent”.
* * * W H A T E L S E * * *
Nanny Goats in Panties wishes to thank Wendy over at wining and ironing for adding NGIP to her blog roll. Wendy joins our global network as she hails from South Africa and is “not your average desperate housewife”.
Some of you may recall last week’s post about the new Hands Free cell phone law. Have you seen this parody?
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oh my gosh…amazing how fast a house can fall into ruin when it isnt cared for. Isnt it sad to go back to an old home and realize that those who came after you didnt love it properly?
Blame the bank for that house now. They let them sit and rot for up to years before they sell. They want to make the largest profit possible on the REO, so they wait and wait for a better offer and won’t sink another dime into maintaining it.
Sacramento looks like a war torn city too. Perhaps we need some ordinances to make sure the banks are required to maintain the properties in a safe condition.
I’d tell you it was unbelievable, but I’ve seen it happen so many times over the years. I don’t get it. Why would anyone make an investment like a home and turn it into trash?
Wow, you lived in a crack house! Pre-crack, of course. Well, I assume. lol
I’ve been complaining about the real estate market for 10 years. About that time, people around here started regularly using real estate agents to sell their homes, and it has fucked it up completely. I saw the downturn a 1 1/2 yrs ago when places near us (a VERY desirable country area between two towns with a tiny local school that is almost private school level) started sitting on the market for months on end. Previously, a listing for an undeveloped 1 acre lot at $20k would go in a matter of days (I know for most places that’s cheap, but $6K was a high price for land here until the real estate agents came in). NOT anymore!
I’m sorry about your old neighborhood…I hope the new place is a keeper! Thanks for sharing the cell phone video….very funny.
Another thing I don’t miss having moved back here to Northeast Nowhere. Luckily the mortgage problems haven’t hit locally yet. The banks & realtors here tend to ensure you can comfortably afford your house. The southern & coastal areas are being his though, although the coastal areas do better than the south part of the state in the cities.
Ooops! I must not have closed the link to that post. What a boob!
I was in Elk Grove once….served as a fly mask for a horse during a horse show. 🙂
How come I haven’t been to your blog before?!?! Very funny!
Sigh sob boohoo…you were one of the few good things about my move to Elk Grove. And now I’m getting out too!!!
This is so messed up. Unfortunately it happens everywhere. It happened in the home I grew up in which was on the west side of Salt Lake City. It’s happening to the neighborhood I live in now in Idaho. People just seem to think the American dream is something that is handed to them, and they don’t realize you have to earn it and work for it and fight for it (and sometimes, water, fertilize, and mow it). Awesome blog. Keep up the good work. -TNO
It’s mind boggling that someone could just let it degrade like that. I guess it would be hard keeping the front lawn tidy when all your botanical effort is getting squandered on the hydroponics setup inside though.
Because the weed(s) seem to be flourishing!
Oh1 that’s sad. 🙁 I have always loved your book reviews, and I read them at my leisure. You may not know but let me tell you that you are my ideal in writing. One day I want to write as beautiful as you do.:) Send me some tips if you have any.
Good Day.
Yep, we did exactly the same,we needed a garden for the kids, but primarily where we were living got like the wild west.We kept checking on the old house to see if they were looking after it properly,
“make out were elbows and assholes in the dust”
BWAHAHAHAHA!!
We bought our house in 2004 and we got it at a good price but we got screwed with the our flood insurance which is DOUBLE DOU-BBBBLE our regular home owners insurance and the effin thing keeps going up!
How many times has our area actually flooded? My neighbor who has lived in his house for almost 30 years says never! But we have to have it by law.
Totally relate… we bought a house in a “transitional neighborhood” in DC.
One day I have to go out back and stop the hooker and the customer from having sex in an abandoned car next door.
Be thankful you are out of there. We sold and lost money, but at least I don’t have to deal with used condoms in my backyard every damn day!
wow…those photos are quite shocking,in just 3 years? Very sad indeed.
Looks like you got out by the skin of your teeth. What was that in the neighbor’s yard – an air conditioner? Classy. I might have gone for an antique wagon with flowers in it, but that’s just me.
Mr Mudpuppy emailed me that ugly, sad pic earlier, and I couldn’t believe how awful. You guys put so much into that back yard. People suck.
Love your book reviews. Aside from the fact that they’re well written and interesting in and of themselves, it makes me realize how little reading I get done. You inspire me!
wow that is scary what can happen to a lovely home. yikes!
smiles, bee
xoxoxoxxooxoxxo
Oh wow, that’s sad…all the work you put into your old home to make it beautiful & someone else comes and takes a big dump all over it. So sad….
WoW!! That’s a nice looking back yard :0)