Reality of Realty

I think I can safely bet that these sometimes ominous, telltale and symbolic signs dot one or more lawns of houses on your block. They're cropping up everywhere. Ominous because they are often a blatant testimony to America's economic state today. Telltale because, even if it's not the case, in the back of our mind, we have our assumptions that are, in today's world, more and more true, and finally symbolic...because, these signs, say so much about America's people, without saying anything. All they have to do is stand there, in the lawns of well-manicured and dilapidated houses alike, and we understand.

What are these signs you ask? They are for sale signs. Since moving into my neighborhood on the southside of Sheboygan, Wisconsin I've seen two of them pop up in front of houses on my block. There's a house on the corner where the people only lived there for a year, then up went the sign. Now I'm not just assuming that their house was repossessed, it could've been something completely different, or perhaps they had a job transfer. With so many jobs being shipped to different states and such, it's no wonder that so many people are having to pack up their well rooted lives and plant their family tree in a new, foreign place.

I enjoy talking walks around Sheboygan and surrounding towns with my parents, and lately, I've been seeing one too many for sale signs seated in the front lawns of houses. Most of them, I'll admit, are more than a little dilapidated and in need of repair. But as I'm beginning to see, a good amount of them are in good condition and have well manicured facades and lawns. I can't help but think, as an avid and openly obsessive house fanatic, that most of those houses - in consequence of the stagnant housing market today - will stand glaringly empty and lie in wait for another family to fill it's rooms with furniture and laughter.

Now perhaps you yourself haven't thought of this problem from the house's point of view. You might even count it as strange. But since I invariably root my stories around a historic home, I can't help but look at it from the house's point of view. One minute it's happily filled with a family, laughter and everyday life. The next it's filled with cardboard boxes and then there's nothing but windows to stare into empty rooms and bare walls.

I don't want to get into a discussion about America's economic state today. Because, frankly, I'm not one to discuss government issues and such. I leave that up to other people. Simply by walking around Sheboygan and surrounding towns with my parents this blog post in particular came to be when I began noticing just how many realty signs are parked in front lawns. Overtime our house becomes a part of us, a part of our lives. It's the place where we find respite and cherished comfort after a day's hard work. A place where we come to reconnect with family after going away to college for a year. It's the place where memories are made and stored. A place where we can shelter ourselves from life's storms outside, and it's a place where our family can always be found, no matter what.

Albeit I myself have had to live in many houses over the years, I remember them all. It's something I believe that invariably sticks with you, whether you're an obsessive historic house fanatic like me or not! :-) So, in closing, the next time you see a realty sign pop up on one of your neighbor's lawns, or are simply driving home and notice there were more than last month...stop to think about the story that lies behind that sign. Granted I didn't know any of the families that lived in the two houses for sale on my own block, I still feel compelled to think about them, and what their reason's were.