Investment propertyTo Build or Not to Build a Home on That Hill?
"Whoever built the house, he built better than he knew, or
else Orion in the zenith flashed down his Damocles" sword to him some stormy
night and said, "Build there"." - The Piazza by Herman Melville
How long has location, location, location been the ticket to real estate
value? Judging by this quote, a long time, by any man"s measure. Still
recovering from a recent trip to Europe, I am enraptured by the historical
background of home construction, in all its detail, but even more fascinated by
an almost universal human desire for the best locations for their
dwellings - usually as high as they can get them.
It"s easy to see that Europeans valued and still value lofty parapets for their
homes, churches and monuments. How many words do we have in the English
language for describing the "high point" of a given place? Literary terms such
as apex, zenith, and promontory come to mind, but I am sure Webster"s can
provide a page-full for us. Even in Eastern cultures, high is better for as
many reasons, if not moreso than the rest of the world. The popular study of
Feng Shui tells us that homes and buildings built higher on the sides of hills
can protect occupants from floods and provide beneficial breezes. Their only
no-no has to do with leaving an edifice totally unprotected from the elements
(bad Feng Shui).
The Greeks built temples to their most sacred Gods at the highest geographical
points possible, as witnessed by the construction of the Acropolis" Parthenon,
and the Romans have important structures upon their many hills, where,
incidentally, all roads lead to. Later European culture and religion gave rise
to the construction of some of the most magnificent cathedrals on higher
ground, as if the physical height of them would bring worshippers closer to God.
Homebuilders tend to charge more for view-oriented home sites not only due to
their popularity, but also due to the difficulty factor they may have in
construction. Foundations must be placed and planned properly, property
setbacks must comply with local city planning requirements, and just where to
place the house on its lofty site can make the difference between having a
front yard, back yard, Mt. Everest driveway syndrome, or soil erosion. Builders
notoriously try to avoid home sites like these just because of the perennial
pain they feel in their sides due to the issues they must deal with
during construction, so who can blame them?
But ah, the result of going to all that trouble (and expense) can be so worth
the hassle if it"s done properly. While others swelter in the mid-day heat,
you who braved the lofty locale may have refreshing breezes. When others are
unclogging street sewers and backing their cars into lakes, you may be watching
from above. And you will have something that would be difficult to take away
unless a high rise office building goes up nearby; a permanent vista.
I beg the reader to forgive my flight of fancy when speaking in such
opinionated regard for the view-sited home, but there is so much to see from up
there. Whether it be the dewy morning frosts below or the twinkling lights of
the neighborhood, a view is a bonus to structure, sound and sight. And, if you
hesitated to spend the extra freight for that premium lot because you didn"t
think it was worth it, take a deep breath and think again. It just may be the
wiser investment after all.
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