tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post278991709528706231..comments2023-10-27T03:41:13.171-07:00Comments on Warning Signs: My Little StreetAlan Carubahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10901162110385985193noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-82378468792908936502009-02-01T16:45:00.000-08:002009-02-01T16:45:00.000-08:00Your experience, Guy, was one reason for my writin...Your experience, Guy, was one reason for my writing about my former home and the little street on which it is located. Maplewood is pretty much immune to the fate your Mom's former home suffered. No new homes can be built there because no space exists and the houses that are there are well maintained and prized. One of my old friends, a realtor in Maplewood, when asked how business was, simply said, "It's Maplewood", meaning that business would always be good. He might want to revise his comment at this point.Alan Carubahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10901162110385985193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-22313106984218678682009-02-01T16:37:00.000-08:002009-02-01T16:37:00.000-08:00Interesting timing for your story Alan. Last nigh...Interesting timing for your story Alan. Last night, I was discussing the same topic with a friend of mine at my local watering hole. My story is pretty much the same, but sadly, it has a much more tragic ending....<BR/><BR/>I grew up in a nice, quiet neighborhood in north Columbus, Ohio. My Mom continued to live there after we all married and bought homes of our own. It was a beautiful community, with all the same qualities you enjoyed in your neighborhood.<BR/><BR/>That's until when, in the late 80's, things began to change. As the surrounding neighborhoods were invaded by a huge influx of illegal aliens and international refugees (which our Democratic city leaders welcomed with open arms), a developer came in and built a new community directly south of her neighborhood. Those homes were sold almost entirely to underfunded buyers with no money down Fannie and Freddie financing. Many of them were sold by rolling the down payment into the loan, so the mortgages were upside down right from the start. Since most of the new residents were first time home owners, with little experince in home ownership, and no cash or extra income available for things like maintenance and repairs, it didn't take long for the neighborhood to begin deteriorating. Lawns went un-mowed, repairs went undone, and little by little, it began to look like a war zone.<BR/><BR/>Within five years, the crime rates in the area began to skyrocket. All the surrounding businesses began pulling out and relocating to safer neighborhoods, and the surrounding property values began to decline. When the first forclosure signs began appearing in the windows, I convinced my Mother to act quickly. She sold her home and got out just in time to save most of the equity she had in her house, and we built her a new house several miles north of Columbus. She settled in there, sat back, and watched as the neighborhood we had all loved for so many years disintegrated. Unfortunately, one of her best friends took a couple years longer to see the writing on the wall, and wound up losing over 25% of the equity she had in her home before she could sell it. The "mortgage crisis" had yet to rear it's ugly head, and already the warning signs were presenting themselves....<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, after relocating my Mom, we built a new home of our own, and prepared to sell our home before our neighborhood met the same fate. Unfortunately, we were just a bit too late. We got the new house built just as the mortgage crisis hit, and now we are sitting on a wonderful old home in one of the remaining good neighborhoods in Columbus, unable to sell it for anywhere near what it's worth.<BR/><BR/>Now, with the mortgage crisis in full swing, 40 to 50% of those new homes south of my Mom's north Columbus neighborhood have fallen into foreclosure, dragging the entire area down with them. Homes in her neighborhood, which were built in the early 1900's, and used to be worth 200K plus, are now falling into disrepair. Prices for those that can be sold are now in the low 100's. The local business district, which used to be home to a wonderful array of restaurants, offices and stores is now a string of international mini marts, check cashers, and run down strip malls, and gunfire is a nightly occurrence.<BR/><BR/>If this is what re-distributing the wealth is all about, you can have it...Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10903448394061019454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-62598468115778041312009-02-01T04:50:00.000-08:002009-02-01T04:50:00.000-08:00Alan,Even with all of the problems going on in the...Alan,<BR/><BR/>Even with all of the problems going on in the world in those days, they were truly golden years. I may be mistaken, but I think it was Thomas Sowell who once said; "Happy memories never wear out their welcome in our lives"<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the article. RichRich Kozlovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13745960671409518147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-24811518729911349522009-01-31T18:47:00.000-08:002009-01-31T18:47:00.000-08:00Thanks for sharing these memories and a story of a...Thanks for sharing these memories and a story of a special place, and a special time.<BR/>The mural is great too, as it depicts a better time -that seems lost to our children today.<BR/>Even though it appears segregation of the races was in force at the time, the overall harmony of the scene is beautifully captured. It reminds me of my own childhood when parents did not worry about strangers and people considered circus animals at a public place thrilling(instead of criminal). The dress of the people was also very charming with women wearing dresses and men in slacks and shirts.libertyforusahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08584974436761909593noreply@blogger.com