IF YOU DON'T SEE GREENERY, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG PAR
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9/23/2006
I relocated to Las Vegas in 2004 after more than 50 years in Oakland, CA.
Although many people like that "new home smell", for me, the only thing that matters is how well built the home is and will it stand the test of time.
The problem here is they're building faster than the public utilities can keep up with the growth. Because of this, you're likely to find widespread flooding in many of the newly-built areas of town during the monsoon season because the storm drains can't handle the flash flood waters.
I chose an older home in a well-established neighborhood. My home is 41 years old (built in 1965) sits on 1/5 acre of land, has a lush green lawn and mature trees, bushes, and other greenery in both front and back yards.
It also boasts a large swimming pool with diving board and water depth goes up to 8 1/2 feet. Newer homes are not allowed to have pools that deep, nor are they allowed to have diving boards.
True, I don't live in a "gated community", but that lifestyle is not for me, anyway. I don't care for homes that sit 6 inches apart, are all the same color outside, and have about 4 feet of backyard space. I also don't suffer with homeowners' association fee payments just so they can tell me how many micro-inches tall my lawn can be, what type of plants I can grow, or what color I can paint my home's exterior. And they charge monthly fees for the priviledge of stifling people's creativity!! If I'd wanted that, I'd have moved into an apartment.
A gated community is nothing but a false sense of security for many people, but they're no safer than anywhere else from what I've seen here. In spite of the so-called security guards, major crimes still occur, including murders by outsiders.
If you want to see greenery, forget the ticky-tacky all-the-same-color little boxes and find yourself a nice older home in an established neighborhood. If my house has stood 41 years without ever having flooded, I expect it will be here for some time to come.
Abhd | Las Vegas, NV