Buy and demolish!

A few months ago a completely remodeled house (in and out) was purchased for just below one million dollar in our street. The house had been entirely redone about two years ago; from the outside, it looked like high-quality workmanship and we can only guess that the interior was as attractive as well. The new buyers probably didn’t think so as they immediately began to tear everything apart, not just the exterior siding and stone, but the entire contents of the house. Today, the only thing that is left is an empty shell that might at best be worth only one-fifth of the original home value. To us, it would have seemed more logical for the new owner to buy an empty lot in a better location. It’s also a pity (bordering on the obscene) that so much quality materials were destroyed and discarded just to make place for a slightly different execution. This is worst than a “tear-down,” because the basic outline and footprint of the residence are staying the same. The way some people do such things is simply beyond us and symptomatic of America’s wasteful habits. There was in that house some “true value” that could have benefited someone, but that disappeared following what appears like a capricious whim. We haven’t met the new owners, let alone seen their faces yet, but that should be an interesting encounter…