Eleven years ago, we started looking...
At the start of the housing bubble, we were told:
“Bring your checkbooks”.
“There is going to be a bidding war”.
“If you can afford the ‘interest only’ minimum payment, you must BUY now...”
“Don’t miss out. You can always refinance since...
The prices will always go up... Trust us”, said the 5% realtors skimmers
And the deceitful banksters.
We gave up and remained in our rental.
Now, a few years after the mortgage meltdown,
Prices are still astronomical, but interest rates are low...
Do we dare to take the plunge?
Would we be overpaying for a home or
Do the current prices reflect a new reality?
Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida requires an act of faith.
We love the ocean view, but...
With A1A crumbling, beach erosion and ocean acidification...
Little consideration is given to protecting coral reefs or turtles
As we rush ahead to ‘renourish the beachfront’
An Inconvenient Truth that we overlook
At our own peril: beachfront properties will be
Among the first communities to face the brunt of:
saltwater intrusion, more severe hurricanes, flooding...
The harsh reality that much of
South Florida could be underwater by the year 2100...
Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is impossible.
So many for sale signs, yet none of them quite right.
“You want how much?”
“A million dollars. Also the seawall needs to be restored”...
“And the foundation has a crack”...
We are speechless.
Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida means dealing with
Foreclosures, short sales and outrageous prices...
Do we buy your broken dreams & tears of sadness?
Do we profit from your misfortune?
In order to buy a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
We must have Insurance to protect all our “stuff”
Protection against climate change...requires government planning
Not something conservatives are going to be good at...
Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is an act of faith.
It says: “Welcome”, “Make yourself at home, put your feet up”
“Stay awhile, you’re safe”, “The world will not bother you”.
But we are part of this world...
A planet Chasing Ice,
Hurling towards catastrophic climate change
Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida means potentially being
"Underwater" -- we’re either drowning in water or debt.
To top it off, they’re planning to Frack in Florida,
Fracking porous limestone,
Endangering groundwater...
Maybe we’ll continue to rent.
Below is an inspiring
TED talk that I thought I would share with you.
Rob Hopkins leads a vibrant new movement of towns and cities that utilize local cooperation and interdependence to shrink their ecological footprints. In the face of climate change he developed the concept of Transition Initiatives -- communities that produce their own goods and services, curb the need for transportation and take other measures to prepare for a post-oil future. While Transition shares certain principles with greenness and sustainability, it is a deeper vision concerned with re-imagining our future in a self-sufficient way and building resiliency.
To quote from his talk, Transition to a world without oil: “By loving and leaving all that oil has done for us … we are able to then begin the creation of a world which is more resilient, more nourishing, and in which we find ourselves fitter, more skilled and more connected to each other.”