They call it "real property" as opposed to "personal property" because 'real estate' is something special in the realm of material 'goods', even though everyone knows that property is theft, but don't get me started. And who decided to call material possessions "goods" anyway? Was it John Locke who got confused when talking about "life, liberty, and property" in one breath and his empiricist brethren observing the physical properties of things in the next breath? The language is just a mess, not that I take it seriously, of course.
And let's be clear on the difference between 'worth' and 'value', which is like the difference between the quality of my work and what it will bring in the current economy, not to be confused with 'self-worth' and 'moral values' or other cliches. In short, the market value x of a piece of real property y is what some buyer z will pay for it today, not necessarily what it's worth to owner or occupant.
The real estate appraiser came over the other day to take a look around, check things out, take some measurements with his cool hand-held electronic tape measure, flush the toilets, run the hot water, ask a few questions, such as "What improvements have you made?" to which we quickly pointed out the many new and superior features and amenities we have add to our humble abode, all of which added to its worth (for us) and its value (to someone out there called "the market"). Things like a laminate floor, a tile floor, a new roof, plaster, paint, closets, laundry room, landscaping, a fence. Things we want him to attach (big) numbers to, numbers that increase the appraised value of the real property. Really.
What do we care, as long as our four walls and (new) roof keep out the wind and the rain? Well, like all responsible homeowners, we want to hold onto this piece of real property and continue to upgrade this feature and that amenity, and to do so will require refinancing, or revising the terms of our old loan, in effect paying it off with a new loan with better terms, which depend in part on how much we have increased the (market) value of our humble abode while, incidentally, increasing its worth (for us). He's not there to evaluate us, just to crunch some numbers. We won't take it personally.
Belaboring the obvious since 1967. "Language is a labyrinth of paths." Ludwig Wittgenstein. "Hush hush, baby don't believe a word." Corky Siegel. “Let me say this about that.” Richard Nixon. "An editor is a person who knows more about writing than writers do but who has escaped the terrible desire to write." E.B. White. "Style is based on limitation." John Hartford. "Easy reading is damn hard writing." Nathaniel Hawthorne. "I'm better off having something to get up for every morning." Edna Case.
About Me
- Sven Golly
- Writing is like prayer: say what you need to say, as if anyone is actually reading it. Assume the head is suspended from above, face the front with the mouth closed and the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. Arms, hands, and fingers hang naturally at the sides. Relax the body, clear the mind, breathe deeply. Inhale, exhale.
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