yes, it could very well be a regional thing.
Very few homes here were built before 1950, and nearly every home here has a 2 car garage.
In my experience (based on the area in which I live and work). The sure signs that your neighborhood is on the decline are: (in ruff order of decline)
- cars parked in the driveway and or in front of a house overnight (especially older beat up cars) usually because they have filled their 2 car garage with junk. (first sign of decline)
- lawns no longer being maintained and flowers are no where to be seen.
- joggers (especially women joggers) and women with strollers disappear.
- former owner occupied homes now being rented out, homes being converted into duplexes, lots of for rent signs, ect.
- dilapidated sidewalks and parks
- Roaming bands of teenagers at night
- vacant homes, and especially homes that have been tagged by the city (final stage of death)
some of you might be offended by my observations, but this information can save new homebuyers from making a costly mistake that can destroy their lives.
I live in a neighborhood were the homes are between 900,000 - 2 million. Everybody parks in their driveway or on the street, even those who have garages. Somehow we are not on the decline, in fact the price of real estate is going up.
I have never lived where cars are not parked in the driveway or on the street.
On all the other points, I would probably concur!
I will tell you a sign in our old city neighborhood.
One family homes turned into bed and breakfasts. People could not afford the home and turned it into a business to buy into the neighborhood. When that happened the houses started getting cut into apartments. Instead of families that could run a 5 bedroom intown house there were people who could afford a two bed room apartment.
The five bedrooms were being built in the burbs/rurals and we all moved there.
What’s your opinion of clothes lines??