Now, Who Will Buy all these Houses?

[GoodWitch58]

I think that the bubble bursting was a good thing in some ways as a major speed check was definitely needed - from a price, quality, and reality standpoint.

IMO the amount of water we waste on irrigating lawns and landscaping is freaking ridiculous. The amount of water I see being used to "water" pavement just in Sowal is crazy. I think that if we made people carry their own water to their lawns and gardens, we'd see a quick return to more intelligent usage.

It's even more ridiculous when people insist upon doing it in drought striken areas or when they have limited water resources. My grandparents never had a "lawn" - they had a yard full of native grasses because it just wasn't done to plant sod and water it in their climate. Grandpa would scythe before the grandkids visited (because Grandma worried about snakes), but that was the extent of any maintenence. With the exception of learning the hard way what thistles were, we never noticed that we were playing in a meadow instead of a lawn.

Decades later my aunt's community actually made it part of their covenants that you had to plant native grasses instead of turf because they didn't want their limited water resources going to "lawn".

Many newer developments throw the conventional wisdom about water usage out the window in favor of green grass and it is rapidly accelerating the Western water wars. In a weird twist some areas are using terrorism as an excuse to further secure their remote water reservoirs (located in places most Americans couldn't find on a map, let alone Al Queda).

not to speak of the huge amount of $$$ being spent on lawn care...with those gasoline powered mowers that are so loud!

 

[Groovegirls]

I think that the bubble bursting was a good thing in some ways as a major speed check was definitely needed - from a price, quality, and reality standpoint.

IMO the amount of water we waste on irrigating lawns and landscaping is freaking ridiculous. The amount of water I see being used to "water" pavement just in Sowal is crazy. I think that if we made people carry their own water to their lawns and gardens, we'd see a quick return to more intelligent usage.

It's even more ridiculous when people insist upon doing it in drought striken areas or when they have limited water resources. My grandparents never had a "lawn" - they had a yard full of native grasses because it just wasn't done to plant sod and water it in their climate. Grandpa would scythe before the grandkids visited (because Grandma worried about snakes), but that was the extent of any maintenence. With the exception of learning the hard way what thistles were, we never noticed that we were playing in a meadow instead of a lawn.

Decades later my aunt's community actually made it part of their covenants that you had to plant native grasses instead of turf because they didn't want their limited water resources going to "lawn".

Many newer developments throw the conventional wisdom about water usage out the window in favor of green grass and it is rapidly accelerating the Western water wars. In a weird twist some areas are using terrorism as an excuse to further secure their remote water reservoirs (located in places most Americans couldn't find on a map, let alone Al Queda).

I have spent the better part of my adult life landscaping professionally and I am constanly amazed by what other "professionals" sell as useful information. Most of the "accepted" techniques are wasteful, counter-productive and just plain silly. Most landscapers do the work you ask for in a way that creates a perpetual false need for their services. I also have a natural "lawn". No water, no fertilizer. A lawn is the single most wasteful thing you can have in your yard. Unlike trees and shrubs, grass processes very little CO 2 and requires more water, food and care than everything else in your yard combined. For the record, chemical fertilizers not only pollute but they actually make your yard worse. It's like drinking sugar water every day instead of giving you body true nutrition. Some how our parents and grand parents managed to do quite well by working with nature instead of trying to improve it in a factory or lab. God gave us common sense for a reason.

 

[Groovegirls]

I agree. Quality of life will improve; and maybe we will expand our revenue base to include more than tourism.

Absolutely! The housing market has been functioning at a less than sustainable level for some time and real estate and tourism took our economy over. We need a broad and self sustaining economy locally and nationally. I believe things will be better in light of recent lessons but it will be slow. It is time for us all to live on money we actually have and let credit (and credit companies) suffer instead of ourselves.