sent from: London, UK. destination: Burbank, CA, USA

I mentioned in a recent card that I had a home in California. It sold yesterday so that past tense is true. What is on the one hand a simple market transaction is a lot more complex when the emotions of a one-time first-time homeowner are involved, tied to a previous relationship and unfulfilled dreams. In the larger picture it is also linked to the real estate bubble of the mid-2000s, and the massive crash that followed, so I have a small statistic that is part of history.
I go into any future real-estate transactions with a new perspective. I loved making the house my own, but was frustrated by the constant maintenance and am convinced that home-ownership is the best tool any government has ever devised to keep the middle-classes compliant and pacified. I enjoyed owning a home but hated being a landlord.
For now, however, I am free to look to the future with fresh excitement and new opportunities.