Rebuilding our Community
By Dr. Andrew Calhoun, Ed.D.
Special for the Milwaukee Times
One the most wonderful feelings in the world comes when you buy a home, especially your first. There is nothing quite like it. For it can be a place in which to raise a family, build net worth, and to affirm your identity in the community. It fosters the idea of economic mobility and self-reliance. Whether you purchase an existing home or build a new one, the excitement of just knowing that this place is mine is “Awesome!”
To be in your own place, a place in which you decide what goes in it, the furniture, drapes, pictures, paint, wallpaper, appliances, people who visit and by all means the neighborhood. In the eyes of many homeowners, you cannot put a price tag on their dreams, safety and future… for it’s their castle, high tower and oasis. And the real value of any home cannot be truly measured by the price paid or property assessment.
Home ownership is one of the central themes of the American Dream. It’s one of those goals you set when planning for your future. It is to join the league of home owners among family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. The process of owning a home can be an ordeal, which includes the realtor, lender, seller, builder, forms, credit check, taxes, fees, mortgage, insurance, title, and let’s not forget the new neighbors. And remember, not everyone has been able to achieve this part of the dream, due in part to a lack of knowledge, affordability, reasonable down payment, a livable wage job, low credit rating as well as some questionable lending practices over the decades within the housing industry itself.
However, owning a home to live in is truly a blessing and should not be taken lightly. It has always been something to strive for, something worthwhile to live for and certainly something to work hard to maintain. In the movie the “Wizard of Oz,” (1939), Dorothy Gale, played by Judy Garland makes this statement while clicking her ruby red slippers together three times… “There is no place like home.” The question is…“Are we there yet?”
For feedback you can contact Dr. Calhoun at email: andrewiiicalhoun@gmail.com, Facebook, twitter: AC53, http://whatdoesitlooklike.blogspot.com/ or 414-571-5015.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or NCON Communication, its staff or management.
