Off Topic - overheard comment at an open house this weekend

My husband and I were driving around this past Sunday looking at homes on the other side of town in a newer subdivision.

Most of the homes in this development begin at around $410,000 and go up to around $950,000 (which are somewhat high-end homes for our cost-of-living here).

We were on the deck of one that we were somewhat interested in and overheard this conversation between a potential buyer and the builder:

Guy: What about them trees? Are you all gonna cut them down?

Builder: No, those are part of a nature preserve and they will be left intact.

Guy: Oh, well, then what about rules for fences?

Builder: What?

Guy: You know, what about association rules for fences? Is there an association? Do they have fence rules?

Builder: Oh, well, yes, there are deed restrictions on fences, but I don't know what they are. I do know you can't have a 6-foot privacy fence.

(side note, not a single home in the subdivision currently has any fences, with the exception of one black wrought iron fence around the perimeter of a built-in pool.)

Guy: Why the S*(@#$ not?! What if I wanna keep raccoons or 'possums out!?

(side note: Due to the "nature preserve, I'm guessing. Although, personally, I'd have given money that he would have intended to keep some raccoons or 'possums in.)

Builder: Well, they have designed the development to be an open view plan. I just don't think you'll be able to build one.

Guy: He**, they probably wouldn't even pay attention if I put one up anyway, right, honey? We've had some words with some of them, before, right? (laughs) just ignore them, they'll go away!

(Wife grins and nods) (The builder clenches his jaws, smiles and nods.)

(I shake my head and begin climbing downstairs.)

Here's the home, by the way.

http://www.kimbelconstruction.com/index.php3?pageid=OaklandHillsLot-21.htm

http://www.kimbelconstruction.com/gallery/index.php?level=album&id=16

It was built in 2005 and was part of a local Homearama. It cost over $950,000 to build back then. They are discussing $625,000 for it now. Depends on a lot of things, but it appears some good deals might be popping up as builders feel the crunch of having to sell.

what do we expect? people move to the desert to help their asthma, and plant Russian Olive trees all over the place. Then they seed their lawns with bluegrass, and drain the water table to water it daily. People move close to the airport, then complain about the noice. Why not move next to a nature preserve, and then gripe about the animals? they do that in Phoenix too! I can't count how many times I have heard some version of this: "We just bought a beautiful home on the edge of the Mountain/Desert/Preserve, with views of nothing but miles of desert. It's a beautiful, wild, remote location, absolutely stunning. And now I have to kill snakes all summer long, and poison the coyotes, cause they want to eat my miniature terrier when he roams around the preserve. Horrible creatures, bobcats and coyotes. And the DEER! Dang things trample my new sod, and eat my olive and willow trees right down to the bark. I don't understand why those things can't just be shot and killed, every one of them, so my toddler can play without supervision and i won't have to worry about him."

When i am elected President for life, I will dictate that everyone be sterilized when they are 14, and only those who pass a parenting and intelligence test will be allowed to get their tubes untied and breed.