Small Home Gazette, Spring 2015
Letter From the Editor: “What Is Your Home Worth?”
What Is Your Home Worth?
Two men have been in my office within the past fortnight. One came with a smile on his lips and a jauntiness in his step that was quite infectious. “Well, I sold my house!” he said. “Yes, sir, and I made seven hundred dollars on the deal, too. Nice piece of change for two years’ work!”
The other man to whom I refer was waiting for me one noon hour when I returned. There was no smile on his lips, no enthusiasm in his lack-luster eyes. “What has happened?” I asked, surprised. He gulped and drummed his fingers absently on the edge of the desk. “Oh,” he replied, apologetically, “I don’t mind telling you. Maybe you’ll understand. My company has moved me to the East. I–I…”
“But it is a promotion, isn’t it?” I asked. “Oh, yes, about double the financial opportunity I have here, and we’ll be close to college which pleases the boy a lot. But…” I waited, as he gazed out of the window. Finally, he turned his saddened eyes towards me, and I caught the hint of a tell-tale tear.
“Do you know what’s the matter? Well, I sold our home this morning. Got spot cash for it from the new manager of our company. Suppose I ought to be happy about it, but to tell the truth, I’m not. It kind of hurts to give it up!”
Further conversation developed the fact that he had received quite a bit more than he had spent on the house—a very good sale, indeed—and when I reminded him of that fact, he exclaimed, “Yes, but think what we are losing! That place will ALWAYS be home to us, man! Why, I have been over every square inch of that lawn many times on my hands and knees, digging dandelions, coddling the roses, pruning the grapes, watering the ferns. Why, why…” I was glad the telephone rang.
I thought about it this morning, about these two men, and I wondered how many of us are like the first man—selling our HOUSE, as he put it—for a few paltry dollars and thinking only of that because we have put NOTHING ELSE into it?
What is your home worth, anyway? If it is worth only so many dollars, you had better sell it right away and go into the business of making dollars in a proper manner. You are indeed in poverty. But if you want to become really rich in this life, put something else besides dollars into your home. It will be worth so much more to you and yours that you would rather suffer any other pecuniary reverse than to “sell your home!” Indeed, you can’t sell your HOME without selling a portion of yourself!
