A House on the Bluff
Author: Betsy Dell
Word Count: 829
Date: 1/2/09
There is a long, narrow sandbar off the coast of Chatham, Cape Cod. Geologists call it a barrier beach. There is nothing particularly mysterious about that name. It is called a barrier because it acts as a natural breaker against the fierce Atlantic storms. It is called a beach because it is not submerged, even at high tide. Locals just call it North Beach.
North Beach has a recorded cycle of construction and destruction. First, sediment carried by coastal tides form and build up the barrier, creating a bay. Next, sediment funnels into that bay and is deposited along Chatham's coastline, making it grow also.
Then, in a major storm, the ocean breaks through the barrier and the process is reversed. Instead of carrying sediment in, the tides begin to carry it away. Yet somehow, as long as the barrier and coast are expanding, their sands give the appearance of permanence.
That is why relatively sane people pay serious money to own a piece of Chatham's tenuous shoreline and build their million dollar dream homes there. And it is why those same people are undone when the ocean pulls their houses, like carpets, out from under their feet.
Now if you had heard about North Beach two years ago, you probably would have said, "Tsk, tsk. Everyone knows you shouldn't build a house on sand." But today the story seems eerily familiar. We have been very busy building our own dream houses on the sands of a market boom that also seemed permanent. And, as we watch the value of our homes erode, we feel like victims of forces beyond our control.
The fact is that the current financial storm is beyond our control. But this doesn't mean we are helpless or hopeless. Attitudes towards housing, like North Beach, have a predictable cycle. And, if you understand where we are in that cycle, you can protect your home now and ensure its value in the future.
First, you need to know that the storm is not the cycle.
A cycle is a series of events that recur regularly and lead back to the starting point. It's like a wheel that is always turning up to the top or down to the bottom. Storms, including economic ones, are just events in the cycle-as are sunny skies.
Even so, storms tend to consume our attention. When Chatham is hit by a gale, storm watchers wring their hands and worry about how long it will last.
They pile sandbags in front of their houses to keep the waves from sweeping their homes away. They think that if they can stave off immediate disaster, everything is going to be okay. The problem is that they're confusing apparent safety with security. They stop paying attention as soon as they see some sun. They don't notice that the coastline is now being whittled away.
This explains why geologists don't focus on the weather. They focus on what's happening to the barrier beach. You want to keep your eyes on the beach, too.
What we want in and from a home is constantly changing, like Chatham's coastline. When the coastline is growing, everyone wants a house right on the shore. But when the ocean crashes through North Beach, people start moving back from the water's edge.
And, as the coastline erodes, no one wants a beach house anymore. Everyone wants a house on the bluff.
What happens in Chatham is a metaphor for what happens all over the country. In an upward swing, we increasingly desire high-end features and exclusive amenities. In a down swing, we start looking for security.
Whether or not we see signs of economic recovery in 2009, the cycle of attitudes is driving us away from houses on the beach. We're heading for the bluff. And we're going to tell you how to make sure your house is up there.
In a series of articles called Back to Basics, we're going to talk about the attributes that people look for in a house on the bluff.
In our magazine, we'll feature products and services that will build those attributes into your home and put you in the best possible position for the coming years.
We're excited about this series because wise counsel for tomorrow is wise counsel for today.
Regardless of whether you intend to sell, your home's value depends upon its attractiveness to buyers. But, in order to have a house tomorrow, you need to weather the storm today.
The glory of Back to Basics is that many of the products and services that build the house on the bluff also lower your fixed expenses. Lower expenses make your house stable, even in high winds.
So as you move with us up to the bluff, you will be protecting your house now and guaranteeing its future worth simultaneously. Instead of building apparent safety, you will be building real security. And that is a much better plan than relying on sandbags.
Good Morning on Friday July 30, 2010
