We are all just “RENTERS!”
Heard an interesting analogy
of home-ownership the other day, or one could say it was a great rebuttal to the
American Dream of “owning” your home.
The speaker stated no
one actually “owns” their home, or property of any kind for that matter,
outright. His rational stated that if
you actually “owned” something, then it could not be taken away from you. You would have to be willing to rid yourself
of ownership by either selling or giving it away to someone else who would then
gain ownership.
A participant in the
audience argued that since he occupied his home without a mortgage or any other
lien, then he did in fact “own” his home!
The speaker calmly asked if he lived in a state or municipality that levies
property taxes on his home. The
participant answered yes. The speaker asked
if he lived in a neighborhood that had a home owner association (HOA) and if so,
do they access homeowner association dues.
The participant again answered yes to both.
The speaker then asked
the gentleman if he did not pay his taxes or his HOA dues, did either authority
have the right to foreclose on his property; thereby forcibly & legally
taking it from the so called “owner” without mutual consent. And therefore, making the “owner” a “renter”
and the authorities “landlords”!
The participant thought
for a moment and realized the point the speaker was making, as he walked away
wondering if he did in fact “own” his home.
Personally,
I still like to think a person “owns” their home if they hold the deed to the
property and the authorities mentioned only have an interest in the property allowing
them to take action if the “owner” defaults.
But an interesting take on the subject, nonetheless. It did make me stop and think. Maybe there’s merit to the argument, maybe
not. But I have concluded that it is not
worthy of time well spent – similar to caring
if the chicken or egg came first!
Compliments of;
Julius F Zatopek III – Broker/Owner
Notices:
