Tract Mansions

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The first house my parents bought in 1952 was a little ranch house in Topeka, Kansas. It was in a subdivision with about fifty other houses with identical floor plans. But on the outside each was a bit different. And they were on half acre lots, with our back yard abutting the Shawnee Country Club.

This week, previewing houses in Howard and Ann Arundel County, I encountered something similar. But these houses were huge – colonials on steroids! And the price tags were huge, coming in at about $1.4 million. Like the little tract house I grew up in, each subdivision offered identical floor plans, and there were small variations in the facades. They were bunched together on treeless lots subdivided from former cow pastures. No topographical interest whatsoever — sort of like Kansas!

So who is buying this stuff? Judging from the number of these places that are for sale and the length of time they’ve been on the market, they are a hard sell. And they should be!

For that much money, I want my clients to have, you know, some land, a forest, room for a pony. And we’re finding some fabulous houses in the same price range – some a bit less.

And to whoever invented my car’s navigation system, thank you! Thank you!

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