Dear Editor,
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading the profile of Anne Hamilton who lives in a house on Princeton. (“Who Lives Here: The house with the white picket fence,” September 28 edition of KT.) In the piece, her home is described as “the little blue and white wooden house.” What a refreshing article! Here is a woman who declares, “I was looking for a home, not an investment.” This is, of course, in stark contrast to the vultures who roam our neighbourhoods now, in search of a property where they can tear down a perfectly fine home so they can build an unsightly double and make an enormous profit. I am also extremely tired of reading pieces in other papers where Homes articles extoll the features of gigantic new houses with master bedrooms as big as bowling alleys. No one needs that much space. Ms. Hamilton reminds us of the basics – that a house is a home. She has a “generous yard” which she can enjoy, she is in a good location so she can walk to retail shops. She is perfectly happy with a modest sized home.
The sad thing about this story is that she bought this place in 1991, when small houses were affordable.
Unfortunately, even small homes are now priced way too high for many folks. It’s the lot location that drives the price, not the house itself. And so we are losing most of our small homes; houses where many other residents would be as happy as Ms. Hamilton is now, and has been for many years.
Mary Ellen Kot,
Wellington Village