Here’s one of my favorite pre-bursting-bubble gems. It’s an opinion piece that was published in the Seattle P-I on October 20, 2006, penned by guest columnist Sarah McCormic (her website even still features the article as a noteworthy sample of her work).
With friends who have also been lucky enough to land a Columbia City cottage or a Shoreline rambler, there’s a sense of shared joy and relief. I remember feeling like this in fifth grade when my best friend and I landed parts in the school play: “Thank God we both got in.” We toast our hefty mortgages and spend long evenings discussing hardwood floor finishes, crown moldings and our all-important soaring equity.
But with friends who have not yet “squeezed in” to the housing market, I am reminded of how I felt when I got accepted by my first choice for college and my best friend got nothing but rejections. What do you say to each other? I try to offer soothing assurances: “I hear there are still some great deals up north.” “600 square feet is plenty of room!”
But no matter what I say, I know we all feel like they have probably missed their chance, like they didn’t buy their ticket on the last spaceship flight off a planet that’s about to explode. I fear they’re doomed to move back to Missouri in order to afford more than a studio condo on the fringes of the city.
Got it? The renters were the ones that were doomed. Definitely not the people who took on hefty mortgages to squeeze into the housing market in 2006.
You can also read my 2006 thoughts on the piece.