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Has the American Dream died or just been altered?

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Real Estate Agent with Rocky Mountain Realty #EA40039680

My final exam for a social studies class in high school was a single sheet of paper with only one instruction: Describe the American Dream. Most of the brainy-acks in my class panicked and subsequently failed the test. But I wrote four pages.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is the most common definition of the American Dream. Hope and Prosperity are also some times included. And if asked many people would say it means that people want to do better and live better than their parents.

Many real estate professionals have seen people lose their homes. And it's not uncommon to hear people talking about down sizing. It just makes practical sense. Either house payments have ballooned, jobs have been lost and/or people are tied of heating huge houses that aren't being used. It's not just the mini-mansions that lay empty it's the over sized house that just sits.

In my market I'm seeing large (2000 + square foot) houses under valued despite their condition because they are simply to big. So my question is: Has the American Dream changed, died or just been altered?

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Ann Heitland
Retired from RE/MAX Peak Properties - Flagstaff, AZ
Retired from Flagstaff Real Estate Sales

Don't think the dream has changed. It just manifests itself in different ways.

BTW, don't tell me you weren't a "brainy-ack"!

Apr 06, 2009 03:56 PM
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Dena, As far as Real Estate goes, it seems the dream morphs with each generation of people, I don't think it died, it's just altered

Apr 06, 2009 04:02 PM
Deb Hurt
Realty Pro Albuquerque - Albuquerque, NM
ABR, e-Pro,Green, TRC

Dena, I agree. I don't think it has changed. I think that successive generations refine and filter it in different ways. The dream of owning a home of your own is the same, even if the size, shape or location changes. The idea of having a place to feel secure and know that it is your own is the easel. What changes is the medium - canvas, paper, board and the tools, pen and ink oils, watercolor, pastels, I assure you Georgia O'Keefe, Annie Liebowitz and Vincent Van Gogh  could all paint the same house and it you would know it was a house - but you might be hard pressed to recognize it as the same house!

Apr 06, 2009 04:43 PM
Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495
Stage it Right! - Melbourne, FL

Dena, I think the dream has been altered.  People still want the bigger and better, but are willing to settle for less at the moment.  When the economy recovers, I think we'll see people going back to the bigger.

Apr 07, 2009 12:43 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Dena, I think that it just has become more realistic.  It was for a while big is better and I have to get the biggest I can get.  Now it seems to be getting the size that meets my needs and that I can afford is better.  Still the same dream of owning a home, but with more realistic expectations.

Apr 07, 2009 06:49 AM
Anonymous
Pam Simmons

I think the dream has been recycled. If you look to the past, we've been here before. I think that the economy makes people look at what is truly important and it isn't bigger better homes and lifestyles of parents and kids running in 20 different directions. People are starting to appreciate family again. Unfortunately I believe this too will pass and bigger and better homes will make a come back, it's all about recycling. You should know that eco lady!

Apr 07, 2009 02:05 PM
#6
Dena Stevens Coriz
Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO
Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004

Thank you all for your comments. I think you have renewed my belief in the American Dream again.

Apr 07, 2009 02:16 PM
Sabrina Kelley
ERA Herman Group Real Estate - Woodland Park, CO
Woodland Park Colorado Mountain Homes and Land

I believe that the American Dream of living in the most decadent lap of luxury has only changed for the time being. It may take ten years but the Dionysian nature of our economy and nation will eventually return. Life is all about cycles on all levels, from birth to death from boom to bust.

Apr 08, 2009 10:04 AM
Elaine Manes Gage
Home Staging Online Services - Denver, CO
Staging done ONLINE!

I would love to read what you wrote back then, and see if you still agree. It's always sad when real life gets in the way of dreams, but maybe the truth is even dreams have to be attained through hard work, good planning, and making sensible decisions. There was a time when I took what I had for granted, but not anymore. I think that's a good thing. Good post, Dena.

Apr 09, 2009 05:22 PM
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