Tuesday, December 13, 2011

On the eve of the Great Recession, with the full conviction of conventional wisdom behind me, I bought a townhouse. Four-and-a-half years later, the macroeconomic tides have pounded 30% right out of my home value, and, well, you know what they say about hindsight. They say, “Fuck you, hindsight,” and that’s about the color of it.

But my story certainly isn’t unique. Heck, I find company in pretty much anybody who invested in real estate in the prior decade and failed to walk away from the table before the table itself was repossessed. The real crime is I haven’t been taking full advantage of what I bought. There was a time when I invited people–other living, breathing human beings–through the front door, effectively transforming these walls from abode to a place of entertainment.

Restoration is in order, however, before this townhouse can reclaim its full competency. I’ve made progress, but it wasn’t until this week when I kicked it into high gear. Tomorrow night, I’m selling a complete speaker system to my boss. What will make this transaction unique is I’m experimenting with the “pay what you want” model that’s been gaining traction in the indie games industry. Whether this model translates well to terrestrial goods remains to be seen, but the quest to acquire empty space is on.