Comments on: Well if they’ve got one…

By: Buckykatt317

Buckykatt317 — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:07:19 +0000

I was checking out this picture and noticing the color of the green around it. This pic had to be taken in early spring where the majority (unless you have it heated all year round, bucu bucks$$$) of the residents have their swimming pools slightly drained and covered.

Most of the homes you see are lived in, just that no one really goes swimming in NYC between the months of october thru mid June. Too cold otherwise

By: zip

zip — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 16:07:35 +0000

This new development is in/near “The Hamptons”. The Hamptons is a long-time favourite place for rich New Yorkers to have summer places. The rate of development shown is still somewhat surprising as there is a lot of NIMBYism in that part of the world.

By: BooYah

BooYah — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:47:49 +0000

I once saw a tennis court. Does that count?

By: Kirsty

Kirsty — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 14:06:55 +0000

I have never seen so many tennis courts in a row WOW!!!

By: mothh

mothh — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:10:51 +0000

Funny, I can see my house in the first photo, and I didn’t realize most of my neighbors even had a tennis court (Maybe I should get one too!). The area, Chatsworth, is not really a wealthy area though, there are some million dollar houses but it’s mostly upper middle class families that there. The average price of a house in this area is $600,000. which by current California standards in not that expensive. A two bedroom condo/townhouse goes for about half that.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 20:37:28 +0000

If you look closely at the NY image, you will notice virtually no trees on the properties. This is a new development. That is why some of the pools are not filled yet.

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 19:52:39 +0000

Following up on Northern Git’s comment, backyard swimming pools are not as high-status as might be expected because they are available in all different sizes and all different price levels. Very few people have pools built to Olympics specifications. Inexpensive above-ground models are vastly more common and can be spotted in even the most ordinary working-class neighborhoods. They’re obviously not suitable for lap swimming, but work okay for playing around in the water, especially for children.
A backyard tennis court, in contrast, is an all-or-nothing proposition, being worthless if not built to regulation size.

By: northern git

northern git — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 18:18:11 +0000

I read somewhere (bearing in mind this was about British properties) that a tennis court adds more worth to a properties value than a swimming pool. I suppose they are easier to install and maintain but have the same “lifestyle enhancing” effect - but i’m sure they are status symbols only and, as Peter says, people dont actually play on them. From an enviromental point of view it seems a shame that green space is paved over for no good reason. I am i right in thinking Americans dont value their gardens as much as Brits do.

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 15:18:33 +0000

I am mildly surprised at the number of houses with their own tennis courts, as tennis is on the decline in America. It just can’t compete with “cartball.” A ppssible explanation, echoing some of the prior comments, is that private tennis courts are likely to be found only on the most expensive properties (that’s a fair characterization of the New York neighborhood shown in one of the pictures).

By: TT

TT — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 05:41:05 +0000

“Million-plus” means nothing in California. Every two-story tract home sitting on a tenth of an acre (that’s tiny) in the flatlands of my neighborhood in the Santa Barbara area falls into that category.