My eyes tear up every time I watch a video or see a picture of the WTC on September 11, 2001. I'm not much different than anybody else in America. That tragic event has affected every single one of us. No one was left untouched. Not one person. I don't care who you are or where you live, September 11th has changed all of us.
I was at the doctor's office the morning of September 11, 2001. I don't listen to the radio, so I didn't know what had happened. Nobody watches TV at the doctor's. The doctor took a blood sample from me to do an FSH test. I would not know the results for several weeks until I received a very short, brief letter from my doctor. It said simply: You are no longer able to conceive children. That was pretty abrupt and insensitive, I thought.
It's not important what else happened to me that day because I was in Minneapolis. I was not in New York. But my heart was in New York. And the days that followed made me think. I thought about where my life was headed, what was important to me, and what I wanted for the future. I believe many Americans had similar thoughts over the days and months after September 11th. We are all connected. I think Tom Shadyac is right.
One morning in January of 2002, I climbed out of bed and instinctively knew what to do. I needed to go back to California. I had been living in Minnesota for 10 years or so, but California was where I belonged. My husband was in shock when I told him the news. I don't know why. I guess because he had only known me in Minnesota. He did not think about my connections to California. I never really wanted to leave California in the first place. I had no choice when I left.
But now I had the power to choose to go back to California.
Our home had tripled in value. Thank goodness for real estate. We had the financial means to go. By summer our home was on the market. Shortly after that, my mother suddenly died. It was definitely time for me to leave the bitter cold winters with 50-below windchill temperatures. By early October, we moved into our new home in Land Park, Sacramento. Because of September 11th, this Sacramento short sale agent and her husband are now living in California.
---
Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
I wonder if we will ever see tripling in value for homes anytime soon? It used to be quite common
I don't know if there is anything that major that happened to me as a result of 9/11. I was a nervous wreck for a month after. My digestive track was so screwy I could barely eat. I spent all of my free time trying to disconnect by doing jigsaw puzzles and listening to music and the radio.
Elizabeth - It's true that day had an effect on all of us. I too had an extremely personal and life altering event shortly after that day one that changed my life. Maybe one day I will talk about it but for now, suffice it to say that I am truly blessed and grateful for the gifts in my life. They mean more to me now than they ever have before in my life.
Very true that that day had a strong effect on all of us and I believe it carried on in a lot in their subconscious when the financial fall hit hard ....
Tremendous impact on ALL of us. I'm glad it brought you back to California and I hope it was the RIGHT choice for you and your husband.
Hi Richie: Homes tripling again in value? Not in my lifetime.
Hi Chris Ann: I'd say if you couldn't eat you were affected by 9/11.
Hi Donne: You should do a blog about how 9/11 changed you. That would be interesting to read.
Hi Barb: I believe it brought us together. It also brought me closer to the BBC since that was the only online news source available to me at the time. BTW, have you seen "Wilfred"? Do you watch that?
Hi Linda: My husband is probably still debating if it was the right choice for him. For me, though, absolutely.