"Whoever built the house, he built better than he knew, or else Orion in the zenith flashed down his Damocles' sword to him some stormy night and said, 'Build there'." - The Piazza by Herman Melville

How long has location, location, location been the ticket to real estate value? Judging by this quote, a long time, by any man's measure. Still recovering from a recent trip to Europe, I am enraptured by the historical background of home construction, in all its detail, but even more fascinated by an almost universal human desire for the best locations for their dwellings - usually as high as they can get them.

It's easy to see that Europeans valued and still value lofty parapets for their homes, churches and monuments. How many words do we have in the English language for describing the "high point" of a given place? Literary terms such as apex, zenith, and promontory come to mind, but I am sure Webster's can provide a page-full for us. Even in Eastern cultures, high is better for as many reasons, if not moreso than the rest of the world. The popular study of Feng Shui tells us that homes and buildings built higher on the sides of hills can protect occupants from floods and provide beneficial breezes. Their only no-no has to do with leaving an edifice totally unprotected from the elements (bad Feng Shui).

The Greeks built temples to their most sacred Gods at the highest geographical points possible, as witnessed by the construction of the Acropolis' Parthenon, and the Romans have important structures upon their many hills, where, incidentally, all roads lead to. Later European culture and religion gave rise to the construction of some of the most magnificent cathedrals on higher ground, as if the physical height of them would bring worshippers closer to God.

Homebuilders tend to charge more for view-oriented home sites not only due to their popularity, but also due to the difficulty factor they may have in construction. Foundations must be placed and planned properly, property setbacks must comply with local city planning requirements, and just where to place the house on its lofty site can make the difference between having a front yard, back yard, Mt. Everest driveway syndrome, or soil erosion. Builders notoriously try to avoid home sites like these just because of the perennial pain they feel in their sides due to the issues they must deal with during construction, so who can blame them?

But ah, the result of going to all that trouble (and expense) can be so worth the hassle if it's done properly. While others swelter in the mid-day heat, you who braved the lofty locale may have refreshing breezes. When others are unclogging street sewers and backing their cars into lakes, you may be watching from above. And you will have something that would be difficult to take away unless a high rise office building goes up nearby; a permanent vista.

I beg the reader to forgive my flight of fancy when speaking in such opinionated regard for the view-sited home, but there is so much to see from up there. Whether it be the dewy morning frosts below or the twinkling lights of the neighborhood, a view is a bonus to structure, sound and sight. And, if you hesitated to spend the extra freight for that premium lot because you didn't think it was worth it, take a deep breath and think again. It just may be the wiser investment after all.

For more New Home News, Click Here

Published: August 18, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home. Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.