Street Walker Confessions

I was out the other day delivering our most recent neighborhood newsletter “Street Talk”. I have tried the direct mail approach, but this time I thought I would get out amongst the people. Much easier to associate the name with the face, right?

After recently delivering several hundred flyers, there are several things I have noticed about my neighborhood here in Northeast Pasadena that I have found interesting. I don’t think I have uncovered any demographic data Nielsen would pay for, but nonetheless, I found it rather intriguing.

In no particular order of importance:

• Pets – a lot of people have pets, primarily dogs. And not just one. In many cases, Fido has a playmate and do they go crazy when you get close to the house. They will stand up and paw at the window, already covered in dog lick. They so viciously attack the front door that I have a new found respect for our postal carriers. I wonder if I carried a blue bag if that would throw them off?
• Door Mats or Welcome Mats – I would say this is pretty evenly split between the have and have not’s. About half of the homes do have a door mat at the front entry. Rubber seems to be preferred over the coir mats. Some are decorative, some oversize, some are festive and bright while others deliver a more grim message… go away. How can a welcome mat, be a welcome mat if it says, Go Away?



• House decorating – this is a mixed bag. The majority of homes are void of any kind of celebratory message. A couple still had Christmas decorations, a few were putting out Valentines and one still had Halloween. Still have Halloween decorations? That’s spooky.
• The Front Door – the front door is where the homeowner has an opportunity to create the personality of the home. Wood doors are preferred over the fabricated ones, but whatever your material preference, color reigns supreme. They come in all colors, just like iPods. Green, Burgundy, are tried and true. Etched glass or no glass, even red, white & blue. One item not too often seen was a door knocker. This offers a way to accessorize your front door. Jewelry or bling designed to speak to the fashionista in you.
• No Soliciting – and finally it just wouldn’t be right if you could not express yourself in free speech. One occupant even decided to go one step further and post this …”No Bible Thumpers”. Yes, it is the dumb asses that give this country so much character.

I wonder what they think of real estate salespeople?