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Annette Gendler's avatar

Lovely piece! What's the plan for this old apartment? I love abandoned places, too, particularly those where family lived, such as this: https://annettegendler.com/2018/02/why-returning-to-our-roots-is-meaningful/

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Marco North's avatar

NICE WORK!

what is the plan for this place? oh, there was one a few years ago when the solution would cost between $10k-15k. But now that the Russians have made Tbilisi their new home, prices on anything connected to apartments, rent, buy or renovate have gone up 300-1000 percent. Minimum, $45k now, and that would be with a contractor that could do an awful job, disappear, or abandon the work at any moment. we already dealt with this last year, renovating where we live. After dealing with various contractors, I ended up doing 90% of the work, and it was brutal.

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Annette Gendler's avatar

Oy! Too bad for renovating, but if there's that much pressure on the real estate market, maybe you can sell it, or a developer will want to tear it down and compensate you.

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Marco North's avatar

You would think! Unfortunately it is a pretty low on the sales side (everyone bought 2 years ago, right after the war started). No developers want it, as it is just one apartment in a very old building where people want to stay. Honestly, it is just false inflation/crazy rates because of a perceived demand for renovations. Georgia is a country that often makes zero sense. For example, we border the Black Sea, and there is some lovely fresh seafood there. What do people eat here? Categorically, frozen fish. I mean even frozen octopus and mussels.

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David Durham's avatar

When I was a kid we loved construction sites, which were all over the place in suburban Los Angeles. We used stuff we found at various sites to build a treehouse in a big ol' eucalyptus tree. It became our clubhouse. On a trip back to California when I was in college I drove by that treehouse. Well, what was left of it. Just a few 2x4s hanging forlornly as the tree swayed in the wind. The first time I ever kissed a girl happened in that treehouse. Her name was Lynn Bracket. Haven't thought about her for long time.

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Marco North's avatar

well David, that's a new song you just wrote.

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Janet Clare's avatar

I did the same playing in construction sites in L.A. in the days before they were all enclosed by cyclone fencing, though I never built a treehouse.

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Marco North's avatar

Sounds like that Nina Simone song https://youtu.be/_OzYJ4_ikiE?si=wL5IJ5lNkVNGnkwU

Broken windows and empty hallways

A pale dead moon in the sky streaked with gray

Human kindness is overflowing

And I think it's gonna rain today

Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles

With frozen faces to keep love away

Human kindness is overflowing

And I think it's gonna rain today

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Annie Kitching's avatar

Oh, I love abandoned places, too....and was so relieved when I scrolled down enough to see you wrote that.....before that I was wanting to put my arms around that place all by myself. An old building where people want to stay. Wish I could move in.

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