Yet many of our finest homes sit as empty and lifeless as catacombs. So what is really happening to “life” here in our very animated and increasingly moribund Quaintville-by-the-Sea?
So fewer and fewer families reside here on a permanent basis. More and more empty mansions are robotically lit to deter burglars and to imitate signs of life. Gardeners come weekly — like the maids who scurry through the hotel rooms when the guests are out sightseeing — to whisk away the dust and leaves that settle around these spiritless homes. In fact, our last hometown seems to be morphing into a mega-version of a Hyatt for which a 100 percent vacancy rate would be just fine and dandy, as long as the property taxes were paid. Will we become like Lake Tahoe and Carmel where 26 percent of the homes are weekenders or sub rosa short-term rentals?