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Why I Live Here…and There

Why I Live Here…and There

“If I have the money I’ll go to Europe.”

We met in a queue at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival talking for 10 minutes before he blurted out, “Hey, I’m painting you.” WTF? We walked to his studio where he showed me the painting: a scene from a photo he took of me, my wife Terry and our friend Linda the day before.

“And if you don’t have the money?” I asked.

“Then I’ll go to Las Vegas and on to California where I’ll work my way up the coast to Oregon and then back to Telluride,” over 3,500 miles if he takes the coastal route. His mode of transport is a 10-year-old bicycle.

For over 20 years artist David Brankley, in his late fifties, has traveled the world on his bicycle, financing his travels through his paintings. Asked about his training he said he attended BYU studying art in the ‘70s and then rattled off some famous BYU grads: Danny Ainge, Jim McMahon and Steve Young.

David’s impressionist-style paintings capture the mountains and Telluride’s century-old buildings. Our painting (see below) shows us at the Coffee Cowboy – a coffee shop on Telluride’s main street.

David doesn’t rent or own; rather he lives off the grid, living just outside of Telluride in a tent. A different type of real estate.

He does this to save money to allow him to travel and live his life on his own terms. For this artist it’s not about things, it’s about experiences.

What I took from meeting David (beyond purchasing the oil painting) is that one’s living choice should be based on a reality not a dream. If you know you are going to travel for an extended number of years, or face a job transfer every 3 years, it’s probably not a good idea to own.

I raise the ownership question in my writings. While Homebuyer Associates business is dependent upon people who buy homes, the rent vs. own decision should be based on how long you plan to stay in your home, your finances and reality.

Too often homebuyers are in a panic and don’t take the time to make an informed choice. Sellers and the real estate industry really like buyers who are in a hurry to spend money without objective information.

We don’t “sell” potential clients on home buying, first we sit over coffee and talk about your reality and gather information to decide whether to buy is a good choice. If buying a home is the way to go, then we work with our clients to gather the information to make an informed purchase.

I can’t paint, although last year I did take drawing lessons. You probably don’t live in a tent but maybe you’re tired of living with mom and dad or paying rent that benefits a landlord, not you.

If you want to meet for coffee to discuss your real estate reality…your questions, contact Seamus or me and we can talk. I’ll take a picture of you – our local version of the Coffee Cowboy… with thanks to David Brankley.

David’s FACEBOOK LINK is below if you are interested in seeing more of his artwork.

https://www.facebook.com/david.brankley.94 P.S.

One last push for the Bike Fed. It’s Bike Week.

Join the Bike Fed of Wisconsin ($25, $35 and $50 options) in their efforts to spread the word on health and transportation.

http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/

A list of this weeks bicycle activities:

http://bikeweek.wisconsinbikefed.org/

Thanks for reading,
Michael D. Holloway

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Homebuyer Associates
1835 N. Riverwalk Way
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414-254-4129
info@homebuyerassociates.com