“There is nothing in the world
so good as good neighbors.” 
Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is often said that the value of real estate is determined by three factors: location, location, and location. While that might be a clever comment, it’s anything but true. Certainly the location of a piece of property is a consideration, but so, too, is the quality of neighbors one finds at that location. When Kathy and I purchased our home in San José in 1986, we hit the good neighbors lottery jackpot. Through the years, we’ve been blessed with a variety of amazing neighbors, many who are owners and some who rent.

For me to identify and acknowledge all our neighbors who have enriched our lives with their friendship, I would need more space than a simple blog post allows. For the purpose of today’s post, I would like to mention two in particular. Both have undertaken the often thankless roles of Homeowner Association Board Members for several years.

Dennis Willerton is our HOA president. With a background in engineering, an impressive work ethic, and a desire to seek what is best for the common good of our association members, Dennis has done an exceptional job of orchestrating a number of projects in the community which required attention. From deck repairs, plumbing issues, and hot water heater repairs to the challenging task of replacing the fence along the entire west side of our property, Dennis has consistently and conscientiously negotiated acceptable rates from the various vendors who serve our community. The time, attention, energy and professionalism he devotes to homeowner association business is greatly appreciated.

The other current Board member is Laura Fitzsimmons. Laura and Dennis work collaboratively to ensure that everything around the complex is in good working order. It seems that the best HOA Board members are much like game officials in an athletic contest. If you don’t notice them, they are probably doing their job exceedingly well. This is certainly true of Laura and Dennis. Through the years, in addition to her work and HOA responsibilities, Laura has nurtured a number of vulnerable kittens and cats that have found their way to her doorstep. She has done this with compassion and kindness. I should mention, as well, that today is Laura’s birthday!

As is true in any community, we have a few neighbors who are difficult to deal with for one reason or another. While they exist, they are significantly outnumbered by genuinely good folks who treat their neighbors with respect and who care for the needs of others in the community.

I’ll end today’s blog post with a quote by Harold Kushner, author of the bestselling book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. He wrote, “The happiest people I know are people who don’t even think about being happy. They just think about being good neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window while they are busy doing good.”    

That sounds like a respectable plan of action for all of us.