Covered car parking might not sound like the biggest deal in the world, but I’m here to tell you that it’s nothing to be sniffed at. This is especially true if, like me, you live on a street that’s continuously smothered with a layer of leaves, twigs, flowers or pint-sized fruits, depending on the season.
It’s these trees on the street. I couldn’t tell you what species they are, and the council doesn’t seem to know either. Apparently, they were planted in the dark ages before council records were a thing, or perhaps they were never documented due to being a weird hybrid dreamed up by some backyard botanist, and which should never have been used as a street tree.
The point is, I can’t park in my designated driveway, let alone on the street, without my car being showered with some kind of seasonal debris. Unfortunately for me, I have a white car, and the flowers in particular leave unappealing, yellowish stains on the paintwork. If I had a covered parking spot, I wouldn’t have this problem, but the positioning of my driveway means the council won’t approve my plans to build one. They really need to do better, honestly, considering the rates I’m paying them for the privilege of living here.
Next time I decide to embark on the project of buying a house, I won’t be as quick to dismiss the notion of using buyers advocates for finding properties. Melbourne has such a big property market, it’s not really possible for one mere mortal to take it all in, unless they happens to contemplate properties for a living. All the better if their role is to advise prospective buyers on whether a given property, street or area meets their needs.
I imagine they also prompt their clients with questions that might save them trouble down the track. For example: how do you feel about your car being perpetually mottled in various shades of off-brown?