Gee whiz…we’re having another community garage sale here in Brookside. Excuse me if I don’t seem too excited, it’s just that this has been going on twice a year each of the four years I’ve lived here.

The first year we did this in Brookside, I thought it was a great idea (even though the founder and coordinator of this event is another local REALTOR team), but as the years have gone by and we are now on garage sale #9,  I’m thinking this isn’t the greatest thing for our neighborhood.

You see, Brookside is a relatively small gated community of about 260 homes in North Escondido. When I bought my house here in 2003, brand new and all mine to put my personal stamp on, I was incredibly happy that we had the gates…not just anyone could enter our beautiful oasis.

It isn’t because I’m jealous of the benefits or recognition our fellow REALTOR gets out of this;  it’s more because of the concern I have from all the traffic and disorganized chaos that occurs for six hours on our quiet streets.

Even though it’s advertised in local newspapers to start at 8am, the professional G’salers are patrolling our streets with their pickups, flat-bed trucks, station wagons and anything else they can cram used items into while looking to get “first dibs” when the garage doors start ascending!

On many occasions in years past, when I had to get up early on my Saturday morning to dig up some useless items that have taking up space in my garage, I’ve practically been assaulted by these mad dogs on a mission for the latest used sofa. But what bugs me the most is that these folks get lots of time to peer into my garage or back yard and see what other “goodies” I may have….and this makes me uncomfortable. Call me paranoid, but you should see some of these folks.

My brother lives in another gated community in Rancho Bernardo, and I asked him what he thought about our Real Estate team sponsoring a garage sale in his gated neighborhood. He told me he would use another REALTOR to sell his home if I did!

As a former block captain I have heard about events that I don’t want going on in here. I think tomorrow I’m going to go around to all the neighbors and distribute our flyers and inform people they need to read my blog. I’m going to boycott the garage sale and keep my place buttoned up tight! That way I can sleep in and not worry about a potential burgler posing as a G’saler casing my personal abode!

And if any of you are a garage sale addict, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you as this was not my intention. I just think our development should graduate to individual garage sale status when somebody needs to have one, not the twice a year event it is now.

p.s. – If anyone is in the market for a slightly used bike that I rarely rode or a perfectly functioning 8 track stereo player, give me a jingle and I’ll make you a great deal!