Imagine that in a decade, technology advances to the extent that machines, gadgets, computers, and all manner gizmos take care of literally every need and desire of everyone on the planet. However, the governments of the world agree that to maintain a sense of responsibility and community for every person, everyone has to be a housekeeper … for the house or apartment directly to the east of their own house or apartment. Everyone is granted one year to move and to otherwise get their affairs in order to adjust. But … housing prices are frozen for that year based on existing assessments and rents are frozen based on current prices and once that year is up no one has to pay rents or mortgages any more. Money disappears because technology, as I said, has advanced to the point that every need and desire can be provided—at no cost and with minimal environmental degradation.
Now, it’s known by everyone during that year that whenever they are not cleaning and maintaining a neighbor’s home or apartment that the rest of their time can be spent on leisure in whatever ways they want. Every person has to work only for as long as it takes to clean the neighbor’s home. Through speculation and calculation, people realize right away that the smaller their neighbor’s home or apartment is, the more leisure time they will have.
Additionally, each house/apt. always has to clean the next house on the east, even if the next house/apt. is a hundred miles away. Meanwhile, each house/apt. on every continent that has no property to the west has no housekeeper which means that the people living in those homes and apartments will have to clean their own house/apartment as well as the one to the east. On the other hand, each house/apt. on every continent that has no property to the east has no housekeeping duties meaning all of their time will be leisure time.
Given all that, imagine the scramble of people to relocate. No one can ever move to a new location (save for a nursing home) after that first year has ended. I know this doesn’t account for children becoming adults and moving into places of their own, but just imagine new properties are only built as needed in such situations based on a random computer-generated process, like a lottery, to place them in reasonable locations if empty houses (or soon to be empty houses) are not available. Otherwise, people are stuck in place after that first year. Everyone is allowed only one residence so vacation homes and the like are converted to residences that are available on the open market. Every excess house/apt. will either be maintained for housing of children when they become adults or demolished. When a person or couple or family dies or moves into nursing homes, hospitals for care—whatever—the residence will open for new children or adults.
After constructing this scenario, my first thought was that studio and one-bedroom apartments would become incredibly hot properties and ten thousand square foot McMansions would strike fear into the hearts of every person everywhere in America and, of course, the world. But not necessarily. Families have varying numbers of children of differing ages, including couples with no children and single adults. There would be couples and single persons who may want children in the future and couples or single parents who have one child remaining in high school who would be moving out in a year or two. Single people may be thinking they will eventually want to get married and married couples (or couples living together), one spouse or the other if not both, may be thinking they may eventually want to divorce or split up—and divorce/separating would be a significant issue because relocation would only be allowed if there were existing houses/apts. available (meaning, the divorced couple may have to remain living together for some time before a property became available).
Divorce/separation (meaning also couples living together but not married) would also be significant because one spouse would remain in the current residence. Because there may be many couples who wind up in houses they didn’t like, there could be quite a battle to leave the house rather than to keep it. On the other hand, it won’t be known by either partner/spouse where they will relocate or into what size of house/apt. Because of the problems involved, a flip of the coin will determine the outcome.
So, as I said, it’s not clear which properties will be the hottest commodities and which won’t. It’s likely, though, that houses larger than, say, 4000 square feet will be unattractive to most people because they’ll likely be living to the west of a similarly large house—which a person or family or group (roommates) would have to clean. My thinking is that areas with large mansions could become the equivalent of dilapidated inner cities. Some could be razed or left empty for children becoming adults or spouses/partners splitting up because those living in them who managed to purchase or rent another house, condo, or apt. were not able to sell them.
Still, I think studios, one bedrooms, and two bedroom houses, condos, and apartments would be hot sellers because they would likely be in areas where the next house/apt./condo to the east would be similarly sized which, of course, leaves that much more leisure time after cleaning each day. And if I didn’t make this clear earlier, cleaning has to occur according to specific regulations of cleanliness/maintenance. A residence has to be cleaned every four days no matter what (although everyone gets six weeks of vacation time each year and during times when people are on holiday people are responsible for cleaning their own home in addition to their neighbor’s homes—imagine the wrangling amongst neighbors related to when someone to the west takes a holiday!) If it takes six twelve hour days each week to meet regulations then so be it. If it takes four hours every four days to clean a place, so be it. I think this makes it clear why living in an area with smaller properties becomes extraordinarily attractive.
So, as a thought experiment, what happens that year of scrambling? Because money is going to meaningless in a year, what are people trading in order to purchase hot properties in certain locations? Will those living in a studio apartment with a studio apartment to the east near the beach in San Diego be willing to give up the place for any price, for any trade? Perhaps, if the person is engaged and wants to have children. It’s really a crap shoot even up to a certain square footage and even then it might depend on location. Maybe it’s worth it to someone to live next to a seven thousand square foot house if they have ocean views in Monterrey, California. Maybe. Will people try to move from one country to another? Since technology will provide for everything everywhere in the world, maybe a nice house next to a nice house in a coastal African town seems great to some. If it’s part of the deal that all homes will be fixed up and all plumbing, electric, roofing, and other upgrades will be done, formerly dilapidated areas of cities may become attractive because of smaller-sized houses/apts. and maybe poor people in those areas not thinking terribly clearly would be willing to swap their two-bedroom flat for a splashy pad next to a fifteen-thousand foot house. Maybe some offer sex (for a year or however long) in exchange for a desired property. Who knows?
On the other hand, how is life after that first year? How are neighbor relations affected by persons and families who are incredibly messy? Will people be inconsiderate or disrespectful toward others? Will alliances develop among people living two houses apart in order to keep neighbors honest (so to speak) in order to discourage people from living like slobs? After all, the amount of time people spend housekeeping will be largely dependent on how well each place is cared for by residents.
The possibilities go on and on. Interesting to think about how different life would be, how status would change. Single women who got stuck in 5000 square foot homes are suddenly going to bars and parties or using online dating sites to try to hook up with men or women (or both) living in one and two bedroom apartments:
“You live in Manor Apartments?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t those all one bedroom apartments?”
“Yup.”
“Have I mentioned how hot you are?”
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