You Can Go Home Again, Sometimes

Former Occupants Glimpse the Past Down Memory Lane

The owner of Dawn Friedman's childhood home recently painted the front door red. When Friedman spotted the change during one of her regular detours down her old street, she called her sister to discuss it.

"We approved," said Friedman, of Columbus, Ohio. "We liked that."

Friedman, 38, and her sister, Erica DiPaolo, 40, routinely drive past the house to relive good memories, check on the neighborhood and see what has changed.

"My sister and I are kind of obsessed with it," Friedman said with a laugh.

Many former owners drive by their old dwellings, slowing down to get a better look. Some, unable to move on after moving away, drop in for tours and watch for open houses. Others write about their experiences on the Internet.

New owners can feel the shadow of former owners. They may wonder whether they would approve of changes to the property and feel self-conscious about adding their own touches.

Mary Mars, who now owns Friedman and DiPaolo's old house, said she was flattered by their attachment to it.

"I think that's wonderful," she said. "I understand that phenomenon."

While the sisters approved of the new door color, other changes, such as the removal of some trees, a fence and a lamppost, were met with less enthusiasm.

"It pains me," Friedman said.

Houses, especially childhood homes, can evoke a lot of curiosity and emotion, said David Klimek, a psychologist who specializes in attachment issues. Seeing an old house can stir up memories of family celebrations, loved ones and the everyday pleasures of times past.

"It's like a temple or shrine of their own life and their own family," Klimek said from his office in Ann Arbor, Mich.