Christine Dabney wrote:
> Heya folks,
>
> I was just ruminating on how I choose a dwelling. I realize that many
> folks want a big bedroom, or a large living area.
>
> Me, I want a great kitchen..or a large one. I want one that fits
> how I cook.
>
> The rest of it, I could care much less about. I would love a place to
> garden too, which I will have in my new house.
>
> How do all of you cooking/foodie types choose your dwellings?
>
> Christine

1. Always get the best deal you can pricewise by putting in low offers
and don't fall in love with any one place, and don't buy until you do
because sometime probably sooner than you think, you will want to sell
the house. It is no fun to take a loss.

2. Forget those Rand McNally and other "Best places to live" lists,
unless their criteria do in fact seem important to you. Things like
mass transportation, a major sports team (which as it turns out could
be basketball, baseball, or football) mean nothing to me. Neither does
the job market, since if I were to move to a location, it would be that
I already had a job or wasn't looking. I wouldn't buy the house before
having a job, that's for sure. About the only thing of interest on
those criteria is safety...low violent crimes, but since they list only
largest cites, most of the safer places to live wouldn't make their
lists anyway because they are smaller cities.

3. One irony in life is that things that seem really important to you
at one time, are of no interest or even anathema to you at another, so
don't fall in love with any house to begin with or you are setting
yourself up for disappointment down the line. You can be happy anywhere
and it is definitely not "things" (including a large kitchen) that will
bring you happiness except for a short period of time. Go with your
best instincts but always leave a way out, in this case an ability to
move and not go bankrupt because you overpaid. That is why
affordability is always #1 on my list because I like to keep all my
options, including moving, open. dkw