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Home shopping is stressful. EL and I have very similar tastes in décor and architecture, but our priorities differ somewhat when it comes to deal breakers. We looked at a couple of homes last night. The first home was a 4 bedroom 2 bath that was listed at 2885 square feet. It looked fabulous online and we were really excited about seeing it. We drove around the neighborhood a little because we arrived early... scouting the place out... we also stopped by Sam's house for a visit. When it was time to see the house, I was eager and had high hopes that this was going to be the home for us... it seemed to just fall in our lap. Little did I know that it was about to roll off our lap and onto the floor. I think it's safe to say that this home would be great for us if we had about $20k to blow on contractors to come in and fix the things we couldn't stand... like pink kitchen countertops and pink marble floor in the master bath... and pink paint covering the walls of all the rooms that didn't make me instantly want to gag with their atrocious wallpaper... and the hot tub on the back desk that look as though it hadn't run in 5 years and pigs had been wallowing in it recently... yeah... other than that, it was livable. Fuck. Our agent was great about everything. She came highly recommended and every word spoken about her was backed up by this stellar first impression. She had come prepared to show us another listing that was new to the market and just a few blocks away. We didn't know anything about the house, but were willing to listen with optimism. This second house we looked at I loved. I like the area it's in... I like the curb appeal... I like the approach to the door. I loved the tile in the foyer and the hardwood floors in the dining room. I loved that every bedroom in the house has at least one walk-in closet... most rooms have two. I love the coziness of the den with it's 15c woody feel, recessed lighting, fireplace, and built in wet bar. I love the yard. I love the garage despite it not being attached like I'd hoped. I love all 4 bedroom 2 and a half bath with study and two utility rooms of it. I love the double french doors leading from the effin huge master bedroom onto the back patio. I love the giant master bathroom with deep garden jet tub (with tiles that need to be replaced). I love the twin set of french doors on either side of the fireplace that let the sun into the den. I love the in-ground sprinkler system in the front and back yard. I love the long driveway with the garage behind the house. I love the easy walk-in attic access. I love the oversized double deep sink in the kitchen. The kitchen is a little small. EL thought the dining room a little small. Other than that, I love this house. It is someplace I could see myself living happily. I wonder how much it would cost to remodel the kitchen to make it bigger. It's a home improvement I would be willing to do... shorten the breakfast nook and extend the kitchen to add counter space and maybe a small island. I love that little house. EL and I are going to look at some more this evening. There were a couple we planned on seeing in another neighborhood, but one of them we both didn't like and the other is agreeably more than we want to spend... even though the extended marble entryway and custom, built-in surround system in the great room would be nice... not to mention being able to play a few holes of golf in the kitchen. The property taxes were going to be over $6k and I figure that plus mortgage and home insurance, we'd be funding a third world country every month. So, it's still a toss up... where to live... what to buy... but we're out there looking. It's really a shame that I'm comparing everything to that second house last night. I feel like I cannot make an unbiased decision now... I'm counting on EL to point out the things that my desire to live in the home from last night won't let me see. She's the best ya know... in case I haven't mentioned that lately... she really is...