1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life? Eighteen. (My dad was in the military.)
2. Which was your favorite and why? Probably the center-hall colonial our family lived in in the early 80's. It had enough room for everything, it was within walking distance to school, church, and the pool, it had a big yard, nice neighbors.... As an adult, the condo my dh and I lived in before we moved to our house. Great location, convenient to everything (walking distance to Metro, even!), private, nice neighbors...it had an appealing solid feel to it, and even though it was close to two major roads, you couldn't see or hear the traffic.
3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why? Well, exciting things are stressful by definition, aren't they? I usually am excited about moving -- new place, new opportunities, etc -- but I hate the details of moving -- the packing, the unpacking, etc.
4. What's more important, location or price? Sorry, this is a dumb question, like what's more important, food or water? Ultimately it's location (which affects the price, of course....)
5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)? I think my dream house is a Tudor, with leaded-glass windows and a brick front walk. The garage is not the first thing you see as you approach the house. The house is not hidden, but is still somewhat private, somewhat set back from the road. The front door is painted forest green and has a gleaming brass mail slot. There is a spacious foyer and an intelligently laid out kitchen with plenty of counter space. The dining room has a nice view and is painted daffodil yellow with gleaming white trim. The family room has built-in bookshelves, a big table for reading or playing board games, and plenty of little spaces where we can do our little hobbies and still be with each other. There is a mudroom adjacent to the back yard and the garage. The back yard is very private, with big trees and a velvety green lawn, but there is also plenty of room for gardens -- including a kitchen garden, a cutting garden, a Mary garden, a St Francis garden (for birds and butterflies), a blog garden (pansies and peonies), and a rhubarb garden. As long as we're dreaming, I wouldn't mind a year-round swimming pool in its own outbuilding, a conservatory with orange trees, a couple of chickens, a dog, and a staff to help me take care of all this real estate. Why don't we just put in a private chapel and then plop this whole extravaganza in Newport, Rhode Island?
