Do you suffer from real estate envy? Are you obsessed with your home? Why?

No. It's just a place to live. I like it, and it's nice, but I'd much rather have an old farmhouse on ten acres. That's the type of place I envy, not a huge new house on a tiny lot. I don't care how much the house next door is worth.

I dream of living in a big mansion, but our house is paid for. I am grateful for the people and the pets in it.

When I read about people losing their homes, I realize how lucky I am.

Another dream is to have a farm for unwanted animals. But that won't happen.

WS R, I'm sure many people can identify with wanting a home with acreage. That's very appealing on many levels: a sense of self-sufficiency and space... for many city dwellers it would mean a whole new life, too.

Mary Ann you made a really interesting point about looking at what you have - and have free & clear, I might add - instead of looking for what you don't own. And you're the second to mention that dream of rural space!

No I am happy with the home my mother picked for us to live in over fourty years ago. I live here today.

I don't envy any homeowners. Been there, done that. I rent and I love my little apartment. I've made it look like me and every time I come in the door my whole body relaxes and I say AHHHHH!

funny...I was just thinking about that today. I'd be happy to live in a dumpy house. I think a lot of that desire is pride and keeping-up-with-the-Joneses. I have a family too, so having a decent place to live is important. But if it was just me, I'd me happy to live in a shack and use the extra money for other things.

In all honesty, I love my house. I want to do some fixing up on it to make it more my own. SInce we bought it three years ago we haven't been able to do much work on it to strip away the old owner's essence, and while I do love my house very much, it would be nice to cater more to our own styles. That said, I do love those old farm houses and hope to have one someday, but for now I'm content with what I have.

There must be a good story behind your long-term residency, Janet B. Your mother selected the home?

Sharon, you made great point in your comment, "I rent and I love my little apartment. I've made it look like me...[more]" Wonder how many people look elsewhere instead of making their current home what they want it to be?

A shack, Joseph? Most people wouldn't consider that! And you've said something interesting in that you feel it is important to have a decent place for your family. Family is a huge motivation for moves of all types.

NO real estate envy here. I am content with where we are in our lives right now and the house we live in is lovely. No need nor want for a mansion here...

No, and no.

I'm very comfortable here, and need not move anywhere else.

We moved here 8 years ago. I love it here. With over 5,000 sq. ft. of living space, it is too big really for just my husband and me... It's a huge 5 bedroom house with almost 3 acres of open land in the back and a small forest of trees close by. But, I would not want to move again!

A lot of contentment showing here!

Olivera, do you think that you're content with yourself, so you're content with your home?

Didn't expect any other answer from you Richard.

Duckie, wow, that's quite a spread. Your views must be beautiful...but you're heard on the space issue. I feel the same way about our 3 bedroom (one serving as the TV room, the other guest room / office) it can just be too much.

Duckie's comment about moving got me thinking. Moving can be daunting but is a great opportunity to clear out the unnecessary. (See The Stuff Pack Rats Are Made Of, from NYT)

It would be hard to leave my home, but I know some day I won't be able to take care of it anymore and I'll have to. It's a rambling old frame farmhouse with "modern " additions that was completely redone in the 20s and 30s as a 18th century stone house with handmade doors and windows throughout. It's a unique building, wood paneled, beamed, plastered, and funky - constantly in need of repair - a labor of love.

I do have an ideal, but I may or may not obtain it. My real estate envy involves a craftsman style story and a half bungalow with fireplace, dining room with oak buffet, a sunroom and wood, wood, wood.

Sorry, sorry, Here's the working link for The Stuff Pack Rats Are Made Of (NYT Business)

Richard, your home must be beautiful and singular. I'm guessing your relationship with your house is as rewarding as it is demanding.

We downsized from a large home near Northfield to a condo in Eagan. I loved Northfield: the walks on country roads, the smell of fresh-cut hay, but I love the burbs too: the bicycle commute, the parks, the bars.

Home is where the heart is. I guess I have a mobile heart....must be all those years of hitch-hiking.

I love my house and don't have real estate "envy", however, I am obsessed with real estate. I'm currently working on a house I bought that had been boarded up by the city and abandoned by the previous owner. Restoring it and making it shine again give me great joy. I know someone will love living in this house and the neighbors will enjoy the injection of love and attention, too.

That sounds neat, Lisa Keating.

I have checked on neighbor's home sale prices just to know where we stand with ours and if we are properly insured for capital loss in case of fire etc. Personally, I'd like to move but my 2 year old relationship doesn't allow it. I'd choose a lighter, brighter house and a very different yard and outdoor living space. As for floor space, probably less or the same but better laid out.

We live in a small town where real estate has not dropped because it's so scarce. We are surrounded by N A Reservation, public lands of 3 kinds and water rights owned by Los Angeles. Not much left which keeps our values up. But my partner says he did not buy the house for an investment so he's not that concerned because it quadrupled.

I'm not a home-jumper nor am I interested in the McMansion on the hill. But I know that many are. It's the American Way. Personally, I want to live more simply so that others may also live.

It's amazing what the real estated prices have done over the last several years here in the Northwest. The folks who overbought, as in the big house-big square footage...and didn't have sound financial advice on loan options...may be screaming the blues right now.
As for me, I find real estate exciting, but I am not tied up in obsessing over what this article addresses. Downsizing is where I'm at...not going the other direction in keeping up with the Jones living down the street. For the long-run, real estate is a great investment, but to get crazy over it in the short -run will most likely drive the obsesso's crazy. So I am not into square footage, nor the latest new thing, nor the hot spots to live. Keep it simple is where I'm at and liking it. No RE envy here!

Julia, you bring up some interesting issues. For most people in America, their home is their biggest investment. It's not unexpected to have a stock investor pouring through, say, the Wall Street Journal on an even daily basis looking for ways to improve portfolio value or get tips from others who've made the most of the market. The way I look at it, especially when the real estate market is vulnerable to dropping lower, it only makes good sense for today's owner-occupied real estate investors to be doing the same.

It's not only in the USA. I believe for most of the world's citizens, home is the most important property...

Makes sense, Julie. Shelter, security, sense of self.

Well, I own three houses - the one in Louisiana is where my heart lives so I don't envy anyone around me - I love old houses - tall ceilings, big rooms, wooden floors and lots of room between neighbors. I also like a house where one can see the sun rise from the front porch and set on the back porch.

I do not envy new houses at all - I don't like being in them - usually, my eyes burn from the new carpet and I can't breathe. I'm more comfortable in small cluttered wooden houses or old large Victorian homes...yes, the closet space is nice and they are easier to clean but I am connected to the earth so my houses have to be made from natural materials with windows that open. Salud

Oh none of my houses are fancy. They all came with old ghosts - the one my parents owned is the one on the bayous, the one here in Santa Barbara is cluttered to the rafters and the one in Nevada is an old mining house but I love it. I would like to move into Richard's house for a while - it sounds divine and I could ramble about while waiting for him to cook one of his lovely meals - oh Heaven!!! Salud

Thanks for revisiting the emotional investment we make in our homes, Mariana.