When we were searching for a house, we weren't concerned with square footage or whether or not the house would look good on HGTV. Ever watch those shows where annoying, yuppie couples pick apart a brand new kitchen and talk about how they'd add this or that? Our house is by no means dilapidated; in fact, it was built in the 1950s when people still built houses with pride. But it's dated, so it'll take some work to bring it to where we want it to be. This will involve a fresh coat of paint in the spring, and some other minor fixes. The "bones" of the house are quite nice - many people living in houses built in the 1980s would be envious of how solid the floors and walls are, let alone the craftsmanship.

More important than the structure itself is the land and the community. Our lot is mostly wooded but has a small patch of flat surface and a hill going up. This will be great for sledding when our son is outside playing in the snow, and nice for him to climb up and explore a bit of our land before he tires of it. It's still a suburban neighborhood, so there will be plenty of things to do outside our property. New England suburbs are a bit different than in many other parts of the country because the land is so hilly and uneven, and the area has been settled for so long, that there is very little room for things like subdivisions with same-looking lots stretching for over a mile. I've always felt this has added to the charm of living in New England.

Our particular community is one where people enjoy staying involved. We have lived here for nearly three years as renters and I grew up close by, so I know people take a lot of pride in living here. This is reflected in simple things like trash collection. Without giving people ego boosts simply for showing up with a recycle bin, they regulate how much trash you can throw out on a given week or else you have to pay extra for special bags or an additional barrel (the barrel has arms on it which can be grabbed by the truck, and everyone is given one). The documentation states this should push you toward using your recycle bins more, and you have to sort things a certain way. Some people would cry about personal freedom and time wasted on sorting your garbage, but it's quite easy when you get used to it - and this method comes with extra perks like free by-appointment appliance and electronic disposal, since it saves the town a lot of money.

Neighbors seem friendly and property taxes are kept reasonable by a huge swath of commercial space (corporate HQs, malls, etc.) that are all clustered together away from most of the residential property. Michael Arth would be proud.

While fortunate to have been able to purchase property in a state that is known for exhorbant real estate prices, we also worked our way toward this purchase with clear goals in mind. We didn't need stainless steel appliances or four/five bedrooms with a master suite and jacuzzi. We wanted to live in a decent community, not too far from family. I've known people who moved half the state away just to be able to afford a nice big house (and with it, a 2 hour commute). The problem is, all they ever see is their own home and their own immediate family, because they've moved into a community they don't know full of strangers, one neither of the parents grew up anywhere near. To sacrifice the family time and community roots for another 1,000 square feet didn't seem worth it to us, so we feel we've chosen wisely.