Never fall in love with dirt. Finding the perfect place is an emotional experience, which if unchecked may take a path separate from ‘reason.’ For men and women, the nesting instinct is strong, so it’s only natural to view any parcel of land or quaint old house in its best light, imposing on that homesite the probably non-existent ability to fulfill expectations of a long life of peace, security, happiness and prosperity. The human capacity to hope for the best is the source of the phrase, “to see the world through rose-colored glasses,” to see what is not there.
Excessive hope can also be a blindfold. Hope hides traits of a homesite which has obviously bad drainage, or is susceptible to flooding whether from rivers or reservoirs, or is in the path of imminent wildfire, or is within a zone affected by earthquakes, hurricanes and severe storms and tornadoes, or has an overly decayed structure; all colored over with the too-often-uttered lie to self, “That will never happen.” Anyone with their guard down will see what is wished to be rather than what really is.
Choose a homesite based on what it can really be, and what it will cost to make it become real. Be extra-picky. Use comparative shopping techniques to scrutinize any given candidate site against all others. Narrow the choices. Choose the best. Then, you’ll have what you’ve hoped for all along, Home.
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