A "Dream Home" follow-up

Sorry for the break in posting. Things have been rather hectic at home and at work. Hopefully things are about to level off for me.

I just saw this article from Money magazine. I had posted about HGTV's "Dream Home" contest back in January when it came to light that few of the winners ever lived in the house they won.

However, the Money article goes into much more detail about the Cruz's, a family that won and tried to live in the dream house but were unable to afford their winnings. Some of the details not mentioned in previous articles included the medical history of some of the family that limited options for them. But the most damning fact that I had not seen until now was that the winners didn't "own the land under the house but instead has a 30-year lease, with the right to renew. Without full ownership, he [Cruz] is subject to town rules...", which limited their options even more.

My favorite part of the article was this (the emphasis is mine):

For the Cruzes, the past year has been a daunting lesson in the dangers of overextending to live in your dream home. It's also changed their notion of who they are and what they want, making them realize that when it comes to real estate, you really do have to be careful what you wish for - you might actually get it.

Of course, most of us dream of obtaining the means first before we acquire the real estate, so wishing for a dream home isn't necessarily a bad thing. I loved the sound of the quote I highlighted, until I read what some of the changes were for the Cruz's. Regardless, it was nice to find out more about their situation. Adversity can show up in the strangest manner sometimes...