<p>Land here is much cheaper I expect than in NYC.
I remember one neighbor of a friend, who bought the house next door for $780,000,( this was about 25 years ago), tore down the house ( which looked similar on the outside to my friends), and rebuilt.</p>
<p>I was shocked at the time, but it’s much more common now for people who want to design their home but want to live in the city.
Some of the homes they are able to sell and move off site, but many are just torn down.</p>
<p>“I never said they were " bad” people, but someone who has trouble finding something they can live in, when they have enough money to buy nearly any house in the community, seems strange."</p>
<p>I wouldn’t want to “settle” for a house I didn’t like, and my budget is appreciably less than this family’s budget. Why should they settle, if they can afford what they want? </p>
<p>I’m not big into my house, myself – I’d rather spend the money elsewhere – but other people really value their house. What’s it to me, as long as they can afford it? I really don’t get your objection, EK. People spend on different things. You like Pearl Jam per your icon - maybe you’d spend far more on following Pearl Jam around the country than I ever would spend on a performer. Oh well. </p>
<p>And renovations are so much more complicated in NYC. Many buildings have restrictions on when they can be undertaken, preferring the summer months when many families are away. And of course contractors are predictably overbooked during these months and hard to come by. I remember re-modeling our kitchen in NYC and purchasing a commercial stove that would not fit in the elevator despite the fact that I had pre-measured and it should have. Renovations in manhattan are frustrating all the way around.</p>
<p>“But a baseball diamond? Seriously?”</p>
<p>Conceptually, is there a difference between a family who likes to swim having a swimming pool, a family who likes to play tennis having a tennis court, a family who likes to play basketball having a basketball court, and a family who likes to play baseball having a baseball diamond? I would think that a baseball diamond would be the least expensive of those things! (=thinking of an indoor basketball court, not just a hoop-over-the-garage)</p>
<p>I don’t “get” home theaters either, but hey, if other people enjoy them and get use out of them, more power to them!</p>
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<p>Indeed. I spend a lot of my time making sure my kids understand that just because someone has less than someone else doesn’t mean that they’re good. </p>
<p>Hollywood hasn’t figured it out, but they do know how to sell tickets. </p>
<p>This thread seems to be going in circles, I am surprised it has gone on this long.</p>
<p>Just for fun, take a look at these expensive houses:</p>
<p><a href=“Homes in Virginia, Vermont and Iowa - The New York Times”>Homes in Virginia, Vermont and Iowa - The New York Times;
<p>Fun!</p>
<p>Oh, so many choices… which one should we buy???</p>
<p>I love looking at houses. :)</p>
<p>Interesting article in the today’s WSJ. Families downsize from their mega-mansions to 3,000 sf condos because of the upkeep and loss of privacy that comes with the expansive territories (maintenance staff = someone is always in your house). If I can find a link online, I will post it. </p>
<p>I would live in the gazebo in the Virginia house! Loved the kitchen in the Iowa house.</p>
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<p>Is a 3 bedroom 3000 sqft home normal? Seems 3000 sqft would normally be a 4 or 5 bedroom. Unless you’re counting the basement/garage or something. </p>
<p>From 2005-2013 I lived in a 2600 sqft (basement and garage not included), 4 bedroom house (family of 4). It was uselessly big. Even with a family of 5 I’m never going to buy a house that big, it’s just a waste of money. The design was just so inefficient. There were two additional rooms that weren’t bedrooms (I guess one was a formal dining room, not sure what the other was called), that went unused practically all the time. We might sit in there if we had guests but that’s all. </p>
<p>Bunsen- I read that article this morning and thought of this thread! </p>
<p>Didn’t we once have a thread on what we’d want in a house if we were wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice? I think I said I’d build a really nice library.</p>
<p>^^^^The guy who owned the house we bought apparently bought what his realtor called “a library with a house wrapped around it.” :)</p>
<p>Im more about the yard than the house. We have a large yard for the city, but our house is 1,000sq ft.</p>
<p>In response to Pizzagirl, #163: I suppose you are right. I guess it is the number of people needed to field a baseball game that threw me a bit. Same issues don’t apply to a tennis court or pool. But the fact that the folks had seven kids explained a lot! </p>
<p>Here is this week’s article in “The Hunt”: <a href=“A Central Park South Apartment Wins Out - The New York Times”>A Central Park South Apartment Wins Out - The New York Times;
<p>Here is the WSJ article:</p>
<p><a href=“Troubles With Life in the Big House - WSJ”>http://online.wsj.com/articles/troubles-with-life-in-the-big-house-1408030768</a></p>
<p>On NBC this morning I watched a segment about a woman looking for an apartment for a family of 6. Her budget was 10-20 mill. The two apartments they showed were gorgeous. Next lifetime for me.</p>