My Lottery Dream Home - General Discussion

[suebee12]

Whoa, I just watched Season 4, Episode 1, Florida Dreaming and I knew the folks who won! I worked in a Mom and Pop convenience store for a really long time...our regulars were like family(maybe Tom will adopt me!). They won the $1,000,000 on a scratch off about a month after I moved to MS.(Wonder if he bought it in our store?) They live in North Port where everyone moved during the late 90's and the early 2000's because of the inexpensive houses being built. Not my choice of where to live but many love the area. Tom is a really nice guy and it is great to see a nice guy win! And just think, I was extremely excited when I won $1000!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love all of these episodes, from the Florida man who bought his sister a house, to the people who bought the mansion, and most of the mountain in California, and my favorite one of all time is the Hamptons house with the man who has to have a lot of bathrooms.   I really liked the episode in Buffalo with the two parents buying their dream house, another for their son, and the third big one in Florida so they can all winter with the second son.     It was nice to see people who deserve it win, and people who all seemed so nice.  

 

 The only episode I dislike is from the first season, with the two people in California that had lost everything several times, and hit the lottery and bought a house they probably can't afford the up keep on, and I bet they did buy that boat the husband wanted.   Why do I have the feeling their furniture was all from rent to own places?   I'm betting they are broke again.  

Edited August 26, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Lovepug said:

The Calimesa couple are my favorite people out of everyone on this show. I can watch their episode over and over again. They have put their money into the community. Another reason to like them: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/08/22/calimesa-family-2014-lottery-jackpot/

I think I missed that one, I've seen mostly people buying lower priced homes (after a bunch of the opposite last season) and David trying to seem excited. ; )  I love it when others give back, so many win big but never mention  helping others, its their money but I can't imagine not donating and thinking hard about how to make it work for a long time.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love the Calimesa article, and I loved that couple.    

[chessiegal]

I'm going to have to pass on the new season. I like David just fine but his new facial hair style is fugly.

[LoveLeigh]

The house David bought in Westfield MA looked like a real dump. He won 4 million dollars. His purchase made no sense to me at all. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I can't wait for the new season, and hope there are some excessive homes this time.    It's nice that people are conservative spending, and buy sensible homes, but I still want to see my house porn too.   

 Was David the young man who bought a house so he could have roommates, at least for now?      At least he bought a decent sized place.    My guess is that he'll use his skills to fix up the necessary issues, and then rent the entire place out, and move on to the next.   I don't know if he took the cash payout, or the annuity, but if he took the annuity he won't have enough to buy anything in that area outright, just a decent down payment, and have money to start improving it.      

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really enjoyed the new episode.   The couple that won the $5 million were so cute, and such hard workers, it was nice to see them get their dream home, and the pool, and still have a lot of money left over.      I liked the house they bought, with the extra land, and loved the master suite and pool, but I really liked the third house with the horse barn, and pastures already established.    I loved the third house pool.   I would have liked the bigger, attached land for horse that the third house had.    

[KLovestoShop]

I could do without David's sleeve tats.  Actually, I don't like any of his tats  

What I liked about the couple is that they didn't go overboard in spending all their lottery on a house.  Very smart with their budget. They picked what was good for them. 

[debraran]

I liked this show, even the "TV" comment about being able to see it from the kitchen. ; ) I actually thought TV's above a fireplace (unless electric) would be an issue. Maybe it was.

I like how David says what a good job he did when the realtor finds the homes. lol   

The first home was nice but I felt like I was in a hotel with the tiki bar etc. I really am not a huge house person so I have to adjust my thinking.  Getting land across the street was perfect.

The pool is the second home was gorgeous and they would have a lot of land to build on or do things with.

The last home was beautiful and I imagine will take a lot of money for upkeep for the land and pool and horses.  I'm glad they didn't spend a lot of their money and I hope they invest it well. Since they never boarded horses, it would take a lot of work, if not for them, for someone else.

A nice couple, I hope it works out well for them.

Edited September 22, 2018 by debraran

[javajeanelaine]

I thought this couple and their daughter was adorable. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the interior of the first house, especially the kitchen and master bath.   The tiki bar was nice, and the pool was great too.  I'm glad they could get the extra land across the street.    I loved how the couple, and their daughter looked so happy. 

 

  The second house without the pool wasn't my favorite.    Landscaping that yard, even if just around the house, and building a pool, and outdoor kitchen, and tiki bar would have cost a fortune.    I didn't like the house either.

 

  I loved the pool on the third house, but I do understand not wanting to maintain five acres of horse property, and barns.

Edited September 23, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Chit Chat]

I'd like for them to tell us how much each of these lottery winners ended up paying in taxes on their windfall.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

My understanding is that when they hand you the check, there is an IRS agent and local state tax agent waiting to talk to you, and they give you the unhappy news about how much they are taking.    In my case, I would have to talk to my state tax people, but they would probably arrange that through the state lottery office when they do the payments, and then send the tax statements.     In reality, since my biggest win ever was $50 I don't think the IRS will be dropping by to say hello any day soon.     And the taxes depend on if you take the lump sum, or if you take the annuity option of a long term annual payment.     

[Nysha]

The Federal Government takes 25% of any winnings over $5,000, immediately, plus you'll owe an additional 12% when you file your taxes. If the state you bought the ticket in has an income tax, that will be taken out of your winnings immediately, also. If you live in a different state than the one you purchased the ticket in, you'll end up owing state taxes in your home state when you file your tax return.  I live in Idaho and, if I've done my math correctly, the take home on $5 million would be about $2,830,000. Enough to pay my student loans, my defaulted medical bills and other debts, buy a house & car for myself and maybe a modest house for my 5 kids, plus invest so I can retire w/o worrying about ending up homeless. I would still keep my job because I love it and it took me 11 years to get written into the grant as a full-time employee with benefits and I'm not giving up my benefits for no stinkin' lottery money.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Nysha said:

The Federal Government takes 25% of any winnings over $5,000, immediately, plus you'll owe an additional 12% when you file your taxes. If the state you bought the ticket in has an income tax, that will be taken out of your winnings immediately, also.

Thanks for the info.  I always assumed that one would end up with about half of what they won.  We don't have a lottery in my state (boo!), but I'm close enough to the state line that I can go buy a ticket and play the scratch-offs every once in a while.   I've only won $50 or less on occasion, but am hoping for that 'Holy Cow' moment when I uncover millions of dollars on a scratch-off ticket, like so many of the folks on this show did!!   A gal can dream, can't she?  ;)

[ByaNose]

I could handle $5 million dollars. The house they chose was a sensible purchase. I really liked the pool and tiki bar.

The Mega Millions Jackpot for this Friday is $336,000,000. Here is a breakdown if you took the annuity or the lump sum:

 

https://www.usamega.com/mega-millions-jackpot.asp

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the story of Ashley and her win.   I love seeing different places, and Cape Girardeau and Sikeston are very cute.    I love looking at places where you get a lot of value for your money.  

The first house needed a ton of work, and I worry about how much that will add up to. 

I think the second house was lovely, but it's a little far out of town.   However, I hated the fireplace paint, and would repaint that immediately. 

I love the third house, the new build, but that might be too much land.     I do like the split floor plan that this one had, and the bathroom was great.  

I love she liked the new build third house, and think building exactly what she wanted was a good choice.    If I bought a new house, but had to do all kinds of changes anyway, I would keep looking too..

I loved her house, especially the flooring, and I think she made a great choice to build her own house, and I think the lot size was perfect for her.    She can always put in landscaping features like the first house.. 

[Kenzie]

On 9/3/2018 at 4:24 PM, chessiegal said:

I'm going to have to pass on the new season. I like David just fine but his new facial hair style is fugly.

I hadn't really noticed his facial hair but I think his tattoos look like a desecration.

[debraran]

David added more tattoos since last year, which is his prerogative.  I find the new arm ones distracting because I keep trying to see what they are or maybe what they mean. He had an article last year about the ones he had then. This article shows them more.

http://liverampup.com/entertainment/wanted-openly-gay-man-david-bromstad-s-stunning-partner-crime-boyfriend-feast-eyes-here.html

I watch the show on occasion but I'm usually doing something else also. I don't find many riveting, I find it fun to see how they won and where they end up but the conversation in between is just fluff. I know like with most house shows, they bought whatever they have already and if I scratch my head on choice, I have to remember they weren't on the table then.

[SrOfficial]

I find most of the choices very ho hum.  Just any suburban home,

[KLovestoShop]

Another thing that happens is that in the lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions, if you take the lump sum payment, you don't get anywhere near the listed amount.  The only way you get the full amount is when you take the annuity (the lottery commission takes the real amount and puts it in an annunity so it will earn the money, over 25 years, that will take it to the full, advertised amount). So if you see that someone won Powerball, and the amount is $400 million, the payout will be about 60% and then you get the taxes taken out.  For a friend of mine, they took out 20% in Federal taxes and 6.78% in state taxes right off the top.  When it came time to file taxes, they owed an additional 18% to the Feds. It's really stinky if you live in a state other than the one where you purchased the ticket because you will have to pay  6% and up to the state where the ticket was purchased, depending on that state's tax rate.  

Edited September 30, 2018 by KLovestoShop

[debraran]

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

Another thing that happens is that in the lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions, if you take the lump sum payment, you don't get anywhere near the listed amount.  The only way you get the full amount is when you take the annuity (the lottery commission takes the real amount and puts it in an annunity so it will earn the money, over 25 years, that will take it to the full, advertised amount). So if you see that someone won Powerball, and the amount is $400 million, the payout will be about 60% and then you get the taxes taken out.  For a friend of mine, they took out 20% in Federal taxes and 6.78% in state taxes right off the top.  When it came time to file taxes, they owed an additional 18% to the Feds. It's really stinky if you live in a state other than the one where you purchased the ticket because you will have to pay  6% and up to the state where the ticket was purchased, depending on that state's tax rate.  

 

Yea, you need to deduct quite a bit and you better make sure if it's not a lot of money, not millions, you don't buy something that will eat up that money little by little. One time, the home a couple picked would have been thousands a month in upkeep for just the outside, forget the utilities (can't even imagine) furniture, alarm system, the list goes on and on. Usually for many, judging from the "poor lottery winner" stories, the money doesn't last as long as their list of expenses.

I would love the 1000 a week for life, just enough to be comfortable and I'd work until a normal retirement date.

Edited September 30, 2018 by debraran

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

Usually for many, judging from the "poor lottery winner" stories, the money doesn't last as long as their list of expenses.

I believe that's because so many of them want the instant gratification and take it in the lump sum.  Unless you are an old coot, you should really consider your future and take the annuity.  That way you are essentially set for life instead of blowing it all in the first ten minutes you have it. 

Not sure if old coots can will an annuity to survivors or not....

[debraran]

Most do but you need to read the small print. Most experts say not to take it in lump sum but if you are 80 and want too, what the heck, spend it all : )

https://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/are-lottery-annuity-payments-transferable.aspx

[KLovestoShop]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I believe that's because so many of them want the instant gratification and take it in the lump sum.  Unless you are an old coot, you should really consider your future and take the annuity.  That way you are essentially set for life instead of blowing it all in the first ten minutes you have it. 

Not sure if old coots can will an annuity to survivors or not....

You can will the payments, but not only will you pay the whole death tax crap on the remaining annuity balance, you will also have to pay the yearly taxes.  I don’t know what estate taxes are now, but back in the day it was 60%.  It really hits beneficiaries hard.  That’s why it’s best if you’re older than 65, you take the lump sum.  

[Kohola3]

56 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

That’s why it’s best if you’re older than 65, you take the lump sum.  

Hey, works for me. Off to buy a ticket!

[ByaNose]

First off, David’s tattoos are too distracting to me that I can’t concentrate on the show. Secondly, I hate tattoos so maybe I shouldn’t be watching. Thirdly, I wish they would get bigger winners on this show. I’m in a $100,000 plus home myself. I don’t need to see someone else buying something I could afford myself. Where are the big obnoxious winners who have have won millions & millions? This weeks Mega Million Jackpot is $367,000,000. After all is said and done the payout is $155,340,900 for a person in Pennsylvania where I’m from. It’s nothing to sneeze at but after a million dollars alone there isn’t much left. Taxes suck! LOL!!!!!

Edited October 1, 2018 by ByaNose

[chessiegal]

They had a couple who won 20 million I think. They bought a huge house in the Hamptons for about 1.5 million. Now that was some house porn.

[ByaNose]

12 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

They had a couple who won 20 million I think. They bought a huge house in the Hamptons for about 1.5 million. Now that was some house porn.

You gotta love house porn. LOL!!! I can’t recall if I saw that one or not. I do recall a couple buying a house right on the beach but I can’t recall if that was the Hamptons or not. I like to see more houses in the one million dollar range for this show. I’d kill for a one million dollar scratch off but for the show I rather see people looking at million dollar homes. 

[debraran]

I feel because one million after taxes isn't that much for the "house porn" and they are the more frequent winners, there wont be as many shows with larger winners. I remember a woman in higher end Boston area buying a home that was expensive but didn't seem so because of the overpriced homes. When I googled the win, she didn't come up but then I saw another woman who looked just like her and matched the win. I guess she changed her name for the show (which might be why David smiled saying it at times) and made me think how hard it must be for some to be in spotlight. Some would love it, but unless they are compensated beyond the "15 minutes of fame" what is in it for them? They need to have a home or be close to it, David doesn't help them really, they have to pretend to look at 2 others  but I wouldn't want everyone watching to know where I'm living. I would want a nicer home but if it was 1 million I think I'd fix mine up since I'm middle aged and hate moving. ; )  Some winners don't buy new homes but travel all over the world, buy their kids things, a few give to charity or save for college etc.

It's fun to watch and that once a month or so scratch off I buy takes on a little more hope.....not much but a little. lol

[ByaNose]

4 hours ago, debraran said:

I feel because one million after taxes isn't that much for the "house porn" and they are the more frequent winners, there wont be as many shows with larger winners. I remember a woman in higher end Boston area buying a home that was expensive but didn't seem so because of the overpriced homes. When I googled the win, she didn't come up but then I saw another woman who looked just like her and matched the win. I guess she changed her name for the show (which might be why David smiled saying it at times) and made me think how hard it must be for some to be in spotlight. Some would love it, but unless they are compensated beyond the "15 minutes of fame" what is in it for them? They need to have a home or be close to it, David doesn't help them really, they have to pretend to look at 2 others  but I wouldn't want everyone watching to know where I'm living. I would want a nicer home but if it was 1 million I think I'd fix mine up since I'm middle aged and hate moving. ; )  Some winners don't buy new homes but travel all over the world, buy their kids things, a few give to charity or save for college etc.

It's fun to watch and that once a month or so scratch off I buy takes on a little more hope.....not much but a little. lol

I've never understood anyone being on an HGTV show unless they are getting paid a lot or getting free stuff. The My Lottery Dream House is even more phony because David isn't the actual realtor. The winner has to look at phony houses and then show their actual home. At least, I think it's the actual home. My only guess is they really, really, really want to be on tv and possibly meet David. I would pass on both. His constant hugging alone is a turn off for me. Can't he just shake their hands? Whatever.

Edited October 1, 2018 by ByaNose

[debraran]

1 hour ago, ByaNose said:

I've never understood anyone being on an HGTV show unless they are getting paid a lot or getting free stuff. The My Lottery Dream House is even more phony because David isn't the actual realtor. The winner has to look at phony houses and then show their actual home. At least, I think it's the actual home. My only guess is they really, really, really want to be on tv and possibly meet David. I would pass on both. His constant hugging alone is a turn off for me. Can't he just shake their hands? Whatever.

I heard on HHI they get about a 1000 but My Lottery Dream Home hasn't said. There must be some compensation, albeit small, but when you think about it, it's kind of putting yourself out there and almost showing off, if that's the right term, although some are so nice, I am glad they won.  : )

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

I heard on HHI they get about a 1000 but My Lottery Dream Home hasn't said. There must be some compensation, albeit small, but when you think about it, it's kind of putting yourself out there and almost showing off, if that's the right term, although some are so nice, I am glad they won.  : )

Well, when I win the $367,000,000 Mega Million lottery you won't be hearing or seeing me. Buh-bye! LOL!!!!

[chessiegal]

'The HGTV website doesn't list any compensation info, but they do outline the criteria, and add that if you want more information, contact the production company.

How to be on My Lottery Dream Show

[Straycat80]

I’m disappointed so far with the houses this season. I’d like to see more McMansion type houses (house porn). There was one couple in the past who won a lot of money and bought a huge, fabulous house in the mountains. The last two couples this season didn’t even buy the houses David showed, they ended up buying a lot and building their own. 

[debraran]

I think if that is what the lottery winners did, they have no choice. Many seem to have won over a year ago, one was 2 years ago when I looked. They might take a breather and then decide to build, call the show and they say, sure we can do it, we will just pretend to show you houses. David said the mountain one was actually cheaper than he thought because of the location. The couple is raising some kind of animal and doing well.

I imagine no one on any HH show would really want only 3 choices and sometimes I dislike them all. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The HGTV reno shows have a big gotcha connected.   Any discount on the materials or labor, or the designer are charged against the homeowner's income tax.   So if you get hugely discounted, or excess flooring, you might pay a relatively low price, but with the free labor, designer fees, etc. your income tax statement would be for full retail prices as if you bought it in the store, or hired the designers or workers, and it's straight income.   I'm sure some of the reno shows homeowners have to pay many thousands in taxes.   

I know the Lottery winners have already bought or decided what they're doing, but I still enjoy seeing the local properties.      I imagine the couple in Tallahassee probably went on the new home tour, or looked at other properties, and then decided what to put in their home on the lot they bought.    And what was David thinking when he raved about that scummy pond on the second house?   It screamed snakes, and alligators to me, and I can't believe he didn't think of that in Florida.    I'm betting a lot more lottery winners are buying property and building, and I bet the producers weren't picking those people before.     If I ever won a lot in the lottery, I wouldn't be publicizing it on TV, and having everyone who wants money hitting me up for gifts.       I do like that many of the lottery winners are buying really nice, but affordable properties, since I'm sure many of them take the annuity, and then get maximum amount.      

I wonder if any of the lottery winners, or even regular house hunter participants, ever see a decoy house, and wish they had bought it instead?     I think that's a reason that some of the chosen houses underwhelm me, and you wonder what the buyers were thinking about choosing the house they buy.     

Edited October 6, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[javajeanelaine]

I always feel a little g***** when the lottery winner doesn't pick one of the houses shown.

[debraran]

7 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The HGTV reno shows have a big gotcha connected.   Any discount on the materials or labor, or the designer are charged against the homeowner's income tax.   So if you get hugely discounted, or excess flooring, you might pay a relatively low price, but with the free labor, designer fees, etc. your income tax statement would be for full retail prices as if you bought it in the store, or hired the designers or workers, and it's straight income.   I'm sure some of the reno shows homeowners have to pay many thousands in taxes.   

I know the Lottery winners have already bought or decided what they're doing, but I still enjoy seeing the local properties.      I imagine the couple in Tallahassee probably went on the new home tour, or looked at other properties, and then decided what to put in their home on the lot they bought.    And what was David thinking when he raved about that scummy pond on the second house?   It screamed snakes, and alligators to me, and I can't believe he didn't think of that in Florida.    I'm betting a lot more lottery winners are buying property and building, and I bet the producers weren't picking those people before.     If I ever won a lot in the lottery, I wouldn't be publicizing it on TV, and having everyone who wants money hitting me up for gifts.       I do like that many of the lottery winners are buying really nice, but affordable properties, since I'm sure many of them take the annuity, and then get maximum amount.      

I wonder if any of the lottery winners, or even regular house hunter participants, ever see a decoy house, and wish they had bought it instead?     I think that's a reason that some of the chosen houses underwhelm me, and you wonder what the buyers were thinking about choosing the house they buy.     

 

I agree, re the decoy house, especially if it was for sale. Once I googled it because I Iiked the home so much and it was an airbnb. I would be, don't make me look silly, no better decoy homes!  lol

The saddest one to me was an older woman in the south, she wanted to stay close to her family and looked at her grandmother's home etc but they all were old and worn looking, paneling, older appliances.  She didn't have high expectations or expensive taste, which was nice but everything just looked so drab, I felt bad it was on TV and would maybe get bad comments.

Edited October 7, 2018 by debraran

[ByaNose]

Another million dollar scratch off winner. I barely win $5 with them. I need to move to another location. LOL!!!! I’d like to see the house they build. It didn’t sound terribly expensive with the land & getting it built. I bought another Mega Million Ticket for Tuesday. The jackpot is now $470,000,000 annuity and $265,3000,000 with the cash payout. You still wouldn't see me on with David but I would buy an awesome house.  

[topanga]

On 10/6/2018 at 9:23 AM, Straycat80 said:

I’m disappointed so far with the houses this season. I’d like to see more McMansion type houses (house porn). There was one couple in the past who won a lot of money and bought a huge, fabulous house in the mountains. The last two couples this season didn’t even buy the houses David showed, they ended up buying a lot and building their own. 

I think the lottery winners are makin good financial decisions by purchasing reasonably priced homes. But yeah, it doesn’t make for exciting tv. The commercials make it seem like we’re in for some serious hose porn. Sadly, that’s rare. 

[ByaNose]

14 hours ago, topanga said:

I think the lottery winners are makin good financial decisions by purchasing reasonably priced homes. But yeah, it doesn’t make for exciting tv. The commercials make it seem like we’re in for some serious hose porn. Sadly, that’s rare. 

The commercials are why I thought this season was some serious McMansion houses but it's still the $250,000-$350,000 budget.

[ByaNose]

New episode. Long Island dream home. The guy won a 3 million scratch off. Seriously! I can’t even win $2 on those suckers and people are winning millions. I digress........the couple was really nice. The list price for the house they chose was $470,000. It was a big house with a pool but in a regular area. H also bought a ‘62 Corvette since they went below their budget. I hope they’re very happy. Meanwhile I’m heading to the gas station ⛽️ to buy a scratch off ticket. I bought the Mega Million earlier today. The jackpot is a measly 1.6 billion dollars. I guess I could live on that. I still wouldn’t going on the show. I can find my own house without David. LOL!!!!

[debraran]

I'll have to watch that episode today, I bet the car looked good ;)  I have read most win big on scratch offs although it might not be as large. Some winners insist you need to buy the same one especially if buying 3 or 4 (one winner got 32 at a time) but of course you could do that and lose. The only difference in scratch offs is that with multiples the chance of getting 5 or 10 win with many is greater. I buy them occasionally but usually Win for Life or something with lower payouts over time. I once put down 20 (will only say this here) on one ticket and lost, not even 3.00 payoff. Will never do that again. lol

I don't have the money to play with strategies etc but dreaming and having fun within your budget can be nice. My kids principal was getting ready to retire, getting squeezed out of her job with a school merger. She stopped at a local gas station (small city) and got 2 cards. One was a loser and one was worth about 1 million. Got a Winnebago and traveled the country.  Those stories always make me smile.

Edited October 21, 2018 by debraran

[CrazyInAlabama]

Or if you win a MegaMillions, you call David, book him for house hunting and design outside the show, and have him redo anything you want changed.    Then you don't advertise where you live on national TV, and have everyone in the world that wants money know where you live.  

[javajeanelaine]

I reallly thought the LI guy was sweet and had very reasonable expectations.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the construction worker hitting the lottery for so much, and retiring to Florida.     I knew the instant David said the third place was totally furnished that it was the one he would pick, that's usually a give away.   I still loved looking at the other two places, but didn't like the first one, it was too small and cramped for what he wanted.     The second was right near the highway, and I didn't like that, or the house either, and there is never a guarantee that all of the amenities will be finished.     The third place was lovely, and I know he'll be very happy there.    

My guess is the reason there seemed to be missing lower teeth is that he had bad teeth for years, and now is getting implants, so the anchors have to heal for quite a while.      At least I hope that is what's going on.     

Edited October 27, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kenzie]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I loved the construction worker hitting the lottery for so much, and retiring to Florida.     I knew the second David said the third place was totally furnished that it was the one he would pick, that's usually a give away.   I still loved looking at the other two places, but didn't like the first one, it was too small and cramped for what he wanted.     The second was right near the highway, and I didn't like that, or the house either, and there is never a guarantee that all of the amenities will be finished.     The third place was lovely, and I know he'll be very happy there.    

Yes, he was quite a character. He really grew on me. 

[debraran]

Me too.  And he didn’t need space for a lot of people staying over   Lol. My kind of thinking ;)