Nice Place to Visit But Would I Want to Live There?

I could have spent New Year’s Day watching Democrats and Republicans circle one another like caged mixed martial arts fighters. But there was much more compelling television to be viewed and I’m not talking about the Rose Bowl, although the game was pretty entertaining.

On January 1 HGTV traditionally debuts their new Dream Home, so I was giddy with excitement as they unveiled their latest prize.  Constructed on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, the house style is described as low-country Zen. Laden with the latest furniture from Ethan Allen and accessories from craftsfolk in Charleston, the house is warm, welcoming and ready for my family, because, as host Monica Pederson told me repeatedly, the $1.5 million home, its contents,  $500,000 cash, and a GMC Acadia Denali, could all be mine.

Then I got to thinking….would I really want to live on Kiawah Island? I’ve been to the Charleston area and, while I enjoyed my vacation, I have a hard time picturing myself spending more than a week kayaking around the marsh and shopping in the Straw Market. I feel the same way about other Dream Home locations like Sonoma, Stowe, and Jackson Hole. All of them are great places to visit…but $2 million could buy a life’s worth of trips. So, if I win, I’ll plant a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. After a week or two, though. I’d have to get my fill of she-crab soup first.