Dream Home, Dream Car - Switcheroo.

This is the one where we nearly bought a house, but got the Camaro instead. A few months ago, we tagged along with our friends while they were house hunting. We were toying with the idea of moving when our lease is up in August. We still enjoy the simplicity of apartment life, but we miss grilling, swimming in our own pool and hot tub. Initially, we didn't see anything that enticed us to purchase a home and we figured we'd rent a house when the time came.

Then, in an afternoon, our plans changed. We found a house by Toll Brothers we just loved. Walking in, I was head over heels in love. We got pricing, looked at lots and gave it a few days to think it over. As each day went by, we were more intrigued. We figured if the lot was still available - there was only one that would do - it was worth a shot. It was and we put down a deposit, we had a week to do our due diligence and if we changed our mind the deposit was fully refundable.

The model we chose was single story with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The huge selling feature was that the house was filled with natural light, because they gave the option of panel doors when most builders only allow teeny windows. The house had a very natural flow to the outdoors. And we are all about outdoor living. The large shower in the master was standard, that also wooed us.















The house was at the top of our budget, plus we had upgrades and pool installation to consider. I started researching the home building process and I got cold feet. There were so many unknowns, my excitement faded. I know it's not all horror stories, but I generally feel it's best to expect the worst and hope for the best. We haven't had much luck with real estate in the past, so the thought of risking all of our savings made my stomach turn. While I really loved the house, I wasn't sold on the location. It is in the master planned community of Mountain's Edge. It's more restrictive than I'd like to live. Frank and I debated it for days, but in the end we walked away. It was a beautiful house, but we didn't want to be house poor.

Meanwhile, Frank had been seeking an older camaro for months with no luck. He started to look at new models and fell for the 2015 Camaro SS. He had positive equity in the truck so the trade didn't come at a huge expense. Instead of the dream home, he was able to choose a dream car. It's a great ride. He says, "The best he's ever driven!" Previously, he regretted selling the Firebird, but now, it's a distant memory. Sometimes, things work out just as they should. Though, we still need to find a garage to store this beauty.