RENTING, BUYING OR BUILDING

But the test is most severe of all when good fortune permits us to
choose locality, site, and building plans, and to finish and furnish
the house to suit our tastes, even though less in accordance with our
full desires than with our modest means. Now we may bring out our
theory of living from its snug resting place. It will need some
furbishing up, maybe, to meet modern conditions, but never mind!

Whether we mean to rent, to buy, or to build, the problem of where and
what and how is before us. As folk of wholesome desires, we insist
first of all upon good taste, comfort, and healthfulness in our
habitats; and since we may agree upon the best way to attain these
essentials without ignoring our personal preferences in details, we may
profitably take counsel together as to what the new home should be.



LOCATION

Thought of a location should begin with the birth of the home idea,
even if the purchase-money be not immediately available. We should not
only take sufficient time to study conditions and scheme carefully for
the home, but must sagaciously bear in mind that where real estate is
in active demand anxiety to purchase stiffens prices. To bide one's
time may mean a considerable saving. However, life, as we plan now to
live it, is short enough at most, and we should not cheat ourselves out
of too much immediate happiness by waiting for the money-saving