A 2500 sf house would be entirely too large for a single old man like me. I'd have trouble keeping up with the dusting, not that I make that a life-priority. It's important to me that I remain woman-independent. I would not be a slave, nor would I "own" one.

My house is about 1250 sf on the main level and about the same in unimproved basement, which works fine for storage and the like. I can barely keep up with the dusting in this relatively small house. It's more than adequate for my needs, unpretentious, and easy to maintain, at least as much as I want to maintain it.

When I bought it, in '89, it cost about $60K, which was at market bottom. Since I paid cash, the then-high interest rate was not an issue.

RE