Teaching catalyst: Each of the titled essays were written by students as they analyzed area real estate ads and imagined owning or buying one of the homes they saw featured.

Home

We moved in Boston in February 1997. Before we lived in Texas. We had about 50 acres of land and a duplex house there which we sold.

Now we want to buy a Victorian style house in Boston or near it. A real estate agent gives us a list of houses with a price range. We are interested in a Victorian in Watertown. This house has 2 levels. There are massive native trees and beautifully landscaped grounds, a floor plan with every convenience and amenity.

We'd like a modern 3 bedroom with hardwood floors, modern eat-in kitchen, 2 bathrooms with marble floors, family room with fireplace and many additional storage spaces. Besides, there are a swimming pool, tennis court and one-car garage parking. The house is 35 years old.

The seller wants $160,00 dollars for the home. We think about it.

My Lovely Home

My home has lovely arched doorways. It is painted in bone white and light green. It has windows in every room and cathedral ceilings on the second level. There is a spacious deck overlooking the yard with an in-ground swimming pool. The living room has a very nice fireplace and a big family room next to it. This home has four bedrooms placed on the second floor, three of them are medium bedrooms and the other a large bedroom with renovated bath included. There is one more bathroom and a half bathroom on the first floor. It has a huge modern 90's kitchen with rich wood cabinets and a fabulous dining room next to it. This home has updated systems, a three-year old roof, a new furnace, and a convenient location! It has a park nearby for kids, a supermarket, and a gas station. And it is not far from the city.

We Buy a House

It is wonderful to live in our own house. Most of us have experienced the comforting feeling of coming home. Either you relax at home or you do something, each of those things you do with a pleasure. So, we decided to buy a house. Our home must not be too expensive. It does not matter whether it is an old building, or a new house. Besides that, it's very important to choose the location. Of course, we wanted to live near public transportation because my wife can't drive a car. This will also cause us to choose a house close to stores. Our desire regarding the area has an important detail -- it has to be quiet enough around. We considered the size of the house we wanted to buy. We wanted to buy a house with three bedrooms because our family is often visited by our son and daughter and their families from Canada. We didn't prefer to have some special features like a deck or a fireplace. I began to research from advertisements in special flyers a long time ago. After a certain period of researching I found in "Greenspan Associates Realty"one advertisement that interested me: "Very clean, Architectural Digest - quality 3 bedroom, gourmet kitchen, lounging bath, deck, laundry in basement, 1600+ s.. corner building with sun from all directions. Steps to MBTA. $129,000."

I interpreted this ad for my family and we considered and discussed it. "Digest-quality" means a tolerant condition. "Gourmet kitchen" means good for a person who likes to cook. "100+ s.f." means the common area in square feet. After a short discussion, we decided to take an attentive look.

However, our current affairs kept us from looking for a house for a short time. So, when we went to our "dream" home, we knew that it was sold. Not for nothing, it's said, "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched." We had to start from the beginning.

My House

My husband and I came to the United States six years ago. We have one beautiful daughter. My uncle wants to live with us too. We also want to have another child someday. My house is too small for four of us, so we bought a new single family house in the town of Quincy. This house is a Victorian. It looks beautiful.

This new house is more expensive than my old house, but the new house is usually better insulated and has better heating systems. Maintenance costs are often lower for a new home. We bought this house that is almost $240,000. It is large enough for my family. We decided to buy this house because it is on a quiet street not too far from Quincy Center. The location is near public transportation and good schools for my daughter Tina. In addition, it's a safe place for my daughter to play. My daughter already has a playmate her age.

The way it looks from the outside of the house is so beautiful. In front of the house, there is the fence which is painted with a light pink color and there is a little garden which has a mixture of many kinds of flowers such as violets, wild flowers, pink carnations, yellow and red tulips, etc. The house has outside covering, that is the siding. In back of my house, there is a lot of land. Thus, we can plant a vegetable garden in the backyard in the summer. On the left of the house, there is a car garage. The right hand side of my house also has a swimming pool. It looks wonderful.

Inside of my house looks very neat and bright. The walls are painted white and some photos of my family are on the wall above the stereo. Then it smells of the sweet flowers in the vase on the coffee table. There are three windows n each room and drapes on the windows. We can see people walk outside. There are four small bedrooms on the second floor. They spread out carpet on the floor. On the first floor, there are hardwood floors. There is a fireplace in the living room and dining room. Next, there is the modern kitchen with rich good cabinets and a dishwasher. Beyond, there are two bathrooms with a modern bath.

All the systems of the house are updated and there is a new roof. We leave something in the basement such as washing-dry machine or to repair the house. Also, we put an alarm system in my house. Moreover, there are two decks in the front and in the back of my house.

A lot of my friends like my house so much. It is beautiful, comfortable, and in a good location. For that reason I am going to take care of my house carefully and live there forever.

My Children Want to Buy a House

My children have saved money for the down payment for a long time. They have a lot of flyers and advertisements. Every time when I go to their house, I bring a new copy of Boston's Real Estate magazine. We look at the magazine together and try to choose a lovely house for our dream. I'd like a house in Cambridge. You can see the house on the picture on page 41. I think the house is modern, spacious, and sunny. It is a large townhouse with two decks, enclosed backyard, modern kitchen and baths, and a great loft with skylight. I think it is very good to be with natural light the whole day. The house looks very nice, but nothing is said about the location. For families with children, it is important to live in an area that has good schools. In addition, my children need to live not so far from their workplace. The price of the house is $425,000. It is very expensive, but I'll call a real estate agent. The telephone number is given. It may be we'll have a bargain.