Which sounds more fun?

1. Investing in real estate
2. Buying a house
3. Making a home

The McMansioning of America would indicate that many people have mistaken the first two tasks with the third. With all the pressure to expand and fill spaces with more and more stuff (each kid needs POUNDS Of toys), it’s easy to become enslaved to the assumption that each little person needs his or her own room, his or her very own well-organized shelving system.

Architect and unintended revolutionary, Sarah Susanka, has a beautiful series called the Not So Big House, which lays out beautifully the joys of smaller, and well-crafted spaces.

As my family and I recapture our gypsy spirits, our cottage hearts swell as we settle into the sweet serenity of our housing dream. Less fortress, more neighborhood. Less driving, more walking.

I’ve always been enchanted by home, nesting, and finding a place that feels, smells of love. But I’ve often been so busy responding mindlessly to a sense of restlessness, I’ve mistaken adventure for home. Real estate investment for home.

When I hear others’ tales of house sprucing up, buying and selling and moving and recreating space, I’m always always riveted.

I can say that I’ve finally found my home sweet cottage. Have you found yours? Your dream home?

By all accounts, Americans are hungering after bigger and bigger houses, while families are getting smaller and smaller. In 2007, the average home is 4 bedrooms 2.5 baths. And, not surprisingly, even though these newer homes are more energy efficient, their environmental footprint is every bit as dramatic, if not moreso, because of the square footage now required to air condition and heat.

Almost 2 years ago, my Honey and I bought our first house here in Bellingham. It’s a lovely Victorian in a cute, older neighborhood. This house has CHARACTER and is such a wonderful change for our last one, which had (you guessed it) 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The yard is relatively low-maintenance and shady (with a little garden mixed in) and the kids love their flunky and colorful bedrooms.

We bought this lovely place because I missed my sweet little cottage. The small spaces and one-bedroom easy cleaning darling that I lived in with Morgan and Zander. In the end, kids with their forts have it right: There is something comforting about small spaces, with low-ceilings, and white appliances. Something sweet and pure and lovely.

When you have kids, or get older, or both, creating and sustaining a home that feels safe, secure, and cozy, seems so much more important. In my 20s, I could move every 6 months just for the fun and sport of it. Now I want to create a home that feels warm when you walk in the door. Meanwhile, even though I’ve found my home, I can’t break my habit of surfing for real estate all the time…

How about you? What’s home to you? Are you a secret real estate hussy like me?

I love to look at websites full of houses for sale. It started as an innocent diversion, a useful endeavor even, when we were looking for houses almost 2 years ago. But now it serves no practical purpose whatsoever. It’s just a dreamy diversion from my cracker carpet filled living room.

Maybe if we move… Maybe if we find someplace we love EVEN MORE…

The dream is less about the house itself (I like small, cozy, unusual), and more about what it represents: A better life, better schools, walking distance to pubs and coffee places and restaurants and bookstores. In short, it’s a proxy for all my big dreams. And I have them now, but I still can’t help looking…

When you have kids housing takes on this extra dimension. It’s nesting, in the truest sense. Nesting… ah.. the fun of nesting. Cuddling up, picking colors, finding comfy furniture, making a place homey and welcoming a warm.

I’m a real estate hussy. But I simply cannot give it up. At least not today. And at least I’m not alone in this wicked pursuit.