The interesting thing about looking for homes, particularly in the city, is discovering neighborhoods and communities you never really knew about or knew existed. There are some really nice homes/lots in Chicago...even with the overall "Northwest Territory" grid layout of the city, there are some great lots in decent, yet affordable areas that are bigger than the "standard" 35x125 lot. So that's interesting.

Also, it's kind of heartwrenching to be looking at homes and seeing one you really like, but you can't have because, well, your condo is nowhere near being sold (let alone ready to be put on the market). Fortunately, I've adjusted my thinking to the same kind of thinking that I have when in an expensive store full of many things that I'd love to have (say, a hobby shop or electronics store or something like that). That thinking is, 'wow, that looks nice, and I could probably afford it some day, but not now...I'm just browsing.' Hopefully, some of these nice places will be around (and maybe even cheaper) when we start truly looking in a few months. Yes, a few months. Unofficially, we're thinking of putting the condo up after the New Year and hope it sells quickly (which it probably won't, given the market, but we'll see). For now, it's time to renovate the half-bathroom and research storage space and clean up around here...since the holidays will get in the way of all of that. :)