When D and I met, I owned a large condo and he owned a huge house in the suburbs. When we decided to purchase a home together, we moved into a house in the city that was about the size of my condo.

Giving up possessions did not bother me, but it was very difficult for Dennis. For the first year our basement and garage were packed with "stuff." Over the years, we have sold, given away and thrown soooooo much. We still have more to give away, but we are close to actually fitting in our home.

I have never regretted going smaller for one minute. We still have a deck and a back yard that I have converted into a garden paradise (very small paradise - Ha Ha) and we are on a quiet street where I can sit in the yard and see people, not traffic.

I really liked condo life for the same reasons that others have mentioned and disliked it for pretty much the same reasons too. I had a couple that visited me, maybe once a month, and he was almost deaf. Poor sweetheart loved his rock and roll. He would turn on the music, as low as possible, and within minutes, someone would be knocking at the door. This was not night time, mind you, but in the afternoon, usually on a Sunday.

I did share a house with an ex's adult children and grandchildren for a while. This was a very dysfunctional family. Would not repeat that mistake again. Consider the relationship you have with the people you will share the house with and then make the decision. I would venture to say that relationships will not improve as a result of living together. Healthy relationships - maybe yes. Dysfunctional - whoa, no, no, no.