Location Preferences

 

My present schedule scarcely affords me time to daydream about travel let alone enjoy it. But, through plans, day trips, and the occasional vacation, I am lucky enough to get a taste of the leisure life. It's never enough to not long for more, of course. But it is enough for me to learn what I like. Thinking about recent experiences, I realize I seek out and then revel in the following characteristics (in no particular order):

* Some combination of urban settings and nature, old and new, popular and less known

* Places with some real character, not artificial or tidy or homogenous

* Photo spots that make you go "wow" on my Instagram feed

* The ability to easily get around without a car through some combination of walking, bicycling, and transit

* Plenty of options for going for a run or bike ride, getting lost along the way, and stumbling onto something you didn't even know was there

* Water views

* Public spaces that are vibrant in design and use, as well as in the energy and diversity of their human occupants

* Places with lots of things going on and lots of things to do, even if the vast majority of them are things I'm not interested in

It occurs to me that I am drawn to real estate investment opportunities with the same characteristics. Which is not surprising because, at least at this juncture, my interest in buying has nothing to do with passive investment and everything to do with the option to combine revenue generation with personal consumption. So why wouldn't I pick places that I wouldn't mind visiting over and over again?

Perhaps the above list is generic enough that a majority of people would agree with it. But everyone's different, so I know there are many folks out there who like lots of things that don't float my boat at all, like high-end food or live music or shopping options or a slow pace. Whatever you're into, I wish for you many happy days looking forward to and then enjoying your perfect destinations!