The Runners-Up

Second Choice: Chestnut (Royal Woodlands, just north of Allen/Scholl's Ferry) A great place, if it'd had an additional place for a theater, it would have won handily. Loved the screened porch with the hanging chairs and the large deck area (though it needed replaced, as did the hot tub). As it was, there wasn't a good place for a theater, and it was just a little too small for all my stuff. The avocado counters in the kitchen were a bit much, but that could easily have been remedied, and the master bath had a wonderfully large shower (though not quite the 3-nozzle, room for 6 shower I saw in one house!).

Third Choice: Dosch (Beaverton-Hillsdale, almost to Hillsdale) This was a nice place, especially loved the big back yard and the bay window nook for a dining area. The main problem here was that it was carved up into tiny little rooms everywhere. I did realize later that it wouldn't be too hard to build a theater out under the upper level deck, but it's also in the Hillsdale area, and I wanted to be closer to work. Cedar Hills is a central location between work and downtown.

Fourth Choice: 175th (Aloha) This was a stunningly beautiful home. Immaculately decorated, quite private backyard/deck (save the next door neighbor who felt at home coming over to play with the cat, but a gate would solve that), and edged up against a beautiful greenspace. The biggest flaw here is that it's in Aloha, much too far out from downtown. And no good space for a theater, and no easy way to keep the neighbors across the street from looking in the front window, save curtaining them off entirely.

Fifth Choice: Ardenwood (Cedar Hills, across US26 from St. Vincents) You fall in love with this place immediately as you walk into the living room and are faced with that beautiful window wall. That would have cinched it immediately, except that the wiring was old 2-wire stuff (and more than one outlet looked like it had smoke damage), the kitchen needed a complete overhaul (the dishwasher was in a unit with the sink, and looked like it dated back to the 50's along with the house), and there wasn't much room outside of the large living room. The paneling was of a high grade that hasn't been seen in decades, but it just didn't make up for the rest.