Example

Cayla Career is 25 years old and works for a prominent law firm in New York City. She's a new associate at the firm and finds herself working long hours everyday, including weekends. When she does have some rare time off, she enjoys traveling and has the money to ski in Aspen or sunbathe in Hawaii at a moment's notice.

Cayla would like to buy a home because her rent is sky-high and her parents will help out with a down payment. Cayla would spend little time in her home, and her main needs and wants are safety and security since she keeps late hours due to her work schedule and a quick commute to her workplace. A small apartment in a doorman building on the upper eastside of Manhattan is a perfect fit for Cayla.

As another example, Haley Homemaker is 25 years old and has been married to Billy Business for four years. They have two children and a third on the way. Billy and Haley own a small business that repairs, updates and networks computers for other small businesses. Billy and two other employees do the actual work on the computers and Haley takes care of the books, billing, taxes and payroll and all other recordkeeping from their home.

Haley and Bill are living in a three-bedroom house they have been renting since they got married. Their business has been doing well and they have managed to set aside a good sum of money for a down payment on a home of their own. Haley and Billy need to stay in the same general area they live in now because the networking and ties with the small business community is of utmost important to their business. They also need a house with at least three bedrooms and a home office big enough to accommodate the office equipment and records needed to run their business.

They would also like a playroom and a big yard for their present and future children to play in with their babysitter while Haley works in her home office. They have no time for repairs and need a house on the newer side or an older house that has been excellently maintained. Another requirement at the top of Haley and Billy's list is that the home they buy is within the boundaries of their present school system, since it is top-notch and they don't want the added expense of paying for private school.

A perfect fit for Haley and Billy would be a well-maintained 15-year-old house approximately four blocks from where they live now, with four bedrooms, a playroom and a den that the current owner had already updated and uses as a home office. Because the house is 15 years old, the price is less than a new one of the same size, and Haley and Billy and their family can pretty much just move in. It's also close enough to their old home so that their move can easily be done in steps, which will keep the disruption of their home and work lives to a minimum.