Amazingly, there are financial advisors who suggest that we shouldn't view our homes as investments. They are where we live, say the advisors, and we shouldn't expect more from them than that.

Nonsense. Most people have built up more net worth from the rising value of their residence than from any other single factor. Most of us use our homes as the foundation of our entire financial life. And most of us will sell our home at a sizable profit at some point. Therefore, it makes good sense to treat our home as an investment--to take extremely good care of it, remembering that we'll want it to look attractive to a buyer at some point.

That said, it is also worth reminding ourselves that our home is where we live, and that the point of being alive is to live well. Choices we make about how to decorate our homes--the colors we want to surround ourselves with, for example--shouldn't be based slavishly on what we think a potential buyer will want. We're the people living in the house, after all. So let's live! Let's choose the colors we want, the appliances and furniture that serves us, the decor that makes our hearts sing. Do we play a certain kind of music in our home because we think potential buyers will like it when we eventually place the home on the market? That, of course, is nonsense. So is living in our house for someone else who won't see the house for years. Need help or information on real estate? Just call Beth at (425) 450-5208 and visit her website at www.bethbillington.com.

Beth Billington is a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Bain in Bellevue, WA.