Mansionmania Tournament: Round 2, Heat 7
 

Mansionmania continues with our 32 2nd-round contestants. You will choose among each pair of houses with the following assumptions:

• The purchase price for you is $0.
• All maintenance, utilities, property taxes, HOA fees, and cleaning is included.
• You must live in the home for the rest of your life.
• You can't travel more than 100 miles from home (via google maps drive time) other than 1 two-week vacation each year.
• You get $250,000 per year as a living allowance
• You get an additional living allowance at the cheaper home, which will be valued at 1% of any cost difference annually. I will note this amount in the poll.
• You get the furnishings. If unfurnished, you get an allowance that will give you mid-grade furniture in every room.
• You get any vehicles in the garage. But only the garage - nothing parked outside.

I encourage you to click on the maps in the listings to see the general location and neighborhood.

Also, I will only enter contestants if they have a sufficient number of photos to judge, as determined by me.

Your entries in this heat are:

New Hampshire:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...2_M90471-61146

Idaho:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-25255#photo35

I swear they changed the pictures in Idaho to make it look less ramshackle. It's actually pretty tolerable now. But I like the New Hampshire mega-cottage and it's got access to Boston, which probably has a lot more to do than Spokane. If I was into the Idaho house at all, I'd definitely go Idaho, but I'm a New Hampshire guy this round.

The access to Boston would tip the scales in favor of New Hampshire for me.

I will admit that this round has gotten much more difficult. There have been several heats I haven't even voted because it's too close..

Agreed. We've got a lot of strong contenders. I'm really curious which one will win the tournament, because there are several that I think have a good chance.

Have to go NH on this one. Proximity to more things to do pushes it into the lead.

I don't mind the Idaho home really, just nothing there. Which does have it's own attraction.

While I'm not fond of NH, I have to go there. As I said in the earlier round with the ID house, I've been pretty close to it and a big NO THANKS. It wasn't even full-blown winter and I was wanting to head back to Seattle after a couple hours.

I don't mind being "trapped" in that house in the winter. Y'all might not be a fan, but I like that house and enjoy solitude.

Idaho for me.

I've never been to NH, and I'm guessing it is pretty nice.

I just don't want to live next to a marsh.

It really is criminal how bad they bungled the Idaho house, but given enough time, and stipend it can be un****ed.

Being able to get into Boston is what takes it for NH.

I still really like that Idaho house (though yes, some of it is very overdone). But it's just damn desolate up there.

The NH place is right off Cape Cod with an easy path into Boston so I can get some city livin' when I feel so inclined.

I used to work in a building with a large marsh on the other side of the parking lot. The stench was unbelievable.

I wonder if that's like a tidal floodplain, though.

It's interesting to read about the plumbing systems in Venice. They....don't really have one. Or at least they didn't use to (not as we know them, anyway). The idea was ultimately that the tidal flooding would pull the funk out with it.

So if you're getting fairly routine tidal flooding that also pulls out throughout the course of the day, I'm betting it's not too bad there. Probably nothing more than your standard sea air.

But hell if I know. Seems like a lot of big ol' houses around there for it to smell like a processing plant or something.

I was torn on this round.
The NH house has a lot going for it, you could be a bird watcher with all that marsh land, and you are a lot closer to civilization.

I went with the Idaho one. The acreage has been a decider for me this round. Those are some beautiful views. It looks like there is enough inside the house to keep you occupied during the snowy winters (provided I can get the internet, and by extension, the Planet.

Well I voted New Hampshire because you can go to Boston, and that is the only reason. The house is just boring. Horses? Pfft! NH is the fancy horses. I'd rather just go Idaho live alone, doomsday prep, use the stipend to buy guns and ammunition and wait for Canada to invade.

I think Canada has a history of invading New Hampshire, so that's your more likely place to take a stand. I think you're only allowed to have muskets, though.