A three-stage framework for deciding on property: first gather the facts, then interpret what they mean and what's possible, then judge whether it fits your actual needs and responsibilities. The real decision happens in that final judgment stage.
Over time, I have come to think about property decisions in really 3 stages. First, there is observation. What do we see? What do we know? What facts are right in front of us? Then there's interpretation. What do those facts actually mean? What do they allow? What do they limit? And then there is judgment. Is this property actually right for the life ownership pattern, responsibility, and long-term use that's being considered. That 3rd step is where the real decision lives.
