House Hunters

When Ann and Craig Turkel announced they were going to buy a vacation home in the Palm Springs area, their friends thought they were nuts. That's because this Southern California couple does not even own their primary residence in Santa Monica.

Podiatrist Frank Campo loves his top-floor two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the historic North End neighborhood of Boston. In fact, is in the same 18th-century building as his office, which makes for a very short commute.

Retirees Linda and Tom Ahlers live in a 5,000-square-foot home in Corvallis, Oregon, just an hour and a half south of Portland.

Shelli Piva and Mitch Galerkin have always dreamed of having a cozy little vacation cottage on the coast of Northern California, but hectic work schedules and soaring prices have all but dashed their plans for a weekend getaway. But they are determined to find a weekend home near where Piva grew up, Bodega Bay.

Married five years, Wendy Ito and Bud Hum have settled nicely into their Chicago home. Their South Loop neighborhood is a mere five minutes via elevated train to their jobs downtown. It's also a dog-friendly community with plenty of places to walk their pups, Maggie and Hershey.

Stephanie and David Jeffers were drawn to the upscale Fort Worth, Texas suburb of Ridglea Hills because of its woodsy beauty and proximity to good schools. They love their traditional 2,800-square-foot ranch-style home, but they are starting to run out of space, fast.

Marji Knowles and her husband, Michael Tibbott, fell in love with Maui while on vacation and decided to move there from California's Silicon Valley. They are looking for a two-bedroom, two-bath condo with the right layout and furniture, since most homes in Hawaii come furnished. Real estate agent Donna Hansen is eager to help this couple with their search.

Noelle and Matt Beaver currently rent a home in Ft. Worth, Texas. The 1,400-square-foot home has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and a spacious backyard, and is located in an older neighborhood.

Curtis Bridgeforth is a Las Vegas entertainer, who for the last 12 years, has been the lead singer of the world famous music group, The Platters. For the last two years he and the band have had a regular gig in Las Vegas, and he has been living in extended-stay hotels. But now he feels that it is time for the curtain to fall on his nomad lifestyle.

Sisters Aimee and Jennifer Ellison are searching together for their first home in southwest Minneapolis, Minn. They currently live in separate apartments in the Uptown area and have decided to put their heads and their pocketbooks together to buy a house instead of renting.

Angie and Adam Vincze recently moved their family (they have had three kids in the last five years) to Angie's hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. They are now renting a place while they adjust to their new city and look for a permanent home, but it's been three months and they still haven't found anything.

In the last six years, Texas natives Rebecca and Jason Pate have lived in four different homes. Now that the couple is ready to start a family, they want to make one final move--into a larger house in their current Austin neighborhood.

Brian Cottrell and Forrest Cain thought buying a home in Dallas was a far-off possibility, at best. But once they investigated the market, they realized their big dream was a possibility if they were willing to compromise on location and/or take a fixer-upper to get a price within their budget.