I attended the Cincinnati Homearama show in Long Cove - it was unbelievably impressive. I hear that it's the biggest and most impressive show in the country. Of course I can't verify that, but it's certainly believable.

The neighborhood is beautiful; nothing like it in Cincinnati! The waterways would make you think that your Cincinnati home is in a resort / vacation area! Imagine being on vacation 365 days a year! (Of course, you need to work 366 days to afford these unbelievable houses.)

They ranged in price from $1M to $2.75 Million. But price didn't seem to correspond to value or attractiveness!

One house that stood out, in my mind, was the Marino Home - the "Joie de Vivre" (you gotta love these pretentious names!) The lot had the most privacy of any - situated right at the mid-point of an elongated lake, with fountains in the back yard. Maybe 500 feet beyond the back yard is a privacy hill with trees and then a street. Many of the other houses seemed to look right into someone else's back yard!

One side of the street all had walk-outs in their lower level. The other side (presumably the more expensive side) was on the long waterway, which did not facilitate walk-out basements (the lower levels were half underground, which made them darker and less attractive). The Marino home was on the side with full walkouts.

All the homes at around $2 Million or above were just gorgeous. The Hensley house was unbelievably impressive, but considering the house was almost three times as expensive as its next door neighbor, I wouldn't consider it a good "investment". But these houses are for people with more money than they know what to do with anyway. The green copper windows on the second floor of the Hensley house were definitely distinctive. Some loved them; others said they were reminiscent of "a clown house". (The comments you hear from the less sophisticated crowds are really fun!)

The two contemporary houses (Shonave and Perry Bush), while fun to visit, were definitely not my style, for a home. Some find the contemporary style comfortable. I don't think they feel like home. Johnny Rockets has that contemporary feel - I'll get my fill of contemporary with a burger and fries to go, thanks.

Nearly every home had a darkened media room. The houses with the sunken lower-levels facilitated this darkness well. Marino's house, with its full walk-out, had a bright, cheery lower level. I don't know about you, but I am just not into darkness (of course, you could always turn out the lights, for the cinema experience!) But somehow, Marino achieved a bright media room with a screen that you could actually see very clearly in the brightness! I think it was a combination of a high reflective screen and a projector that was behind the screen (in front of the viewer) that produced this impressive media experience. There was nothing else like it in the show. If you like dark and dingy, this media room was not for you - it was light, open, and viewable from the entire lower level. I'd love to have a Super Bowl party there!

The Daniels home was incredible, with its circular staircase, and rounded features throughout. (I don't have a lot of curved furniture, so it would be a struggle for me to decorate. And how would I tell my kids to "sit in the corner"?) The dining room seemed impractically far from the kitchen, but then again, with houses this large, some sacrifices have to be made! What surprised me was that they seemed to have "crowd control" on the beautiful staircase. Only a couple people are allowed on the cirular stairs at a time? Is this structurally sound? Pay a mil and a half for a home, and you have to worry if the steps can support your overweight friends? I'm sure its fine, but it was noticeable to the casual observer that there seemed to be some caution. Then again, maybe they just wanted to avoid conjestion on the stairs.

One of my favorite aspects of the homes is looking at the features that are just "over the top". Kurlemann's home had a fountain in the foyer. Incredibly impressive, but just over the top. My guess is that it will be removed prior to the buyer getting this $2M masterpiece. The front entry was so impressive. Unfortunately it reminded me of a mausoleum that I had been to, so I had an erie feeling walking in. It would be an incredible place to spend eternity! But its entry, while unbelievably impressive, didn't give me the "homey" feeling.

Which brings me back to the Marino house. It was by far the most liveable, most practical design in the show. It, too, had some "over-the-top" features - a beautiful stone wall in the family room, for instance, and the stone facade. Totally impressive, totally unnecessary, but way cool. The ceilings and floors had specially treated wood, which just stood out in a positive way. (The hardwood floor was distressed which gave a comfortable, but expensive, look). It was homey elegance, if that makes sense. The house had four areas of outside living (screened porch, deck, under deck, and stone patio), once again taking it over the top. (Still, this was nothing compared to the neighbor Kurlemann house with massive outdoor living!)

Many of the homes had floor plans that were mazes. Marino's was well thought out, and just made sense. I didn't get lost when I went in! (When I was in Hensley's home, I walked through a master-closet-maze that had literally 35 people in it - now THAT's a maze!)

Marino didn't stick any deer antlers or moose heads on the wall or ceiling (unlike Sanneman and Daniels), and the home radiated quality craftsmanship. (I didn't get that same "feeling" of quality craftsmanship in the St. Lawrence home.)

The other builders - Curran, Pinnacle, Hering, and Rookwood each had a feature or two that was noteworthy. Nothing outstanding, but not bad.

If you can't tell already, my selection for People's Choice Award goes to Marino. For $1.6 M, it's a steal in this neighborhood!