Funny how different things appeal to some and not others. My first thought when looking at the DR, is I hate the coral ceiling. It just made the room feel closed in. Ditto in the Bedroom - too dark of a color. Maybe if they had done 50% of the wall color, but to me it just looks like they were lazy and didn't want to trim out the ceiling. I'm not a huge bright white ceiling person, but a creamy white would have been perfect. Also not loving the kitchen color. That wall color does nothing to highlight the lovely cabinets. I love the exterior of the house. I think they did a great job architecturally with capturing the old farmhouse style with the window sizing and trim and porch. I think the inside should have been done more in keeping with the style of the house - not necessarily country, but less contemporary. I was expecting a beautiful quaint home, but instead saw a sparse contemporary bright colored house. I actually thought the LR was one of the prettiest rooms - maybe I'd have done a slightly different shade of blue, but overall it was very nice. That picture over the fireplace being the first thing you see when coming in was just wrong - again too contemporary for that house. OK, I'm done venting.

Terriks is right, the new dream home is in New Mexico. Actually, if you win it, you'll be neighbors with my best friend. I haven't seen it in person yet, but have done the photo tour online. DillyDally's comment on the house color made me chuckle. Unlike most other places in our country, out here we like our homes to be one of the colors of the earth, so that they blend into the landscape. That's so the focus is on the beautiful views, instead of colored houses that stand out. Anyhoo, that's just the way we think out here. I definitely love to see nicely or even brightly colored homes elsewhere, though. That said, this newest dream home is certainly a very Contemporary one. I like many of it's features, including the theater room, but prefer a more Spanish Colonial or Western home myself. The biggest problem I see with the Dream Home is it's back patio. The overhead covering is minimal and that will be a huge PIA out here come Summer. This is a High Desert area, not Low Desert like Phoenix, but our elevation is high (probably 5,000-6,000 there at the house) and the sun, is intense in the Summer, which is May through the end of September, at least, here. Out here, we like the major part of our patios to be covered. We also like windbreaks for our patios, either natural ones like trees or walls. I wonder how windy that patio will end up being? Another potential problem I see with the house is it's glass garage doors. From a security standpoint, you don't want everyone to be able to see if you're home or not . . . or what you have in your garage. JMHO. Even a security gate at the driveway won't keep potential burglars totally away. My best friend has one out there, so I know. Lynn

"It's my understanding that most winners stay in the house as a vacation, pick a few of the nicest decor pieces -- and the vehicle-- then sell it. Otherwise most won't be able to pay the taxes." then they pay a ton in taxes... back a time I worked with a number of auditors. They said never spend even a night there - it'll cost ya big money. and yes, taxes, heating, cooling would be way up there! This home doesn't hold much interest to me. I saw it coming on and changed the channel. Just for fun if I see it on again, I'll watch it. I usually don't like any of the décor in those homes. Most homes those designer/teams people do on the shows would make me scream "noooooooooooooooooo!".

From http://www.hgtv.com/design/hgtv-dream-home/sweepstakes/rules - "In lieu of taking title to the HGTV Dream Home (and the contents of the HGTV Dream Home), the Grand Prize Winner will have the option of receiving $1,450,000.00 in cash in lieu of the home (the “Cash Option”). If Grand Prize Winner elects to take the Cash Option, the Grand Prize winner will still receive the Cash Prize and the GMC Prize. If the Grand Prize Winner cannot take possession of the HGTV Dream Home due to a force majeure event, failure of constructions, or any other reason as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, Grand Prize Winner shall receive the Cash Option, Cash Prize, and the GMC Prize. Total ARV of Grand Prize is $2,567,680.00 if Grand Prize Winner takes title to the HGTV Dream Home or $1,752,680.00 if Grand Prize Winner selects the Cash Option in lieu." So if take the house your tax bill will be about $1,136,633.90 from the federal and then whatever your state charges for income tax. Mine would be an additional $148,925.44. So you can take the house if you were already loaded but other than that you would have to quit your job and move there while getting a mortgage that you certainly couldn't afford without a job.