While most people may say they must have chocolate, caffeine or some other sort of something we probably should print in the newspaper, I think my addiction falls somewhat on the slight side.

It’s real estate.

I’ve confessed this addiction before, but I think that as the years go by, it’s getting stronger.

I had hoped that as the years went by, I would have out grown this somewhat silly thing. You see, while most people like to sneak around at work and play video games, I like to thumb through our real estate guide and see what’s for sale.

While I make no great plans to one day own a lot of real estate, I love to sit and browse through brochures, Web sites and classifieds; comparing and contrasting neighborhoods; and trying to determine if it’s someone I know who’s looking to sell. Whatever the case, it’s all fun for me. Some people might call that being nosy, but I think it’s just an offshoot of what I do every day.

I’m not quite sure what exactly captured my attention about real estate. I think that maybe it’s the desire to put down roots in a place we all could call “home.” A place that gives a chance at a new beginning, starting from the floor up, has always been a top priority on my list.

Now is no different.

When we’re younger, we focus all of our energy trying to leave home. Once we’ve finally made our way into the world, we then tend to focus our energy on re-establishing a place we can call our own.

The pursuit of the American dream is one that many dedicate their entire lives to fulfilling, so I guess that I’m really no different than anyone else.

It’s amazing to me that people can take the simplest pleasure in putting their mark as an individual into their homes. It also amazes me the things that people come up with that people put into their homes.

Maybe that’s why I like real estate so much. Each house representing a chance for someone to find his or her place in the world.

John Howard Payne wrote, “Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam; Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

With those simple words, I am reminded that no matter how far we travel, whether through distance or experience, there is no place that is as safe and as comforting as home.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a two-story in the Woodlands or a small wood-frame home in the country, home is where the heart is.