A buyer hopes to honor her Mayflower ancestors by purchasing a spacious Colonial in Washington; her wish list includes a large formal dining room that seats 12 and a smoking room.

A couple look for a vacation home in Destin, Fla., but they have different ideas on what kind of house to buy, as he wants a single-family home with a large backyard, but she wants to be right on the water with the beach at their doorstep.