Melissa Fisher, 40, a surgical technologist at Riddle Surgery Center in Media, answers the question differently: "Because he could do it."
With Garnet Valley the chosen school district, the hunt began for the perfect lot. It took a few years, but they found it: three acres at the end of a typical suburban cul-de-sac, and abutting 125 untouched acres owned by a utility company.
The house on the lot was no prize. The former owners had many, many dogs, and making sure they were housebroken wasn't important.
Sour canine smells were no big deal to George. He had plans to increase the size of the house from 2,200 square feet to 5,000, and tearing out yucky floors - the former owners had painted under carpets to get rid of odors - was as much a part of those plans as it was a necessity.
But there was, it turned out, an unexpected prize after all: a pond. Occupying nearly an acre, this natural water treat is about seven feet at its deepest point. Home to bass and catfish, snakes and turtles, it's also the watering hole for the webbed and four-footed: geese, herons, fox, deer, and the Fishers' two dogs, Bandit and the latecomer, Jack.
It makes for quite a view, regardless of where you stand in the Fisher house now - bedrooms, great room, kitchen, dining room. The house is about 90 feet long, and windows make up 90 percent of its area.
Every room faces the pond, Melissa says.
The couple's mindfulness of nature and the environment goes beyond this vista. Their home is decorated primarily in earth tones - save for 13-year-old son Alex's room, which is painted in both Phillies and Indianapolis Colts colors, despite the trade of quarterback Peyton Manning to the Denver Broncos.
George also has installed a geothermal heating and air-conditioning system (with an electrical backup). A similarly sized home would have about $800 a month in utility costs, he says, and the Fishers' bills are half that.
Married 16 years, George does something that not every husband does: "He listens to his wife," Melissa says.
To wit: the 16-by-15-foot master bathroom, with yellow porcelain tile on the floor, speckled brown granite on the countertops (a makeup area for her), a big tub with soothing jets, and a double glass-door shower - with seating.
"You do it right, you never have to do it again," says George.
If you cook, you dream of a kitchen like the Fishers', with its six burners, a copper salad sink in the island, and plenty of granite counter space beneath solid maple cabinets. Of course, you run the risk of messing up a recipe while you're looking at that view.
Melissa says the neighbors were happy when the Fishers were remodeling the house, glad to be rid of a smelly, noisy situation. But even those neighbors likely didn't envision just how happy they would be after the Fishers moved in.
These homeowners allow access to the pond - unlike the previous owners, who "wouldn't let the neighbors near it," George says.
And the neighbors, especially the youngsters, can't seem to stay away, much to the joy of the Fishers. As a visitor sat at the kitchen table recently, some young anglers walked onto the property and, despite the heat of the day, seemed ready to spend some time fishing. During the summer, George stocks the pond with trout, and the Fishers host catch-and-release parties.
"We love our neighbors," Melissa says. "There are a lot of young families."
There is chicken wire around the pond, and a gate to pass through to gain access to the property. Typically, Melissa says, young fishermen knock to see if it's all right to use the pond.
In winter, the hockey sticks come out and goalie masks are donned. This is a pond that gets four-season use.
But that means a lot of equipment to stow. Where do the Fishers put it all?
Remember the reason they moved in the first place?
Seeing their very large garage is a holy-moly moment. It's a wall-to-wall, yes-we-have-two-growing-children-who-love-sports affair accommodating a row of bicycles, dirt bikes, four-wheelers, hockey gear, the car (barely) - and only they know what else.
But you get the feeling that George and Melissa wouldn't want it any other way.
