I live in Seattle and almost lived on a houseboat. After getting over the romance of it, I started to see the practicalities and pulled out of it at the last minute.
First: Just because you’re on a houseboat doesn’t necessarily guarantee a water view. Many are set up in rows, along docks, which lessens the benefit of living on the water.
Second: You know when you’re walking around your house, carrying groceries, running back and forth, etc. Now imagine that wherever there’s grass, there’s 50 feet of water instead. Trip? Drop something? Come home tipsy? Scary.
Third: Water rats. Period. You can’t keep any food outside, at all- including bird seed.
Fourth: All of your furniture needs to be balanced. This was kind of a hard challenge for the previous tenants. If you move things around, it throws your whole house off-kilter.
Fifth: They’re on the water, which can make things really bone-chilly in the winter. They’re also not the most efficient to heat, and can be expensive.
I really, really wanted to make it work because I think they’re cool, but there were just too many negatives of it as a permanent residence, when I thought through it. Maybe someone else has an anecdotal experience that’s the opposite of mine, though – and I’d definitely consider staying in one on vacation.