The data were collected from 1989-92. The interviews were semi-structured and informal. Seventy of the 105 participants were taken to the sites of recent burglaries and asked to reconstruct the crime in detail and to explain why they chose those targets rather than similar buildings nearby. Results revealed that, when experiencing a financial problem or other pressing problem that needed to be resolved quickly, a majority of the offenders typically had already selected a potential residential burglary target and had reliable information about such issues as the routine of its occupants. The offenders usually located the target during their daily activities and kept it under casual surveillance for a period of time. Some offenders picked targets because they knew the occupants personally or had received a tip from someone with inside knowledge. Few offenders lacked a possible burglary site when under pressure to act in response to an immediate need. Findings clarified and expanded the concept of limited or bounded rationality in criminal decision-making and indicated that emotional influences and the wider cultural context affect offender decision-making. 18 references