Livaboard and cruising are//may be many different realities; and the actual physical environment that you expect to live in may dictate that you have either a liveaboard or a cruising boat. That old idea of a floating Condo vs. a real seaworthy boat comes to mind. (of course you can have both). How much "stuff" can you do without ? How experienced/seaworthy are you? What physical condition are you and your crew in ? Study sailboat reviews like you were going to be tested. Read the sales info on the Shannon website,Sabre, even if you cannot afford them, you can learn what you want for one or two handed sailing. Take a look at
http://www.mahina.com/boats.html