Couples Report: Homeselling, Buying Caused Romantic Tiffs

No matter how great of a Realtor® you are for your clients, buying or selling a home is a stressful time.

Even if the process goes smoothly, for many couples, it can cause strife in their relationship. A new survey conducted by the Harris Poll found that 77% of Americans who purchased a home in the past 10 years said they argued with their partner about the process, while 71% who sold a home with a partner in the last decade said they had disagreements about selling during that time period.

What is causing the conflict? According to buyers, the majority (54%) said the couple fought over the size and/or style of home, while 47% had a disagreement over the home’s must-have and can’t-have features. Location and neighborhood were other causes of discord, said 42% and, not surprisingly, budget raised some issues for 37% of buyers. Mortgages also caused headaches for nearly 25% of couples.

Selling was also an issue of contention for many couples. Finances were the biggest trouble causers for people, 69% said they disagreed about money in some way, whether it was what price to list the home for, whether to drop the price and whether to accept an offer on the home. Selling a house as-is or fixing it up also caused arguments among 24%, as did whether they should host an open house, thus allowing strangers to walk through the property.

A whopping 85% of millennial sellers said they fought with their partners during the selling process, compared to just 54% of baby boomers.