Archive: Around Town

My wife and I have been searching for a home for about six months because we are tired of renting and want a place of our own. We can afford to live very comfortably – money isn't a big issue. Each time we find the house that seems perfect, she pulls out her spreadsheet and shows me that logically this house doesn't meet enough of our agreed upon criteria. She's like a machine. Our Realtor tells us there is no such thing as a perfect house and that each house will have some amenities that will outweigh some of the features we are less than happy about. This, in fact, has been the case. I think the Realtor might be getting impatient with us, and I'm tired of being dragged around from house to house knowing that my wife will find fault with whatever house I like. We generally get along very well, but when it comes to big decisions like this my wife depends completely on logic.  How can I get my wife to see past the spreadsheet and really look at the house?
Wants a Place to Call Home
 
Dear Wants a Place to Call Home: You have a few options. Discuss the problem with your Realtor, first of all. Express your appreciation for their patience, and let them know that you are serious about purchasing a home. See if they have ideas to get past this stumbling block. I'm sure this isn't a new experience for them. Then, discuss the lack of logic in paying a mortgage each month - for your landlord. As the value of real estate increases over time, you will never get the advantage of increased equity. Also, the landlord gets all the advantage of tax breaks. Logically, each month that you make a rent payment, you are losing monetary advantages.  And once you find a home that meets most but not all of the criteria, I'm sure your wife will happily build a new spreadsheet with costs and a timeline to renovate the home to bring it up to the criteria you've agreed upon.

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