Tag Archives: buying a home

The decision of where to live in retirement is tough enough by itself. But when you’ve got two spouses who disagree on priorities, the stress levels can shoot through the roof.

This was exemplified by a conversation I recently overheard (couldn’t help but overhear, really) in which a man was describing how his wife not only wants to downsize for retirement, but dreams of buying a home that doesn’t need any more fix-ups — a newly built home, perhaps.

What’s more, she has apparently been protesting whenever her husband fixes up their current home, on grounds that they’ll soon be selling it and moving to that mythical “house that won’t need fixing.” The man doesn’t agree with any of her arguments, but felt like protesting would risk their marriage.

I had to bite my tongue — though it’s the wife I’d really like to give some commonsense advice to (assuming hubby is telling the straight story).

 First off, a house that doesn’t need fixing? It doesn’t exist. Older houses, though in many cases well built at the time, will inevitably need attention to combat the effects of aging. A new roof, new foundation, structural changes if you want to remodel and need to bring other aspects of the place up to code in order to get a permit, are all on the list of likely home fix-ups.

Newer houses, meanwhile, though fresh and up to code, can be a nightmare. Hurried and often shoddy construction — basic stuff, like windows installed wrong way out — by developers trying to make a buck in a tough economy are typical complaints . (For more on that, see Nolo’s article, “Newly Built Houses: Pros and Cons of Buying.”)

As for putting off maintenance because you think you’re about to sell? Bad idea, unless you want to sell for far less than you could have. Deferred maintenance leads potential buyers to wonder what deeper problems you’ve also been ignoring, and to lower their offer price accordingly — or just pass on the house altogether. Just what shape the house should be in is covered in Nolo’s FAQ, “How much should I fix up the house before selling it?”

Sad to say, I’ll probably never find out the end of this story. But I imagine it’s playing out among numerous couples around this country, with numerous endings.