My husband and I can't agree on what house to buy…what can we do?

He wants to live smack in the middle of the city; she's hoping for the greener pastures of the suburbs. He doesn't mind driving an hour to work; she'd rather be within walking distance. He wants to live near a great school system; she plans on moving again before the kids are in school. The list of potential disagreements is endless, but those fierce opinions are part of what brought you together in the first place, right?

Before you start looking, make a list of the top 10 priorities each of you wants, considering fundamentals like location, house size, house condition, and how long you plan to live there. Roughly half of homeowners move again within eight years of buying a home. With this in mind, each of you might be able to budge on your list, considering this first purchase might be more of an investment than a dream home.

Talk over each point to see if there are areas where either of you can give a little. Things like house size and taxes will be easy to figure out by tallying what you can afford. But thoughts about location and other investment possibilities might mean having discussions about long-term plans for family and finances. If you can't decide, go to open houses at each type of home. It might just take a beautiful abode to sway your mate your way.

-- Sarah Hartley

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