Study: 54% of buyers argued over a home’s style; 47% over must-have features. Of sellers, 69% tussled over a listing price, when to lower it or whether to accept an offer. While 85% of millennial sellers argued, however, only 54% of boomers followed suit.
Buying or selling a home can signal the beginning of a new phase in a couple’s life together, but a survey conducted by Harris Polli and commissioned by Zillow found that either transaction can be fraught with conflict.
A vast majority of Americans (77%) who have gone through the home buying process with a significant other in the past decade say they argued over the process. Nearly as many Americans (71%) who sold a home say they also argued over the process, suggesting those two life events may take a toll on relationships.
Buyer disagreements
Of those who argued with a significant other during the home buying process, most (54%) disagreed over the size or style of home to buy, and nearly half (47%) disagreed over a home’s must-have features or deal breakers.
Other conflicts surfaced over the location or neighborhood to buy in (42%), the budget (37%) and whether to buy a fixer-upper (29%).
Nearly a quarter of couples feuded over their mortgage options, such as selecting the right lender or mortgage product.
Seller disagreements
A large percent of millennial sellers, aged 25 to 39, argued with a significant other over selling a home (85%) while a smaller share of baby boomer sellers, 55 years and older, argued about the home selling process (54%), indicating that life experience – and a higher likelihood of being a repeat seller – may help couples weather the tension.
Of couples who argued over the home selling process, a majority (69%) fought about at least one of three financial decisions: what price to list the home for, whether to drop the price and whether to accept an offer.
Many also argued over the following hassles of a traditional sale:
- Whether or not to make repairs (24%)
- Strangers walking through the home during open houses (24%)
- Keeping the house clean for showings (23%)
- Uncertainty over whether the house would sell or not (21%)
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