What No One Tells You About House Hunting With A Partner

House hunting can be a gruelling and exhausting sport, complete with months of hard work and a relationship that’s been tested several times over.

Here are some things to consider before you and your significant other begin the property search together.

One of you will have an unrealistic budget

If there isn’t a clear discussion pre-hunt about what you’ll spend, rest assured one of you will book in to view a Kardashian-sized home complete with a butler, cinema room and walk-in wardrobe to rival Oprah’s. The home in question will be about nine times what you can actually afford. So before you map out the directions to Toorak or Point Piper, do have an honest conversation about what your absolute limit is regarding the budget.

You won’t be on the same page about the priorities

You also need to list out your top five must-haves for the new home. I know; boring! Nobody takes this necessary step and it always ends in disaster. While one of you becomes fixated on finding a home with a chef’s kitchen, the other is obsessed with the house needing to have black window frames and views of the city. Before you start arguing at an open house, list out the things you both want, and put them in order of priority.

There will be a moment when one of you falls in love with a place

There will be a viewing. And your other half will fall in love. They’ll get that insane look in their eyes that just screams “we’ll take it” before any conversations have even been had. It’s at this point you need to tread lightly. Your partner will treat the potential home like their one true love, so any insults you throw at it will ignite world war three. Stick to the list of priorities (and budget) carefully and work out if it’s actually the dream, or if you’ve been sucked in by the furniture in the master bedroom.

One of you will reveal too much to the estate agent

In the wild, a hyena will seek out the weakest link in a pack of antelopes and plan their attack. Do not be the weakest antelope when house hunting. You don’t want to lay all your dreams, timeframes and budget limitations out on the table. Instead, play it cool. Keep your cards close to your chest. The better poker face you have, the easier negotiating will be should you decide to put in an offer.