Buying property jointly - who holds the reins?

About 75% of residential property sold annually in the Western Cape metro area is being bought jointly by spouses or partners. But do they want the same features in their homes? And who has the final say?

Wener says part of this is economic, with women continuing their careers even through and after pregnancies, so the decision to buy a joint property with a partner or spouse factors in both incomes.

Today, more women than in the past are signing the transfer documents to their new homes bought together with their spouses or partners, and many of them are also undertaking to pay at least part of the monthly home loan repayments from their own income.

But is house buying a joint venture in every respect, or do male partners still have the last word?

According to Laurie Wener, MD of Pam Golding Properties (PGP) Western Cape Metro Region, things have changed radically.

She says women now represent a more influential market force than many of their mothers, and certainly more so than the majority of their grandmothers. In less than two generations, Wener says the emphasis has swung away from male domination of women in a partnership or marriage.

Wener says part of this is economic, with women continuing their careers even through and after pregnancies, so the decision to buy a joint property with a partner or spouse factors in both incomes. It generally also means that women cast an equal vote on the choice of a house, and the influence is probably weighted in their favour right now.

But do women and men want different features in their homes, or are 'man caves', a bar and home theatres just a hangover of a time when most men wouldn’t notice if the house didn’t have a kitchen?

Wener says the traditional, stereotypical, rather sexist version goes like this: Men want lots of garaging, for more than the obligatory two cars, with the argument that teenager vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, trailers, boats, garden equipment, tools and pottering around space is needed for him.

He also needs a study, wine cellar, indoor and outdoor showers, a bar with counter and bar stools, giant TV screens, lots of space for extra length beds, fast internet connectivity, solar power, and teenager accommodation on ‘the other side of the house’, especially when there are 'his' and 'her' offspring.

“Then there’s what women want, according to the priorities established somewhere in the middle of the last century: pretty bedrooms with space for an extra wide bed, his and her bathrooms, each with their own toilet, his and her walk in dressing areas with lots of built-in storage, and her own study, or at least part of his for her exclusive use.”

And the list goes on, she says: a designer fully-fitted kitchen with separate scullery and laundry area, partly or totally open plan to the dining room and family room. Good interior flow for easy cleaning, direct, level access from the garage to kitchen, close access to schools and shopping, and self-contained staff quarters.

“And all at a fanciful price tag, also established somewhere in the 1980s,” says Wener.

“Then there’s what conventional wisdom has us believing they both want security, low maintenance, level gardens, swimming pools with pleasing outdoor living facilities and views, and most importantly, access to good schools.”

Wener says currently, however, for the most part, with joint incomes and blurred lines of responsibility, needs and practicalities have merged to a large extent. So, aside from the few for whom price is no object, partners mostly share the prime priorities of security, affordability and conservative utility costs.

What about the same-sex homeowning partnership? Is it more complicated, or a lot easier to sort out the priorities?

Wener says everyone’s an individual with particular likes and dislikes, so there will always be differences of opinion on what is an absolute must in a house, but generally the same rules apply.

“The house might not be ideal for either partner but may have enough positive aspects to swing the deal, and price and position will always be a major deciding factor.

“In reality, it’s probably a miracle that homes are generally bought as the result of an ultimate joint decision. And this perhaps says a lot about most couples’ capacity to compromise,” she says.