It's a wonder a couple ever manages to buy a home together. Whilst he buys the garage, it's the kitchen that gets her hot under the collar, says property search agent Tracy Kellett of BDI Home Finders.
And whilst men favour bagging themselves a crumbling do-up and trying to make a fortune, women just want to move right in. Men love creating excel spread sheets and are turned on by price per square footage, whilst women focus on homemaking, requesting utility rooms and somewhere to leave the ironing board up.
'I spend at least as much of my time negotiating between couples as finding properties,' says Tracy. 'I even have some couples who work together no problem, but when it comes to buying a house, they simply can't agree.'
Other common obsessions identified by the professional home finder that separate the sexes include women's fixation on light and storage and the male insistence on tapping on walls, running taps to check water pressure and pulling up carpets looking for dry rot.
Tracy says that when a couple has not found a property within four months, it's often because they're both looking for different things.
'As soon I start working with them, each member of the couple will try to get me to persuade their other half round to their way of thinking. It becomes my job to find the 'best fit' property that appeals to both of them.
'I honestly think that a lot of couples, especially when they've both got very strong opinions, would never be able to buy a property without getting a professional third party involved.'
