From "This Is Uncomfortable": "You'll never be ready to buy a home"
Make Me Smart
Marketplace
4.6 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 1 January 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hey smarties! Happy New Year. We’re taking a short break for the holidays. In the meantime, we’re sharing an episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Reema Khrais and the team are getting ready to relaunch the show on Jan. 15. Stay tuned for new episodes!
When newlyweds Chantal and Travis Lisback started searching for their dream home in Seattle, they weren’t entirely on the same page. Chantal was eager to settle down as soon as possible, while Travis was more comfortable waiting a few years. As the search dragged on, what began as a shared dream started to feel more like a standoff.
This week, a story about how a big life decision can bring to light the money and communication issues you didn’t know were there. Plus, later in the episode, Chantal and Travis sit down with financial therapist Aja Evans to unpack what’s happening beneath the surface, and how to approach money fights with more care and intention.
If you liked this episode, share it with a friend!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, make me smart listeners. It's Rima Grace, host our Marketplaces podcast, This Is Uncomfortable. |
| 0:05.7 | I am here in your feeds to wish you a happy new year and to share an episode of This Is Uncomfortable. |
| 0:11.5 | As you might have heard, we're relaunching the show on January 15th. So in the lead-up, |
| 0:15.9 | we thought we'd share one of our favorite episodes from our back catalog. The story you're about to |
| 0:20.5 | hear was originally published in May 2025. |
| 0:23.5 | It's an episode about a newly wet couple trying to buy a home in Seattle |
| 0:27.3 | and how the housing market can turn a practical decision into a conflict over values and risk. |
| 0:34.0 | I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to catch new episodes of This Is Uncomfortable starting January 15th. |
| 0:44.1 | Chantal Lipsack spent the fall of 2024 house hunting from bed beside her husband, Travis Lipsack. |
| 0:50.3 | She approached the hunt like she does everything in her life, with meticulous research. |
| 0:55.3 | It would be me at night sorting my zillow from cheapest and showing Travis a house, being like, okay, this is a distance from the house to your job, and then I can still take the bus to work. |
| 1:06.1 | When Chantelle imagined her dream home, she envisioned an open floor plan, a backyard for the dogs, |
| 1:11.7 | plenty of space for friends and family. But I know I immediately want to be able to have folks |
| 1:16.3 | over and feel like it's a conducive space for hosting. And as a newlywed, she had long-term |
| 1:21.8 | priorities. I'm aching for children and I want to save space. I want to be able to feel like our |
| 1:25.8 | kids can go bike to their friend's house |
| 1:27.9 | and I'm not worried about anyone getting snatched. |
| 1:30.7 | Her husband Travis's goals were similar, if a little less vivid. |
| 1:34.7 | Standard-sized house, standard yard, have a family. |
| 1:37.6 | I thought it was just like that's kind of the next step in life. |
| 1:42.0 | They were living in downtown Seattle in a tiny apartment, just 400 square feet, with their two corgis. |
| 1:49.1 | Then a big disagreement entered the mix. |
... |
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