Best Behavior: It's Not Me, It's You

Iffy Investment

We’re getting ready to downsize and sell our house, since the kids are grown and have moved out. With the market as it is, I don’t expect any problem. The house is in a good neighborhood. My wife and I bought it from her parents, and we’ve kept it in fine shape. The problem, however, is that my wife’s nephew has just started in real estate. His mother, my wife’s sister, thinks he should have the job, and my wife feels he should have a chance. The guy, who’s sort of a loser, hasn’t been a success in any job he’s tried, and I’d like to make as much as possible off the house. How do I explain it to my wife or to her sister? —Anonymous, West Meade

Your next family reunion may not be much fun. No matter what decision you make, somebody very likely will arrive carrying a grudge. If you decide to do business with the ne’er-do-well nephew, he may do a fine job. But who knows? You won’t have another chance to sell the house.

It’s a wise idea to keep your distance from kinfolk when you’re doing crucial business. Deal with blood relations and you can end up with stuff spilled all over the floor.

However, your sister-in-law is already involved in the deal. You, or your wife, are going to have to negotiate with her. The decision is your wife’s as well as yours. The house, after all, came down from her parents, and she may be rather fond of the “loser.” If you don’t talk about it, trouble will be waiting every evening when you sit down for dinner at your new place. Together, you’ll have to decide. Peace may be worth the pennies.

Paws for Thought

My friends come by and bring their Yorkies, the way they always have. It’s no problem, except as the dogs have gotten older, they’ve become incontinent. My friends seem to notice nothing until the problem becomes impossible to ignore. They know where the powder room is, so they rush there and pick up a few paper guest towels to blot up the mess. That’s a nice gesture, but it doesn’t get the stains out of the rugs or the smell of doggie pee-pee out of the air. I’ve stood there in amazement. What should I do? Just wait for the dogs to die? —Anonymous, Brentwood

When the cute little creatures move on to doggie heaven, you can be damp with grief. Your rugs, however, are damp with something else right now.

Put out a roll of paper towels or put out a spray bottle of vinegar for your friends to spritz around after a boo-boo. They seem ready to wipe up, and who could mind blotting the carpet after their adorables have done their business?

You can certainly ask them to leave their pooches of a certain age at home, but your easier option is to wait until the pooches have moved along before you invite your friends back. (It can’t be all that long.) Then perhaps they’ll invite you over, and you can recommend a rug cleaner.