A fixer-upper became a forever home for this Massachusetts couple

In 2024, about 37 million Americans, roughly 11% of the population, changed residences. And that may sound like a lot of people, but it's actually a record low, declining from 14% just a decade ago.

While there are a lot of reasons for that decline, in the end, home isn't just about where you move, but also about where you stay.

Louis Tsien and Carole-Jean Smith bought their home in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1983, and it needed a lot of love at the beginning.

“It was not in very good condition,” said Smith, “There were ceilings that were full of cracks and one of them completely fell down.”

However, despite that rocky start, after 43 years, the house has clearly become a forever home for the couple.

“We have to believe that we probably have less time going forward than we had in the past at this point in our lives,” Tsien said. “But it's served us well.”

Listen in the player to hear how the couple decided to stay firmly planted in the home.