‘Sister Wives’: Robyn Brown Thinks Polygamy Is Preventing Her From Buying a Home

Robyn and Kody Brown have been at odds through TLC’s Sister Wives Season 14 over the Brown family’s tumultuous move from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona.

While Kody allegedly promised Robyn, his fourth wife, and her five children that they would quickly move to the family’s communal property in Arizona, Coyote Pass, that didn’t end up being the case. Instead, all four of Kody’s wives had to move from rental to rental at various points in order to navigate the complicated Flagstaff housing market.

When the owner of Robyn’s rental home decided to sell the house, Robyn hoped to rent again in order to save money to build on Coyote Pass. But Kody insisted that they buy instead. The couple’s conflict eroded their trust and led to more bickering and fighting than their decade-long marriage had endured thus far.

In a sneak peek of the Apr. 5 episode of Sister Wives, “Baby Steps,” Robyn and Kody have finally decided on a home to buy. But, according to Robyn, the seller’s perceptions of polygamy (otherwise known as “plural marriage”) are making the sale more complicated than they hoped it would be.

Robyn and Kody reveal that their attempt to buy a home is taking longer than they hoped

In TLC’s sneak peek of the upcoming episode, Kody reveals that the closing date for his potential home with Robyn has been delayed yet again, leading to even more financial strain.

“We still haven’t closed on the house that Robyn and I are trying to buy,” he laments.

“All of a sudden, we got an email going, ‘We need more information from you,’” Robyn says in the preview. The Sister Wives star hints that, although it hasn’t been directly stated, the Brown family’s status as polygamists is making the closing take longer than they originally anticipated.

“We thought we were going to close before we actually had to be out of the house,” Kody explains. “We found out right as we were loading up our trucks that we needed more time.”

The polygamist couple is stressed by the constant back-and-forth in their life

As the preview continues, Robyn and Kody head out to Coyote Pass, where their belongings are temporarily stored in four enormous moving trucks. The couple reflects on how the immense stress of constant moves has taken a toll on them.

Kody complains about the mounting pressure of moving expenses as the Browns move from rental to rental. “So this is a real bummer, waiting every single day that we wait, we’re paying on four rental trucks,” he reveals, “and we’re paying a daily rate on a home that we can’t move into yet.”

Looking at the looming moving trucks, Robyn admits, “This is making me depressed. The Sister Wives star adds, “It’s just reminding me that we have all of our belongings in trucks.”

The 41-year-old mom of five explains that she’s stopped telling the kids much of anything about their potential move in order to protect them from heartache and stress. Robyn explains that every time they have to delay the closing date further, the children “get frustrated all over again.”

Kody’s fourth wife believes plural marriage is the reason for the holdup

Robyn’s theory is that the complicated financial situations that often accompany polygamy are delaying the closing date.

“My guess is that it’s because we’re a plural family, that’s sort of holding us up,” she tells TLC producers.

The Sister Wives star explains that the logistics of polygamy don’t usually fit into typical real estate sales, often leaving them floundering when they try to buy.

“What is also happening, and this has happened every single time we try to buy a house, is that our plural family situations get brought into the financials,” Robyn claims. “Because we’re all interconnected financially, and now they want Janelle’s financials, they want Meri’s financials, they want Christine’s financials. They want it all.”

Robyn says that lenders and sellers often don’t know what to make of the Browns’ finances or their family situation. “Because they’re trying to dissect it and go, wait, huh? How does this work financially?” she explains. “And it’s because plural families don’t fit in the financial world of mortgages.”