My wife and I are getting divorced, and we have a 10-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. We agreed that I would stay in our home and that she would move someplace else after I give her a check for half of the equity that we have built up from the house. I learned that she plans to use the money to buy a new home that’s two blocks away. I never want to see this woman again. Is there some way to prevent her from purchasing a house in the same neighborhood?

Probably not. Your soon-to-be ex has the right to live wherever she wants, and you have no authority to dictate who the seller of the home can sell it to. If she can qualify for a loan to buy the house around the corner, she can buy it.

That said, there are a number of reasons why you might want your ex-wife nearby. You could see her less than you would if she moved to a distant neighborhood: Instead of awkward pick-up and drop-off moments, the children could simply walk over to your house when your visitation rights begin and then walk back. Your children also might benefit, because they would be consistently living in the same area that they grew up in.

From my experience – I filed for divorce several years ago – having your ex-spouse live or work nearby can give you a better opportunity to stay involved with your kids even on those days that you don’t have custody.

I have legal custody of my two children only twice a week, but I still get to visit them almost every day – a blessing that I would not have if my ex-spouse lived far away.

I have several small home repairs that need to be made to my house. One local handyman I contacted would charge $35 per hour and another wanted $50 an hour, which easily could add up to more than $3,000 if I hired either one to do all the work. Can you recommend a good book or Internet site that would help me learn do the work myself?

Several good books that explain how to make simple repairs can be found at major bookstores and big home-improvement centers, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.

Many Internet sites also provide information about do-it-yourself projects. My favorite site is www.askthebuilder.com, operated by construction expert Tim Carter. It has a free database that provides step-by-step instructions for hundreds of home-repair jobs, and a terrific search feature that allows you to quickly locate the specific information you might need for repairs.