I have to admit I'm a bit of an impulse buyer when it comes to real estate. Every time I've purchased a property it happened on the fly - very quickly, often with other bidders in the wings. I know what I like and I tend to move quickly.
The first house I bought already had two offers by the time I saw it so I spent only a few pressured moments in the house before I went back to the office with the real estate agent to write an offer. I went to the home inspection with only a fuzzy idea of what the house looked like and hoped that I would like love it as much as I did in those few minutes. I did - I love it still.
The next time I bought real estate I had become a real estate agent in Cambridge. I took a first-time buyer out to see condominiums. She didn't like what she saw but one of the condos we visited looked like a great deal to me. Like many prospective buyers the condo appealed to me because it had what my current home didn't - most importantly in-unit laundry and parking. Though I had been in the condo for only a few minutes the next day, just 15 minutes before offers were due, I hurriedly wrote out an offer and faxed it off. I can remember jumping into my car afterward and thinking "What did I just do?" as I drove. Well, I had bought a condo as it turned out. My offer, one of six, was accepted by the seller.
So I'm very familiar with the uncertainty that often washes over you after you get the call that your offer to buy a house or condo has been accepted. In successive waves, elation is very quickly replaced with uncertainty. Did we do the right thing? Is this really the right place? Do I really like the house? Is this the right condo for us? Is there a closet in that second bedroom? Will we be sorry?
I always caution buyers when I call with the happy news that for at least a day or so they may be plagued with fear, doubt and insecurity to varying degrees. It's a seemingly inevitable, mild case of buyer's remorse - or at least a case of buyer's uncertainty. But it will pass. Almost always your initial instincts were on target. The house is right - just like you thought it was.
Your next visit is likely to be a long one as you have the home inspected. It's not uncommon to think as you drive to the inspection, "Will we like it as much as we thought we did?" For me, in every case the answer was yes. When I walked in all of the features that called out to me still did - this will be my home. Phew.
And as long as whatever bad news the inspector has to deliver is outweighed by the positives you'll be well on your way to becoming the new owner. Congratulations!
Comments(5)