Buyers, Trust me--One day you will just know!

We all have something for which we are on a perpetual, personal quest  For me it is the perfect pair of  shoes. My closet is filled with plenty of 'almosts' and 'pretty close' pairs. I could try to explain to you what makes a shoe 'perfect,' but my words won't be able to duplicate that moment when I slip my foot in and I know that I must buy THAT pair. The same goes for my son's baseball cap requirements...believe me, he has tried to explain and while I mostly 'get it,' I can't select one for him--he must do it himself.

The same is true for your home purchase. When you are ready to buy a home, you provide me with a list of your requirements. We categorize them as 'wants' and 'needs' and re-visit them constantly throughout the home buying process. During your search, I will know this list better than you will.  I will be able to recite your needs and stack-rank your wants. I will be able to evaluate how closely a house will match your list in each of these categories in seconds.

But part of my job is knowing that at some point in the process, you will turn to me and say, 'this is the one.'  Occasionally, it might even take me by surprise.  Sometimes your proclamation will be an enthusiastic one ('I can't live without this house') and other times it might be more subdued, ('My family will be here next month and this seems like a pretty good fit'), but it is ALWAYS YOUR DECISION and you will know when it is the right one.

Sellers, and sometimes even buyers, often get confused and think that Realtors® 'sell' houses, but any Realtor® will tell you, the buyer sells themselves the house--or the house sells itself to the buyer. A Realtor's® job is to guide the process and then provide advice and expertise towards purchase.

Of course, I am WAY oversimplifying what we do, but I think you get the point.  I cannot 'sell' a buyer a house that they have not otherwise determined is the house for them.  At some point in the process, they take over and  become their own 'closer.' We then become the Real Estate Consultant.

So if you are buying a new house and you haven't found THE ONE, don't be discouraged. One day you will walk in and it will fit you like that perfect pair of shoes (or baseball cap, jeans, or dress, or car or.....)