The Buying Triangle

Almost all of my Buyers have struggled with making a purchase decision.  Around and around we would go, looking for houses in their price range but none of them suited because the locations were too far from the centre of the city and the commute too long.  So we moved in closer but the older homes in the price range were not in good condition.  In Ottawa, even little shacks near the center of the city in the right neighbourhoods go for well over $300,000 - and they need work.  So we take another look at the location and move the search boundaries a little further out - voila now we are seeing homes in better condition, still a bit pricey and a little longer to get to work but...... Now the Buyer wants a detached home.  We are getting in the car and driving to find that one because in the price range the Buyer has we are setting out on a road trip to the far reached suburbs.  Are you getting the picture of the triangle yet?

Every Buyer, including me, wants to find the house that has the magic power to make us want to purchase it - at the right price, in excellent condition and in the perfect location.  Normally, unless the Good Housing Fairy Maisonhas sprinkled us with fairy dust, this perfect house will not be found.  What we will find is trade-offs and a process of prioritization.  Parents chip in with some money to help increase the ability to pay more, the house is in not bad condition and can be changed over time, the location is not absolutely ideal but the neighbourhood is good and public transit will help get you to work.

The Buying Decision may require the door to your new home to be at different points of the triangle.

Valerie Zinger  email: vzinger@royallepage.com  (613-723-5300)

Royal LePage Gale Real Estate,  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada