I know sometimes these words are interchangeable, but I have always had a clear definition of each word in my mind. A house is a building; walls, studs, cabinets and a roof. A home is not necesarily a thing, but more of an emotion. It is the family inside, the dream realized and the happiness that comes with calling a place your own.
Last night I was invited to a client's house for a barbecue. Juan had a family gathering and had invited me because he had just moved into the house I had worked to help him find and purchase. This is a person I have known for years, so even though it was the most difficult escrow I have ever been in (almost 5 months), it was well worth the effort. He was a first time home-buyer who had moved from a rented place where he, his wife and three kids had to share space with another family.
As we were sitting there eating some of the best carne asada and roasted chicken I have ever had in my life, Juan stops eating. He looks at the kids playing and running around in the living room. He says "That is what makes me happy. Seeing the kids running around in MY home, enjoying themselves. Having family come over like this and feeling comfortable". We went on to discuss the difference between having a house...and having a HOME. Juan is usually a serious person, but he was smiling from ear to ear and I could see that he was completely content.
Why do I tell this story? Because this is exactly the reason I first got into real estate. Sure, I love working with investors and working the large deals. They help pay my own bills and mortgage. Sometimes when we get so busy selling houses, negotiating with sellers and buyers, burning the midnight oil sending out e-mails to escrow and getting that huge pile of paperwork under control...that we forget what we are selling. For investors it may just be a sticks and drywall to make money. For a homeowner it is a chance to own peace of mind and make a life the way they want it.
When it comes right down to it, the most satisfaction I get in my career is seeing someone who never owned a house before turn it into their version of their dream. I guess I am an old sap, but I still get a bit teary-eyed when I hand over the keys to a home to a client. I think that God has put me in this career to do that as often as I possibly can. I can still remember clearly the day I got my first set of keys to a house and how it felt to say... "I'm home!"
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