O.K. , I have to be honest. I wouldn’t know how to use this contraption. I do enjoy the television show “numbers” and actually understand the relative importance of math and calculations to everything in our lives. I just never learned how to use the thing. I do know that it is used by many that are sorting out intricate problems. Sometimes, we create problems by cluttering the obvious with what we perceive to be the necessary.
Home buyers tend to do this a lot lately. There was a time when the purchase of a home was a comparatively simple task. Folks saved their money and when the need arose and the money was right, they went out in search of a new home. Back in those days it was a bit more onerous to actually see all the homes available and the agent they selected was usually armed with mimeographed sheets of paper and a tank of gasoline. Buyers trusted the agent helping them. Of course, most buyers did not know that the agent helping them actually represented the seller in every home they visited. It was a quirk of the law and not necessarily the intention of the agent.
It was a calmer time. There was less media in play. Towns had one or two daily papers. Television offered three major networks and maybe one local station. Radio offered AM only and very little news other than the required hourly five minute spiel. Word of mouth and common knowledge was the best source of information outside the family unit. Parents and grandparents were more involved and shared their experience with their children and grandchildren. It was a different America.
Today, the challenge of buying a “new” home is cluttered with more data than ever. We still have newspapers, t.v. and radio. We still have the input from our family. The media focus has changed as the challenge for the media to survive has replaced fact with fiction and innuendo. The need to sell advertising and maintain ratings has caused editors and news directors to focus on sensationalism. This old story is the new wave.
There is nothing inherently sensational about buying a home. It is a wonderful accomplishment for the buyer. It may be a dream come true. It may be one more step in reaching a desired quality of life. Outside the participants, it does not get the blood moving in the general populace.
The new player in the information game is the internet. If you have a modum, you have the world. If you can find a public library, you can access all the information available.
The problem lies in that you can access ALL the information available but you have little knowledge about the source or validity of all that information.
Today’s buyer usually believes that access to all the information will make them a better informed consumer. It may. It may not be the right information. It may not be factual. It will be information. So, off they go to their computer. They sign on, sign in and go to a search engine and type in “new homes” or something like that. Within a matter of seconds………………..they have access to a gazillion bits and bytes. It roars through the internet and blows them out of their collective chairs.
The discussion at the kitchen table was about a new home, more amenities, maybe closer to work, maybe closer to school. The information received is a mix of neighborhood reports, sites seeking leads for agents, agents that have mastered search engine optimization and data tossed out into the www hoping to find a home on your computer. The data may just complicate things more than it helps resolve things.
It can be over whelming. You might think you need some sort of fancy real estate calculator. You might be paralyzed with the thought……………where do I begin. I understand. I am a grandfather. I am a father. I am a home owner. I am a real estate agent. I will gladly assist any buyer, anywhere, anytime in the areas which I hold a license.
I don’t get down hearted by the current up or down bend of the media. I don’t get confused by the spin put out by either side in the housing discussion. I have a pretty good understanding of what data on the internet is relevant and what data is the result of garbage in. I know my area and I know how to clear the confusion from the buying process. You see, it is never about slide rules. You are buying a home. When buying a home…the slide rules!
It is a place to enjoy and not calculate. I don’t know tomorrow and I don’t believe anyone else does either. Sure, they can make predictions…………..but reality does not occur until each moment in time passes.
A buyer is much more than just one of many making up the trends we read about. A buyer is a person or a family or a couple friends. A buyer is never just a number. I never forget that.
It is sort of like understanding that access to swimming means different things to different people. I remember spending summer days leaping from rocks and boulders into the murky pools created by rainwater run off.
Others have memories of summers spent poolside............
Both amenities show up when searching for swimming opportunities on the internet. No, I don’t believe you need a slide rule…………………you need the assistance of someone that understands ..
the slide rules.
So, if you found this little note while doing a search for yourself of a friend, I would welcome the chance to chat and share what I believe……..I would love to hear your dreams and visions and see if I can’t put together a plan that will help you achieve them. I can be reached at macarthurgroup@gmail.com or on the phone at 301*537*4377.
I get it……………the slide rules !
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