Buying a house is like dating - don't rush the process

This post is inspired by Jeff Dowlers post comparing selling a house to baking a cake. It's a great post, in case you missed it here it is. Jeff got me thinking about how buying a house could be compared to dating. Let's admit it, both are usually a nerve racking experience. And everybody is giving you advice or their opinion whether it's asked for or not.

Any of us can go on line and visit a cyber dating site. In cyber space we can narrow down what we think we want in a companion. How tall the person is, what part of the county or world they live in, what their occupation is, right down to eye color. But when it comes down to it, you have to have a connection to the person. There has to be a feeling or mood that can't be quantified or qualified. If it were just a matter of checking your needs and wants list we would all be in happy stable relationships.

There is a story about a real estate agent in Denver that interviews his buyers much like a dating service would interview prospective partners. This agent (lets call him Andy) sets an appointment for each of his potential buyers. He starts out just listening to what the buyers tell him they want. Then Andy takes a print out of the MLS input sheet and goes over EVERY BOX. No longer do the buyers just tell Andy they want so many bedrooms, bathrooms and in what part of town. Andy is complete to the max. He breaks down the buyers dream house down to the last detail including the type of roof, color of the carpet, type of fencing, and which direction the front door faces.

And Andy does one other thing. He has the buyers sign a Buyers Agency Agreement with the details of the house attached. The agreement is for one day and one day only. The buyers agree to write an offer if a house is found that day that meets all the details in the agreement. If no offer is written another appointment is made and the process is repeated. Andy and the buyers meet and new list of needs and wants is made out again.

I agree with Jeff about selling a house. Follow the recipe and be patient, the cake will rise and bake and the house will sell. You can't rush the process. You can have the desire and focus, but there are no guarantees in dating or buying a house, you can't rush the process. And you have to be a little open to surprises too!