There have been occasions when I have worked with someone for a while, showing them houses that we think are right or want to see. One day they say, "This is the one - I want this house."
Instead of whipping out a contract offer and saying "Sign here," try asking a few questions first.
Many years ago, I helped a friend avoid what could have been a mistake.
And we did it with questions.
"What do you like so much about this house?" She answered with the obvious things - the land around it, the building that would house her office, and a decent-sized garage for her husband.
Those are the tangibles, the things that are easy to identify. It's the intangibles that make you feel safe, happy, and relaxed when you walk into the right home.
This house was older, had small rooms and low ceilings. My friends loved their present home, one that was bright and had high ceilings.
When I asked how she would feel walking into the primary bedroom, her first response was the ceiling height and the lack of light.
Before long, the rosy picture she had painted for herself began to change in the light of reality. We didn't make an offer on that house.
But within that same year, we did find their perfect home. It had it all, the land, the garage, an ideal office space, a big updated kitchen, and yes, it also had plenty of windows and high ceilings throughout.
Try talking them out of buying that house. If you can, it wasn't right for them in the first place.
I passed up a sale that day and solidified a relationship that carried years beyond that one transaction. It helps to know your buyers!
Can you talk them out of a house? If so, it was not the right one.
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