If you saw our recent InPeak Properties newsletter, you already know we’ve recently moved our operation, and our homebase, to Poulsbo, Washington. Now, the last time we bought a house was before Scott (my husband and business partner) and I were real estate brokers (aka agents).
Needless to say, we’ve both learned a lot since then. So yes, buying this time around was much smoother, quicker, and generally a much less stressful experience!
Though I confess, there were a few times I had to put on my agent hat and talk to myself and my husband as if we were our own buyer clients.
Here are some pro tips that will help any buyer through the home buying process:
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Just go see it.
I’m not ashamed to admit it: the house we ended up buying was the one that I put off seeing for at least a couple of weeks. So of course, we wondered what’s wrong with it. Also, from the pictures it has, shall we say, minimal curb appeal. But it did have a few features going for it, so we ended up making the trek to see it. And of course, discovering that this was the place that made everyone’s eyes light up thinking of what it is and what it can be. After we get the yard in shape.
Remember also, pictures are great but you can’t feel or smell a house from the pictures. Sometimes, what you see in person will be better than you thought. Or sometimes, much worse. Think of a gorgeous dream home that smells like stale smoke and cat pee. Can’t tell that from the pics!
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Don’t assume there’s something “wrong” with a property that’s been sitting.
This happens ALL. THE. TIME. A property sits on the market for days/weeks/months. Buyers assume there’s some big issue. Like, maybe a crack in the foundation! Or black mold! Most of the time, it’s just something like an unpopular style (like a 1970s split level), the bedrooms are small, the layout is a tad funky…you get the idea. Moral of the story: one buyer’s “wrong is another buyer’s “just right.”
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Unless you are buying a property by yourself, there will ALWAYS be disagreement and compromise.
(This is also why I always say real estate is really something like 75% counseling). It’s pretty much guaranteed that throughout the home buying process, you will learn things about your significant other—and things about yourself. Things you didn’t know before.
In all fairness though, your partner may honestly never have known till now how much he hates white cabinets, or she prefers a smaller, more intimate home to grand, open spaces. So try not to judge too much (If you are lucky and maybe you’re onto buying a second or third time, this part does get a little easier. Or if you are both in the real estate business.) ????
Good luck out there, and happy house hunting!