“I’m not in a hurry” and other home buying myths
How having the luxury of time can actually hurt your chances as a home buyer
Take this w a grain of salt Home Buyers, because time is certainly a luxury. But too much of it and not enough motivation can actually hinder your search and leave you frustrated and wondering why it is you can’t find the home you are (casually) looking for. How to avoid this & still feel unhurried? … Just follow my lead
I hear it on about 1 out of 3 new buyer conversations … “but we’re not in a hurry” … And I always assure them that this is a luxury. And I’m on your timeline. But like most things in life, if we’re not focused and committed, our dreams are unlikely to just “happen”.
I’ve seen this more than once - Buyers start off exciting and fresh at the possibility of becoming new home owners, upgrading to a bigger house or moving to a new location … time passes and with the passing of time + inaction, what was once an exciting process now feels stale, frustrating and fraught with “there’s nothing out there for me”-type feelings. But is this really true?
I’d argue - and suspend your disbelief - that most home buyers I’ve worked with, who are in the mindset to find ‘their home’ do so anywhere from the very first showing to within a couple of months. Mindset is one of our most powerful tools as humans and deciding to focus your energy and your mind on home buying will definitely yield results for you. Decide in advance that, even if you aren’t in a hurry, you will commit the time (going to showings or open houses), energy & passion to looking for & finding this new home. That means we’ll probably be seeing each other on a very weekly basis, having regular conversations & texts and moving ever closer to your new home dreams.
There is such a thing as buyer fatigue. You look online, over and over, rarely see a home, and then decide there’s nothing out there for you. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but after a lot of time passes, it’s human nature to feel this way. I want to save you from that yuck before it even happens!
Here are just a few tips I’d offer, to make your home buying experience as brilliant as possible …
Commit the time: That means time outside of work, your lunch break, taking off 30 minutes early if necessary; this means some of your weekend time, skipping a brunch or a routine activity; this means making home buying the hobby for a short while until you find your home. Homes don’t say on the market for long - and committing the time is the #1 way we will put ourselves in a winning position from the start
Make Time for Talking / Talk to Me: The more I know about your lifestyle, what you can and cannot live with, what you want, & what your deepest goals are, the better I can be your best resource (and closest confidant) in finding your next home. Ideally, we’re reviewing homes on market, homes we see, eventual offer strategy, and even your feelings and fears. That’s what I’m here for - Home buying is a huge decision and it’s worth the effort
Be Open to Pivoting: Sometimes after a lot of time has passed, it’s clear a client needs to pivot - to a different location, a different price point, to a home that needs a renovation OR to doing a new build. If you are putting in the effort and feeling less than satisfied, maybe it’s time for a discussion about what might work better for you
Trust your Realtor / Trust Me: I’ll get to know what you like quickly if we do all of this, and I’ll be able to better guide you in terms of what you’ll like and not like and save you quite a bit of time overall helping you identify the right homes to see. I’ll also help you craft a winning offer - just ask my clients! Trust is paramount and I’m in this world daily
I’m always on your timeline. And yes, a caveat to all of this - I have had clients for 1 or 2+ years but the caveat there is that when that happens it’s often clients with a very specific need - we’re not seeing any and every listing, we’re curating, refining, staying in touch, staying in conversation. We might decide to pivot from home searching to home building; we might wait & save more for a different budget; or we might wait for inventory in a specific area but stay in touch all the while.
Nothing is cookie-cutter in home searching, and with your home search? - I’m here for it! Whether that takes 1 showing, 1 year or until we find The One. At the end of the day, I’m here to offer advice & expertise to make our search the most rewarding and exciting experience & for that new home to bring joy at the end of the day.
Cheers,
Candace
(connect with me here!)
