So you think you know what you want in your new home?

So you think you have it all figured out right? You know exactly what you want in your new home....vintage, garage parking, wood-burning fireplace, balcony and the list goes on. You've been all over the internet and yep, that's the complete package. What if I told you that many buyers that I've worked with and am currently working with have started out with one picture in their head only to have the picture change once they start getting into properties. Sometimes priorities change like "I'd rather have a little more space/better location and forget the fireplace" or "I'd rather have less space and live in my ideal location." You name it, I've heard it. And is that a bad thing, no way, I'd rather see you end up with a home that really suits you and your lifestyle. Sometimes its the property that you least expect to interest you is the one that sends your home search in a tailspin or maybe after seeing a few homes with a particular "desired" characteristic, that characteristic loses its charm. The reason I mention this is that I think buyers feel like they have to have it all figured out before they start looking for a home, and that is so not the case. The internet is a great tool and puts all this information at your fingertips, which is great, but why add the additional pressure of having to have it all figured out to your already busy life. Also, sometimes going in with all these preconceived notions, buyers might miss a property that might be ideal except it doesn't have the fireplace or the parking is a space instead of a garage. If it had everything else that you wanted, wouldn't it be at least worth checking out? I think so. The other thing I find that comes up are the things that you don't necessarily think off right of the bat. I was out with a buyer last night that didn't realize how important being on a tree-lined street was to her until she started seeing properties. The first time I'm out with a buyer I always ask them to tell me how they feel about the places we saw....what they liked, didn't like, etc. There is always a point in the conversation where the sentence starts with, "I thought I was going to like ........... and I didn't" generally followed by a reason why. What's interesting is the reason is not always what one would expect and it could be anything under the sun, but more often than not its how something feels. Despite all of our rational thoughts about our needs, feel or some other emotion creates the bottom line. Like I always tell myself, don't over think it....it all works out for the best in the end.