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The Right House

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 2008

A client asked a question this week that I've heard before. And, I thought it made for a good blog post. She asked:How many homes do most people look at before they find the right one?The answer, as in so many things, is that everyone is different. I've shown someone 1 house and that's the one they bought. I've also show someone over 30 houses before they decided not to move after all! And, I've even had someone buy a home without seeing it until the walk through on the day of settlement.Nationally, people are physically looking at fewer houses these days before they buy one. The last statistics I saw said the average is 6 homes. The technology available today allows buyers to weed out a lot of homes online without ever stepping foot in them. Usually it comes down to a couple of houses. And, often there's some dissension in a family over which house to choose. Here's a little guidance that may help.First of all, if I've done my job, you're not going to go wrong buying either of your top choices.And, I've never seen anyone unhappy because of that choice.They may be unhappy over the commute, they may not like the neighbors, they may have over estimated their willingness to work on home improvements on weekends. If they were crazy enough to skip a home inspection, they may be unhappy about what they found! And, if your marriage is already in trouble, the fight over the right house definitely isn't going to improve the situation!Most people, if they are happy, well-adjusted people, will continue to be happy, well-adjusted people, whichever home they move into.I'll admit to a bias here. We lived in Miami, Florida when Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. Being less than half a mile from the water we got pretty much wiped out. Most of us give lip service about knowing that our "stuff" isn't really all that important. I got the chance to test that theory!So, do your homework. Research the home and the neighborhood. Make absolutely sure you're comfortable with how much you're spending on the house. Then, listen to your gut, work with your family to get buy in and move confidently forward.A year from now, whichever house you chose, your chances of living happily ever after are pretty good!

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