One man’s dud is another man’s dream house
There was a Monday in May 2010 when I wrote three Offers to Purchase. That’s not so strange in a spring market. What was strange was that, for two of the three, I didn’t see the house with the client. I saw the houses with other clients on Saturday. The clients who made the offers saw them without me on Sunday.
I found this a bit disconcerting. I prefer to see a property with my clients, so I can gauge how they react to it. When I’m not there, I do a mental-walk through every room and ask them to recollect what they saw and thought. But it is not the same as being there with them.
I have had the experience of walking into a place and knowing “this is it!” for a client. But, on that Saturday, I was walking through the house with a different client who didn’t like it. When I look at a property with one client’s needs in mind, I see different aspects than I would with another’s criteria in mind. One buyer’s dud could be another’s dream house. For example, a family with younger children may want easy access between the master bedroom and the baby’s room. Families with teenagers want the adult bedroom away from the kid’s room. For this reason, one buyer can hate a feature that another will love. Other examples include: Some people see privacy and party space when they see a big yard, others see lawn care drudgery. Many have very strong opinions for and against old house or modern houses.
The mark of an agent who is listening is that the agent internalizes the buyer’s hit list. Did your agent ever internalize a picture of your dream house? What other examples of “One buyer’s dud could be another’s dream house” can you think of?
The author is solely responsible for the content.
