Does your Realtor listen to you?
February 27th, 2009 categories: Real Estate
Figuring out what you really want in a home
Of all the people I’ve worked with in real estate one of my favorite transactions involved a customer who wasn’t present to see the home he purchased. He actually ended up buying a home from photos I took for him. This has sparked some questions about how well agents really listen to their clients needs when helping them search for a home. Conversely, it also brings up the question of how well a customer communicates his criteria and if that agent is asking the rights questions of his customer.
In this market, buyers have the advantage and it is all the more important to make sure you have thought through your lifestyle preferences in order to take advantage of the lower price over the long term. It doesn’t benefit you if you find a great deal now but don’t like the way the house functions and end up selling it in a few short years. Figuring out what type of home, neighborhood and community is just as important as your monthly payment.
My customer told me when we were touring homes that “I was telling him all the things he noticed” as we walked through the homes. This gave him the confidence to know that his needs were acknowledged and the details that bothered him were not being overlooked. So when the offers he submitted while he was in town didn’t get accepted he felt confident that I could communicate to him the necessary information to make a long distance decision. Apparently stating the obvious facts about a house wasn’t going to work for this situation…he needed someone with a trained eye in design, construction and knowledge of the community who wasn’t going to be shy about the negative aspects of a home.
Design psychology isn’t new but when you combine the expertise of an interior designer with psychology you find greater satisfaction with the end result due to asking a lot of questions. Constance Forrest and Susan Painter are credited as the founders of the field of design psychology.Their approach has helped realtor’s sell houses and buyers find greater joy in the homes they’ve purchased. This video clip shows how they work to create an environment that satisfies the tastes of both clients by drawing on the emotional attachments of previous homes, favorite objects and colors schemes that hold important memories from the past.
You might not need to purchase a home sight unseen but it certainly helps if you hire a Realtor who knows the right questions to ask especially if you’ve never purchased a home before. Also, don’t overlook the importance of an agent’s ability to respect what you tell them is important to you. If you only want to see single story homes or need to stay within a certain budget and your agent ignores that information then it’s time to find another one.
Finally realize that you can’t talk your significant other into liking a home that they just don’t like. Emotions are not logical and trying to convince someone to like a home they are indifferent to doesn’t work. The reasons people attach to homes vary with each person and could be due to memories, inspiration or floor plan. I’ve seen couples try to convince each other to like a particular home only to end up in a fight. Emotions cannot be reasoned with so minimize the stress of home buying and agree to disagree and keep the peace.
