Effective House Hunting

- Encinitas Homes for Sale
- Del Mar Homes for Sale
- Encinitas MLS Listings
- Solana Beach Homes for Sale
- Cardiff by The Sea Homes for Sale
Finding the perfect house can be a daunting task. Some buyers claim to not know what they want until they see it. Some are so dead set on one particular attribute that they cannot see the positives of a property that does not have whatever that is,
As a real estate agent myself, I have seen how stubborn and closed minded a person or couple can be when looking for a new home.
If you are in the market to buy, arm your real estate agent with the necessary information to succeed. Success for them is getting you to the closing table (or closing meeting) to purchase a house that you or you and your partner love.
How many of you have ever purchased a car from a dealership? I would bet that probably most of you have. Whether the vehicle you were interested in was new or not, it had certain attributes. Maybe it was a truck. Maybe it was a car. Maybe it was a Sport Utility Vehicle. Whatever it was, it had certain attributes. Did it have two or four doors? Was it equipped with leather seats? Did it have the latest, greatest stereo? Did it have power door locks and windows? How many of these features did you go into the dealership looking for? Unless you came after a specific stock number, the answer is probably only a few of those features.
You may have said that you needed a four-door car because you have small children and thus car seats. That seems reasonable. Who wants to lean into the back seat from the front to get a child in or out if they can help it? Maybe the next thing you said was that it had to have an automatic transmission so you wouldn’t have to wear out a manual clutch in traffic during your daily commute. That is also reasonable.
Did you go into the dealership saying the car had to be blue, silver, or red? If the car meets your short list of needs, odds are that you would have an open mind as to the seemingly unimportant traits.
The same thing is true with house hunting. Instead of picturing yourself on a car lot, picture yourself on a home tour. Your REALTOR has to have your list of necessary attributes in order to effectively locate a potential property for you. If you have a large family, you probably won’t want a two-bedroom house. If you or a member of your family is disabled, you will need a home that is ADA accessible. If you are an avid boater, you may require being close to the water. You know what you want, or at least you think you do. Have an open discussion with your agent to determine essentials, nice to haves, could do withouts, and deal breakers. These are the categories I use to classify attributes of a home.
An essential may be the number of bedrooms or a garage. A nice to have could be a gas stove or a porch. A could do without may be a mudroom or decked attic. A deal breaker may be a creek along the property line. These are different for everyone. Be honest with yourself and your agent and you will be on your way. Goo




