Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, and your success has a lot to do with your mindset. The “perfect” home has proven to be elusive to many buyers who always seem to find some small flaw that disqualifies every prospect. Those buyers actually seem to be trying to find something wrong with every house they see. The problem is, no house will ever be “perfect” enough for them. As a buyer, you have to try to keep an open mind when viewing the possibilities. You should view each house with the presumption that this could be your next home. If you have contracted a quality real estate agent, they will only be showing you homes that meet your requirements, so each one has the potential to be the right home for you.
To increase your chances of finding that perfect home, there are some things you can do to help your agent find and show you only the homes that you could imagine yourself living in. First, make very clear in the beginning what your requirements are and what your preferences are. These are two different things, and determining what they are requires you to take a long, hard look at what features your next home must have and which ones you would only like it to have. Next, keep the lines of communication between you and your agent open. If you didn’t like a house that your agent has shown you, explain to them specifically what you didn’t like, so they can screen that from any future showings. Also, if you see a feature that you liked very much, tell your agent. This will help them develop a picture in their mind of exactly what you are looking for in your new home. You want the picture in their mind to be as close as possible to the picture in yours.
While maintaining your open mindset, if you find a home that meets all of your requirements and some of your preferences, and feels good to you, consider it…seriously. It is entirely possible that you will not find a home that meets all your requirements and preferences, it may not even exist. It is however very possible to add an improvement or upgraded feature to an existing home that otherwise fits the bill. One final bit of advice, if you do come across that perfect home in the course of your searching, JUMP ON IT! Don’t let some other ready, willing, and able buyer take your perfect home. Submit a strong offer right away before it slips through your fingers.
