In the Buyer's Shoes
It's cold in January & February in Northern Wisconsin, and the wind across the lake can make for drifts of snow. So sometimes, when the home I've scheduled for a showing is vacant, I can have a berm to hop over. Getting inside can be a challenge on these days — I've had frozen locks, and lockboxes too. These challenges usually leave me smiling — shared hardships are good to bond over, and it makes it nice to get back to the desk and work for the rest of the day, appreciating a warm work environment while my socks are drying out.
Today the house was a little chilly, but much nicer than the cold outside. We knocked off our boots, and found a place to sit to get them off. Sometimes an empty house makes it tough for my older clients to take their shoes off, but a clean floor is always respected in Northern Wisconsin, and my clients appreciate an owner who took the time to vacuum and make the house nice.
We walked the kitchen, the living room, and the bedrooms, opening the closets to check for size, seeing how they liked the bathroom, looking at the utilities, the furnace, the circuit panel and windows. I'm always interested to see what my clients focus on. It varies for everyone, of course, but if I were pressed for a generalization I would say that more experienced homeowners are interested most in the livability of the house. Does it have the shop they are looking for? The main floor bedroom? How is the layout? Newer, or first time homebuyers may be a little more interested in the cost of ownership — how old is the furnace, what are the taxes? But everyone is looking for the house that suits their hopes and their needs.
At the end of the tour I like to take a moment and talk with the potential purchasers, to get their take on the property. There is often a very real feeling that people have when they stand in the home and have a conversation. It is made up of the little details they noticed, the questions they were asking themselves before they walked into the house, and the answers they gathered as they looked, opened, touched the surfaces and imagined themselves in this property. Can they picture hosting their in-laws at the kitchen table? Do they like the view from the kitchen window? Is this a home they can see themselves living in? How does it feel to them?
I love the answers that I get here. It's usually surprisingly clear. By the end of 30 minutes, or an hour, most people have a very clear understanding of whether this home will work for them.
I'm amazed at how quickly people can make this decision (sometimes), but I can tell you that they are not often wrong. Over the years, it's overwhelmingly clear that people get it right. When they stand in that kitchen, or we chat in the garage, looking up at the ceiling where they are picturing storing that load of odds and ends, or the curly maple they picked up somewhere along the road — they are working at a very deep level. And that gut decision is very true. When we get in the right place, the perfect outcome arrives.
It's a privilege to be a part of these moments. There's a lot that comes after — home inspections, clearing the financing contingencies, connecting with the title company, and making our way to the closing table. But it all comes from that one moment, when they made their decision.
That's a fun moment, and I wanted to share it with you. I thought you might be interested. Thanks for taking the time to look inside of a real estate practitioner's day.
As always, let us know if there is anything we can do for you. We enjoy taking that journey with you.
Sincerely,
Kevin Porter
Porter Realty
Focused on You, Invested in Our Community
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