A Happy Ending to a 4-year Journey
Me (left) and one of my all-time favorite clients
I don't normally post photos of my clients (or myself for that matter), but this particular client is super special to me. We started her house hunt FOUR YEARS AGO to the day she went under contract on this beauty last month. When new clients apologize for taking a while to choose a house, I say "no worries, let me tell you about this one woman…"
When Jenna and I met, we spent the first few months exploring what she really wanted and needed and where to find it. We must've looked at maybe 50 houses over the last few years? And I know that sounds insane and I would not recommend that for most buyers.
But Jenna was not being picky. She was being smart. She had an apartment she liked for a fantastic rent, and there was no good reason to give that up for a house that didn't give her joy. There were plenty of houses I advised her not to buy. There was no need for her to settle for something subpar. Meanwhile, she kept squirreling away money and even got a better job. She didn't make low-ball offers on a bunch of houses and miss out on them. She didn't make offers at all until this summer. In fact, she only made one offer—the offer that got her this house.
After so much time looking at houses together, I knew what she loved and she knew what to look for. So when this beauty hit the market, she felt confident making a strong offer (which she had to because there were multiple offers on this house). Jenna's family gave the house their blessing (trust and believe, they were very invested in the outcome by this point). Special thanks go to Jenna's niece, who is going to make an outstanding Realtor one day. If she weren't still in grade school, I'd already be sending her referrals.
Takeaways:
Don't beat yourself up for being "picky." Instead, have clarifying conversations with your agent about your goals.
Keep putting money away and get pre-approved so you're ready when "the one" comes up.
Understand no house is perfect, but it should still feel like home.
If you feel pushed to buy a house that you know won't work for you, get a new agent.
When the right house pops up, don't ef around and find out. Listen to your agent and make the strongest offer you can.