The Romantic Tempo of House Hunting

My Woodinville neighbor, house hunting can be a dog sent from hell. Questions plague the would-be buyer: did we see everything that’s available; are we paying too much? Will someone beat us to the punch and get to our perfect home before we do?

A good real estate agent (we're called "brokers" these days) can keep the pain to a minimum.  Of course, the anxieties cannot be totally eliminated. But the agent/broker strives to take on the burden for you to the maximum extent possible; to the maximum extent you will let go and let them do their thing.

It helps if you trust the broker. Which doesn’t mean you abandon your own efforts to search. But with your broker in the hunt you can relax some. Brokers have tools you don’t have for the search.

With the computer age, the real estate professional sets up “automatic searches” of all listed properties. We can do this on our multiple listing service. Even when the broker is sleeping the computer is searching for new listings that meet the criteria put into the search. When the broker wakes in the morning, the computer already has the new listings.

Setting up the search and entering your criteria doesn’t take long. You just tell your broker: price range, areas where you would consider living, square feet needed, yard desires, distance from or insulation from people (even in the condo context). Give the broker as much detail as you can. Ask to have the automatic search results sent directly to you. Brokers like to screen so you may or may not get your wish in this regard.

Not all homes are listed on the multiple service. A substantial number of places are sold by owners without the benefit of a broker and without publishing the listing on the multiple. These are called FSBO homes:  For Sale by Owner. Those homes might be known by a good broker, a real estate professional thoroughly schooled in the ebb and flow of the Woodinville neighborhood. Other times, you just have to drive around and look in the desired neighborhood and keep your eyes peeled for the for FSBO signs.

Other homes are not yet listed, but may come on the market soon. Again, a good broker familiar with the neighborhoods where you want to live may have sources of information and know about places almost ready to be listed. You can sometimes buy a place before it’s even listed.

You can see I’m touting the value of real estate professionals.

Besides the benefit of these professionals, I believe poetry and romance should be elements in choosing a home. A home should speak to the heart, it should engage the spirit.  You should be able to see the possibilities in poetic terms: roses are red violets are blue oh you beautiful, paneled-den with French doors unto the private garden … I love you.

Buying a home shouldn’t be purely a scientific, clinical exercise. It’s not a science; it’s an art. It’s a love affair looking for a heart to invade. Your heart, your imagination, your romantic notions of home all need to be aroused by a property.

I’ll show buyers property-after-property and suddenly we find Mr. Right-Abode. We pull up in front of the Dutch Colonial of their dreams and the husband gets out of the car with tears in his eyes. Bingo, I know we’ll be writing up an offer.

Because the house matching is a thing of the heart, you‘ll find your true love in due time when the stars are aligned properly. No amount of midnight, computer searches can speed this process. It’s on a romantic time schedule. It will happen when it’s meant to happen.