[email protected]
508-733-6005
By Gary Kelley
I remember buying my first place. It was a single wide mobile home up in New Hampshire. We got to the closing, the attorney asked for the title, and the seller was not able to produce. The deal died right there.
In hindsight, it was good the deal died. I did not know there was a difference in a deed versus a title (a mobile home is like buying a car.)
A friend at work recommended we talk to his wife, a respected Realtor. After interviewing us, she went out and found properties for us to tour. She believed we would buy one of the first 3 she showed us, and she was correct. The same scenario repeated itself a few years later when we were looking to upsize. We did not think we could buy in Massachusetts and we were looking in Rhode Island.
The same friend recommended we speak with his wife (who at that point were dealing with much larger homes and we didn’t think she would work with us.) She spent time interviewing us, reviewed homes and then took us out on a tour. She said she would buy one of the first three homes and again she was correct. Rhode Island was in eyesight and we still were in Massachusetts. Years later I had the opportunity to move to Florida. I was starting my new job, my wife went out and selected the house. She went for a new construction “on a canal” (logically what we would call a drainage ditch.)
While we liked the house, we weren’t thrilled with the area and longed to be back home in Massachusetts.
The cost of homes in Massachusetts far exceeded those in Florida and we went from new construction to an old Cape in Westborough. The Cape was sitting vacant as the owners had passed away. We learned this from a neighbor going to pick up her Sunday paper as we stared at the house. There was something about the house that spoke to us. We gave ourselves a budget of one week per room to paint and freshen. We spent two weeks per room and nearly killed each other trying to get the work completed. We lived in the house for years.
By this time we were aware of what to look for in a house and what was important to us. It was time to upsize and we felt we wanted to stay in Westborough for the schools. As we went around and looked at houses, nothing was quite fitting the bill. Yes, we had spreadsheets and analysis and in the end it was the feel of the home making the difference.
Houses are inanimate objects and at the same time, they all give off a feeling. I remember once looking at a house in a neighboring town when the real estate agent asked if I was feeling something. It was not a pleasant feeling! She was feeling the same thing and we quickly left the house, it felt like something tragic happened there.
Often when we are showing houses, we will look at building after building and then all of a sudden something will resonate with buyers. It’s that intangible, the house speaks to them. I remember one client saying they didn’t care how much they had to spend, they had to have the house. While I appreciate their sentiment, we did put together an offer for a reasonable amount subsequently accepted.
Bottom line…..house buying isn’t all about the spreadsheet. Your feelings matter. Yes, you can make a house a home…so vision helps.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Need tools for home search: MoveWithGary.com.
Gary is heard on WCRN AM 830 and “All Things Real Estate Podcast” on all the major podcast outlets.
If you need advice on selling your home or buying a new one, give us a call – 508-733-6005.
