“I want buying my home to be like buying my wedding dress…” Gulp, says I.
A fellow agent and I have been showing homes to a nice young couple searching for a house. After a day of showings, the wife looked at us and said in a somewhat exhausted, disappointed almost angry voice “I want this to be like buying my wedding dress…I want to be wowed. I want to have tears in my eyes. I want to know this is the right house…I am not having those feelings with anything you two have showed us!” Gulp, says I to the “my expectations are not being met” moment filled with emotion.
My fellow agent, a great guy…looked at me and with this face that said you better take this one…I nervously smiled and said let me think about that for a minute. Exactly how could I turn this moment of frustration and raw emotion into something positive…think! Think!
A bit of background on them and their needs. They just had their first child. They are both well employed and have bright futures in their chosen fields. They are well qualified, enthusiastic, adorable and ummmm well, stereotypically unrealistic. (Maybe you have met buyers like them?) They have done their financial homework. They are pre-qualified and have great credit, no debt etc., – all in all terrific buyers.
They want a great commute. They want a highly regarded school system. Based on that criteria being must-haves, they came to us with the towns where they want to look and buy. They have their price range. And that is where the expectation management has to begin. In the communites they selected, their price range means an entry-level home. These homes are not updated…no sexy granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. No master baths. Just outdated baths, horrible carpeting hiding hardwood floors, small yards, small rooms, maybe no garage. And, if the homes are updated, larger or more appealing inside then the homes have a permanent location objection…busy street, backing up to commercial property, railroad tracks in back etc.
I was spinning so many thoughts in my head and knew I had to address this comment , but how? It seemed so out of left field. When in doubt and at a loss, I ask questions. I had no idea where the questions would lead but after asking three, I saw where!
Did you have a price range for your wedding dress? Yes.
Did you stick to it? Yes.
How many did you try on before you found your dress? 12 and I ended up buying the first dress!
Why that dress? Because after seeing so many, I realized that dress fit me the best and I could make it work.
How did you make it work? Well, the seamstress was able to add some beading to the bodice to spice it up. I was able to purchase a more dramatic veil because it was a more affordable dress to start. It had the silhouette I wanted and I was able to work from there.
In addition to all that, did the dress need alterations? Yes, I am very petite and dress was ordered in its smallest size and the seamstress really had to work hard. I had 4 appointments for re-fittings to get the dress right.
Did you have to pay extra for the alterations? Well, the first one was included. But I had to pay for the extra fittings.
Did you have a budget for that? No, not really but the alterations were not as expensive as I worried they might be. And to get it right, I would have cut something else in the wedding budget if I had to.
Did you just love your dress on your wedding day? Yes! I loved how I felt in in, I loved how it looked in the pictures and I loved how it made my husband cry when I walked down the aisle in it.
Wow, I said, what a great experience you had! Let’s realize we may be able to duplicate the process you used in your wedding dress purchase in your current search for a home. Think about this:
- You are going to need to see many homes to see what you can work with. Some will be non-starters, and that is ok.
- You are going to have to see through some of the blandness of these homes and realize that you might have to add your own sparkle like you did by adding the beading.
- You might have to spend some money to update the outdated rooms like you did when you paid for extra fittings.
- You might have to juggle your own budget to pay for some granite counter tops or other updates that just might be not as expensive as you think they are.
She was starting to nod. And, I added – when you are living in this gem of a house, think how glad you will be when you jump on that express train that offers a fast commute to get you back to your baby, and your life – the life you are creating. No granite countertops can outweigh time with each other and living your life!
Expectation management back on track. We haven’t found the right house yet, but they are more positive and more willing to see the potential and not just the negatives. I am certain if this buyer (and her husband) can keep the same open mind and take the same approach to buying a home as buying her wedding dress, we will be successful!!
Leave a Reply