Touring homes with the intention of buying one is different to just visiting someone’s home. As a Realtor I have toured many, many homes over the 20 plus years I have been selling homes. I used to sell antiques, and when i was out hunting for inventory I often thought about what clients wanted. I found touring homes a similar experience, I walk though a home with an idea of what my clients have told me they want in a home.
It is more than just three bedrooms and two baths, I usually sit and talk with clients for a while to discover what makes them tick, to uncover their lifestyle and what they like to do. This all helps me when I am walking through a home to know if it is going to be a fit or not.
I remember having toured with a couple on Saturday, listening to their comments about the homes were seeing. Later that week on a broker tour I walked into a home that I thought would be a fit. It was not what they had originally described as wanting, but having listened to their comments at the weekend I thought it might work. I encouraged them to tour the home and several weeks later they settled on it and moved in.
Many home buyers get caught up in other peoples design. The furniture and wall art are unimportant, you need to look beyond this at the room sizes, furniture is just a guide as to what might fit in the room. How is the light coming into the rooms, does a lot of natural light make the rooms nice and bright or are the trees and shrubs blocking the natural light making the rooms feel small and dark.
How about the way rooms connect, is there good flow allowing people to walk easily between rooms. Or do the rooms dead end leaving you trapped by that guest you cannot escape because there is no where to go.
Bedrooms, are they all on the same floor or are they on different levels, how will that work with your family. For some families having children on different levels is not a problem, but for those with very young children it may be better for them to be all on one level.
What about guest rooms, are these in the private family space or are they located to allow guests and family their own space?
Is there space for kids to play inside, or for a parent to have a private workspace free from distractions?
I often ask clients questions as we tour, to compare houses and rank them as we go, allotting them catchy names, like “the kitchen house’ for example when a home might have a chefs kitchen. This helps to keep them in order and to know which home you prefer. Because when you tour four or five homes in a day, after a while they become a blur, taking notes is not a bad idea, and ranking them helps to decide if this is the home.
So, next time you are touring homes do not get caught up by the photos and artwork or interior design, look beyond that and see if this home will work for you and your lifestyle.