Mars and Venus Buy a Home

Now this is something a Realtor could have guessed, based on field experience; but it is very interesting to read a seemingly valid survey on the topic. **

According to a news story that I read today in the Illinois Association of Realtors weekly web mag....



* Some 70% of women decided on the house they wanted to buy on their first visit to the home.
Men? Only 62% knew on the first visit that they had found nirvana.



Yep, I've seen this time and time again. In fact, it has been my experience that the lady of a couple realizes the good match of a particular house much sooner than does her male cohert. Multiple repeat visits to the property are usually necessary to earn the "buy in" of the guy. The lady is likely to be giving him a running sales pitch as they tour the property, pointing out all the positive aspects of the home. He is responding "Yeh, but ...



* The right house is found, but considered unsafe (for whatever reason) - how does that resonate? 64% of the gals responded that their interest in the home would cease. Only 51% of the guys indicated that an unsafe house would deter them from making a purchase.



I suppose this is very easy to understand and accept; fear of personal safety and the safety of all family members is usually a strong instinct of the nurturing woman/mother in a family unit. I had one female client describe this as the baby carriage test; "Would I be comfortable pushing a baby stroller around this area?" The man/father is more likely thinking in terms of "No problem, I'll just .... .... to keep myself safe." Should the gals get busy and earn a black belt in Karate?



* Having family members nearby is more important than being closer to my job: girls said yes 55% of the time, while guys said yes only 37% of the time.

*Again, not surprising that the woman/mother feels comfort in having family members close by, as opposed to being a block from her job. I had a client who started her home search by stating with great determination that she would not be interested in buying a home near her parents, that being convenient to her job was the highest priority. Guess what she bought? An older home that needed much renovation, was giving her a one hour commute to work, but was only 3 blocks from her parents' home.



All of this is mildly entertaining to read, but there is a lesson to be learned from the study: having an experienced Realtor guide a couple through the home search can make the conclusion a much happier one. The Realtor is going to recognize these differences between the 2 members of a relationship, and will know how to coordinate their wishes and needs to keep their search on track and also have the couple learn to compromise their personal agendas for the common good. And that's not always easy.





Just last summer I was helping a couple who were determined to live in a specific town, and in specific parts of that town. Once I had surveyed the market in that town, I felt they would have to expand their search border to find a good fit in a house. I visited a particular house on the weekly Tuesday Brokers' Tour without the couple in tow, and knew it fit their needs exceptionally well. It was in their chosen town, but sooooo not in any of the areas they preferred. But it offered them the space, yard, "newness", and location they so badly needed. She would have a 5 minute ride to work; he would walk 1 1/2 blocks to the commuter train he needed. I knew it was right for them immediately. At the first visit, the woman knew it as well. The husband fought it, and had to be exposed to the house multiple times before he relented and made an offer to purchase it. Yes, they bought it, they moved in, invited all the family for parties asap, and promptly became pregnant with #2. They plan to have lots and lots of kids, and now they are off to a good start. This was a particularly rewarding transaction for me.





Home shopping is fun, it's demanding, it's emotionally wrecking at times; getting you through it with minimal stress, and a happy result is the Realtor's job. How does your agent measure up?

** survey conducted by telephone by franchiser Coldwell/Banker, results published in April 2009. See link to press release.