Needs, wants and knowing when it’s THE ONE

While the Charlotte market may be primed for a shift towards additional inventory and longer days on market… the market is cooling, but it is by no means cold!

Calls for “highest and best” offers due to multiple parties bidding to win a home are still common-place, so it’s important for a buyer to be prepared and to have a full understanding of what it is that they’re looking for. We can look at every 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in the city, however there’s going to be one that speaks to you and only you will know that. Too many times I have seen a client miss out on a home that they’ve later decided was their dream home because they wanted to take a few days to think about it, or maybe they just wanted to see a few more homes. While you may want to set up a few showings to make SURE you don’t want anything else, what happens when seeing these additional homes allows you to stand in your conviction and make an offer on the home you loved, but then you learned it went under contract?

Watching clients lose out on what they believe is their perfect match hurts for the Realtor and the client. So, sit down and make a few declarations before starting your search:

decide what you absolutely need in a home – these are the non-negotiable items and includes things like: location and the number of bedrooms a home has. A family with two kids who also needs a home office should not be looking at anything with less than four bedrooms unless a serious discussion is had about what daily life will feel like for the family if the decide to forego the additional bedroom space.

create your wants list – this list can be as long or as short as you’d like. There’s no guarantee that you’ll find a property with every upgrade that you desire, so the home that checks off the largest, most-important priorities should take precedence.

When you find a home that has ALL of your needs and that certain mix of your wanted amenities… Go for it! Know that if you decide to wait until the next day to “sleep on it” that you’re risking having the sellers select another offer. For a house that is only so-so, that is a fine option to take. However, for the home that you know you’ll cry if you call your Realtor tomorrow and they tell you that the seller is under contract with another buyer… Please don’t risk it.