Do you Really LOVE that House?

Is that really the only house you'll ever truly love?

I asked my six year old daughter what I should write about today and she said "love."  So I thought about it for around 30 seconds and realized I hear at least one buyer each month who "absolutely loves a house" and can't see ever finding another that may work out. 

Sounds like a great problem... I mean after all I pride myself in not pressuring buyers into any home so if they take the reins and want to veer directly into the second or third house they see because it's 100% perfect I should just let them... right?

Not exactly. Part of working in the buyers interest is explaining that just because they love this house, the fact that one can hear the high tension lines buzzing through an open kitchen window will kill the resale value. Or all the wood rot and deferred exterior maintenance may mean appraisal problems which could ultimately end up in no loan and money wasted on inspections and appraisals. 

The bigger (and more common) problem comes when I see the house they "absolutely love" on every other street corner and there's no shortage of this particular style in this particular price range and in this particular condition. For whatever reason a home buyer can get so emotionally attached to one house that may have issues that could hurt them down the road.

Obviously buying a home is an emotional process, I'm not trying to deny that. I would just like to suggest that maybe when you find a home that's absolutely perfect, you ask yourself "Could this floor plan four blocks over for the same price work as well?"  It may stop the "I MUST HAVE THIS HOUSE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES" reaction that I see in some buyers. 

On the flip side if you are looking for a home that's unique or priced lower than it should be... when something finally comes up, do whatever it takes to get the house. Sometimes you'll have to pay more than asking. Sometimes you'll end up not getting things repaired on inspection that you otherwise would have. But, you'll end up with the hard to find house and that's a much better bargain, one that truly is deserving of your love.