I have seen in so many times in my years as a Real Estate agent in both Florida and Texas. A buyer finds a home. A buyer falls in love with a home. A buyer puts in an offer for the home. A buyer wins the bid and goes under contract. While starting the inspection process, the buyer starts sending me multiple properties and voila, all of a sudden they are no longer in love with the home. Sound familiar? No wonder so many people are in later stages of their lives when they settle down. (Yes, I am one of them...I know, I know) Hear me out.
Look, I understand, window shopping seems cool until you walk away in the same position you were in before you started. And yes, this refers to anything; relationships, clothing, cars and yes...HOUSES TOO. I have had clients, even very recently and currently active that are going through the very same thing. If you know me and have worked with me or discussed real estate with me, I am pretty much a broken record on the 2 MUSTS in deciding real estate purchases. You must be financially capable and most importantly, you MUST be EMOTIONALLY READY. Those contract documents coming at you a mile a minute from your Realtor aren't merely for the faint of heart. They are binding documents, that yes, if written properly, can allow you to walk away from a home under contract. But barring anything other than a catastrophic inspection, why would you do that? You are in control. You are under contract, likely on a home that hundreds of buyers would rob you blind to be in your position. So why the change of heart?
The answer is simply this; those buyers don't believe in a soul mate. O.K., hear me out, as some of you are now thinking I'm turning this into a marriage counseling session. Look, buyers remorse is REAL. We constantly make decisions we regret, but in all cases we simply move on. Is there another possibility? Sure! We can return something, and usually get something else, with usual exceptions, ie. cars and homes. No one is honestly saying come buy my car at my lot and I'll give you 7 days to see if you like it. If you don't, simply return for a full refund, after you went on a 6 day across country driving bender. It doesn't work like that. Why should buying a house be any different?
There are honestly several outs for buying a home and protecting initial investments, but the process can still costs the buyers significant money. In Texas, you pay a non refundable option fee, negotiated towards time allowed and costs by both selling and buying parties to secure proper inspections on a home. This usually can be as low as the low hundreds to the thousands. Inspection fees can go from regular inspections, to structural inspections, to foundation inspections and on an on. Those costs can be significant. Never mind paying for non existing surveys, HOA transfers and appraisals. The key word here is commitment. Financial commitment and emotional commitment. Keep in mind, your agent is working hard to make sure you get the home you covet. Their (our) job is to guide you. To prepare you. No one buys the perfect house. It doesn't exist. Nor do perfect marriages or partnerships, or our cars, clothing, etc. There's something we don't like in just about everything we do. When you learn to accept that reality and have a little faith in the process, you will find years of happiness, even imperfect ones. Trust the process. Trust your Realtor. Trust yourself.
The opinions shared and/or suggested are my own, and not necessarily shared by my brokerage. Contact me today for a brief consultation to see if the time to buy/sell is right for you.
