How the RIGHT questions make all the difference in finding the BEST answer.
Some very good friends of mine provided the good reminder this year that my job as a Realtor is to dig deep enough to really understand the WHY of a homebuying goal instead of just the WHAT.
We spent nearly five months looking at every small acreage from here to Wyoming, trekking far into the ‘wilds’ of dirt roads and seeing more tumbleweeds than people. All because that was what they said they wanted and I was guilty of not being as thorough with friends as I would be with most clients.
I finally dug deeper into their future plans and discovered that the Fort Collins area would potentially be their home for a short time only. It dawned on me (albeit FAR later than it should have) that purchasing a small acreage far from town would be the worst possible option if they needed to be flexible in selling it in a few years. We started to talk instead about spending half of their budget on a fixer upper townhouse that would have excellent up-sale and would sell quickly in any market.
A month later we closed on an amazingly undervalued bank-owned townhouse at half the payment they expected. They have done some beautiful upgrades already and could easily sell it tomorrow for a very healthy profit. If they DO end up staying in town, they will have far more options to buy a true ‘dream’ ranch in the future versus the short term starter ranch that they could possibly be stuck with.
The moral of the story?
For me – dig deep enough to unveil the WHY above and beyond the WHAT in a home search.
For you – Focus on your overall investment goals and how they fit in the big picture. You might be surprised by how it changes your home search.
How can we help you reach your real estate investment goals?