Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The New House Compromise

Hey, Nick here, with just a quick thought for the day.

There is something very important to remember when buying your first home together. Marriage and a new home are very similar. No marriage or house will ever be perfect, and that is why there will always be a give and take for both. I have worked with many couples purchasing their first home, not only together, but the first home ever for each of them. Neither one of them is exactly sure what to expect from this experience, and It's during this process that disagreements may arise. It's totally alright if they do. It's very therapeutic in a way, because you are given the opportunity to learn a lot more about one another as a couple. Plus, it gives me a chance to not only be a real estate agent, but to play therapist as well ;-)

What I find helpful when newlywed buyers come to my office, is to present them with a check list of items that each of them might want in a new house. This list contains popular features you'd find in a home that most people look for. Like, central A/C for example. They fill out the list in separate rooms and put numbers 1-15 next to the items of most to least importance. Then we all reconvene to look it over. Sometimes their lists are very similar and sometimes the complete opposite, but this helps get them in the new house mind set and allows them to start thinking about compromising with each other. She might want the country style kitchen, and he might prefer the granite and stainless steel appliances. She might be leaning towards the move-in-ready Colonial, and he may want to play handyman and get his hands on the fixer-upper (In our marriage, my wife plays handyman. I can't even be trusted with a hammer). She may be leaning more towards a finished basement as a play room for future rug rats, and he may want the man-cave of his dreams down there. No matter what the preference, there is always a way to come to a common ground. That common ground is: whatever she wants! Of course, I kid. You have already vowed to stick by each other 'til death do you part. You can certainly vow to agree on the house of your dreams.



No comments:

Post a Comment