People often ask what type of clients use my property search service, where do they live, where are they coming from and do they all want similar houses?
But the answer is that every search is very different and a wide variety of different people use the service. It’s constantly intriguing how everyone looks for a different combination of factors and the weighting they put (certainly at the beginning of a search) on each one. If a couple are searching for a house they often have different likes and dislikes. Often having completely different childhoods in different cultures and countries from each other, they have very set ideas about what constitutes their ideal home. They have been brought up in totally different houses and then end up renting in London together, their real tastes only coming out once they start their search to buy a property together.
I like to know how people live in their current house (rented or not). It gives a good insight into what they may be looking to replicate or magnify in a new home. Once they have sent me a couple of houses that they may have loved and lost (which perhaps has made them get in touch with me), I can a get a good idea of what they are really looking for. Sometimes they surprise me, sending me properties that don’t reflect what they have just outlined in their brief.
These criteria may not be achievable with their budget. That’s a conversation to have at the start, it may sound harsh but most of us would like to buy houses that are about 20% above our actual budgets (whilst being relatively realistic!). They may need to think about moving further out from London or adjusting their expectations.
It’s always a process. Sometimes that perfect house comes along straight away by pure luck. Luck can work against you though, it’s hard to convince a client that this is ‘the one’ when it’s one of their first viewings, it feels almost too good to be true.
Recently a client bought a large country house at their first viewing. I could vouch for its quality and location and luckily all went smoothly, but these are rare in the south east where competition is pretty fierce in any market.
Some take many, many months to find. Patience and a constant re-evaluation of their criteria helps ensure that it is the market and not their search that is letting them down in their goal.
Psychology , patience and understanding your client are all key. These are literally life changing decisions in many instances, the thought that a client might be unhappy down the line with their purchase would be the worst outcome for all. There is nothing better than happy clients, it really makes your heart sing.