It is probably just me, but I see some similarities between buying an apartment and dating. The only dating advice that I ever give anyone (if they ask) is to tell him/her to avoid snap judgments and to take his/her time to know who the person really is that you are dating. For some reason, I have begun to feel the same way about looking for an apartment - that you need to take your time. I... [more]
It is probably just me, but I see some similarities between buying an apartment and dating.
The only dating advice that I ever give anyone (if they ask) is to tell him/her to avoid snap judgments and to take his/her time to know who the person really is that you are dating.
For some reason, I have begun to feel the same way about looking for an apartment - that you need to take your time. I started out thinking that I knew exactly what kind of apartment was right for me, but then you see other apartments that might be better suited for you and you need to stop and consider your options. Often you come upon the best one by accident or when you are not seriously looking. And of course, you can get your heart broken when things do not work out.
Any opinions from the SE community or have I just been watching too many romantic comedies?
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Response by lobster
over 15 years ago
Posts: 1147
Member since: May 2009
correction - to take his/her time getting to know
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Response by janejoey
over 15 years ago
Posts: 93
Member since: Nov 2010
I don't know. In one of Nora Ephron's essay books she writes that a building "saved her life". When she divorced Carl Bernstein and relocated to NYC from DC, she moved into the Apthorp and the building was, sorta, one of the loves of her life. She also wrote about the key money she had to pay to get the unit. I can see how living at the Apthorp would help get one through a divorce. It's a truly beautiful building.
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Response by Sunday
over 15 years ago
Posts: 1607
Member since: Sep 2009
You find that the size is always smaller than what you have been lead to believe.
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Response by commoner
over 15 years ago
Posts: 197
Member since: Apr 2010
And the brokers are matchmakers.. They won't let you have the "getting to know" time.
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Response by lobster
over 15 years ago
Posts: 1147
Member since: May 2009
janejoey, what a great response. I can see how finding and creating a lovely home in a beautiful building such as the Apthorp can be a comfort after going through a divorce. I will have to read her essay.
commoner, I never thought of brokers as matchmakers but I can see the truth in your comment.
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Response by janejoey
over 15 years ago
Posts: 93
Member since: Nov 2010
thanks
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Response by front_porch
over 15 years ago
Posts: 5324
Member since: Mar 2008
If brokers are matchmakers, then it's possible that we have an idea of what will work for the client even though it's not what the client is imagining.
It isn't that we're trying to skip "getting to know time" -- it's just that we've done dozens or even hundreds of these, and have a larger perspective on what works out and what doesn't.
ali r.
DG Neary Realty
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Response by lobster
over 15 years ago
Posts: 1147
Member since: May 2009
Ali, no one really thinks of RE brokers as "property matchmakers" - instead we think of brokers as professionals with expertise in helping buyers find suitable homes and sellers to sell their homes. I am sorry if the comments offended you in any way. You are one of the nicest and most knowledgeable posters on SE.
One of the things that I find consistently interesting about reading the SE discussions is the focus of most posters upon the financial aspects of RE purchases. I tend to view the world in more social terms and wish I could see RE as a purely financial matter.
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Response by columbiacounty
over 15 years ago
Posts: 12708
Member since: Jan 2009
real estate is not a purely financial matter.
but...
how can something that generally involves the largest expenditure that one makes not have a strong financial component?
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Response by aboutready
over 15 years ago
Posts: 16354
Member since: Oct 2007
ali, sometimes the broker has an idea, many times not.
how can a broker get inside a client's head and understand why and when that client will accept something entirely different from what is their stated goal?
maybe if your clients lean heavily toward a certain subset, but the less than wealthy can have criteria that can change with the wind, depending on what compromises are involved. many of your clients may have some notion as well as to what might work out and what might not. and if they're willing to take the time to "get to know", well, right now urgency isn't necessary so i say to the buyers, go for it, at the end of the day you'll know how you did compared to the general market, at the very least.
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Response by lobster
over 15 years ago
Posts: 1147
Member since: May 2009
I think that my buyer's broker is wonderful and I could not be happier with her as my broker. She is a "matchmaker" only in the sense that she and I have discussed many times the criteria that I must have in an apartment/building/neighborhood and when a suitable place comes on the market, we go see the apartment. Of course, she has ideas and suggestions but understands that this will be my long-term home and is willing to work with me as long as it takes to find the right place. She knows that I am a serious buyer as I have made serious offers on several places already. The key is to find a knowledgeable broker that is a good communicator and sees the process as a collaboration for as long as needed. As a buyer, it is helpful to benefit from your broker's experience but you make the final decision.
correction - to take his/her time getting to know
I don't know. In one of Nora Ephron's essay books she writes that a building "saved her life". When she divorced Carl Bernstein and relocated to NYC from DC, she moved into the Apthorp and the building was, sorta, one of the loves of her life. She also wrote about the key money she had to pay to get the unit. I can see how living at the Apthorp would help get one through a divorce. It's a truly beautiful building.
You find that the size is always smaller than what you have been lead to believe.
And the brokers are matchmakers.. They won't let you have the "getting to know" time.
janejoey, what a great response. I can see how finding and creating a lovely home in a beautiful building such as the Apthorp can be a comfort after going through a divorce. I will have to read her essay.
commoner, I never thought of brokers as matchmakers but I can see the truth in your comment.
thanks
If brokers are matchmakers, then it's possible that we have an idea of what will work for the client even though it's not what the client is imagining.
It isn't that we're trying to skip "getting to know time" -- it's just that we've done dozens or even hundreds of these, and have a larger perspective on what works out and what doesn't.
ali r.
DG Neary Realty
Ali, no one really thinks of RE brokers as "property matchmakers" - instead we think of brokers as professionals with expertise in helping buyers find suitable homes and sellers to sell their homes. I am sorry if the comments offended you in any way. You are one of the nicest and most knowledgeable posters on SE.
One of the things that I find consistently interesting about reading the SE discussions is the focus of most posters upon the financial aspects of RE purchases. I tend to view the world in more social terms and wish I could see RE as a purely financial matter.
real estate is not a purely financial matter.
but...
how can something that generally involves the largest expenditure that one makes not have a strong financial component?
ali, sometimes the broker has an idea, many times not.
how can a broker get inside a client's head and understand why and when that client will accept something entirely different from what is their stated goal?
maybe if your clients lean heavily toward a certain subset, but the less than wealthy can have criteria that can change with the wind, depending on what compromises are involved. many of your clients may have some notion as well as to what might work out and what might not. and if they're willing to take the time to "get to know", well, right now urgency isn't necessary so i say to the buyers, go for it, at the end of the day you'll know how you did compared to the general market, at the very least.
I think that my buyer's broker is wonderful and I could not be happier with her as my broker. She is a "matchmaker" only in the sense that she and I have discussed many times the criteria that I must have in an apartment/building/neighborhood and when a suitable place comes on the market, we go see the apartment. Of course, she has ideas and suggestions but understands that this will be my long-term home and is willing to work with me as long as it takes to find the right place. She knows that I am a serious buyer as I have made serious offers on several places already. The key is to find a knowledgeable broker that is a good communicator and sees the process as a collaboration for as long as needed. As a buyer, it is helpful to benefit from your broker's experience but you make the final decision.