Second time frequently is no charm for buyers

(Flickr photo by Christopher MacSurak)

It happens all the time.

Buyers who have searching hard for a new home with few compromises finally see one they love.

Leaving the place, they urge their broker to make an offer.  Brokers like me, however, will insist on a second visit as the process gets under way.

That’s when the curse of the second visit almost invariably descends.

Clients of mine recently proved to be no exception to the curse, having come to grips with elements of the Brooklyn property that had won their affection at an open house without me.  I liked it, too, when we visited it together, they for the second time.

There’s nothing like the variety of dining options nearby, one spouse observed, deciding that he could accept that trade-off for a home that otherwise met their needs.  And so what if nail heads marching along the hardwood floor would mean replacing the surface next time it was scuffed and scratched too much.

Yet the couple remained enthusiastic until the next day.  By then, the compromises that they would have to make began to tip the balance against their new-found love even while their offer was under consideration.

There was a transportation issue.  Then, proposed construction of a seven-story building no more than 50 yards from the rear of the property would make life barely tolerable for a long time.  And what about neighborhood amenities?

Rather than rue their ambivalence, I was thrilled that they had begun to shine an intense light on defects that could plague them for years.

In my eyes, that they could avoid making a major mistake was far more important than my making a sale.

All of us brokers have to put our clients’ happiness above our own, and this couple was no exception.

For them and virtually all other buyers who pay a second visit to a property that they contemplate purchasing as a new home, the second time was no charm.  Good!

Tomorrow: Wrinkles

To take your own bite out of the Big Apple, you have the option here to search all available properties privately.

Subscribe by Email

Malcolm Carter
Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Senior Vice President
Charles Rutenberg Realty
127 E. 56th Street
New York, NY 10022

M: 347-886-0248
F: 347-438-3201

Malcolm@ServiceYouCanTrust.com
Web site