Head versus heart in buying a home

When looking for a new home some buyers come with a long list of ‘must haves’ and others say they ‘will know it when they see it’.

Some house buyers measure every property they view against a checklist of criteria they’ve thought about very carefully, and they find it difficult to compromise on their requirements.  They often limit the number of properties they view if they don’t match closely enough to the checklist.

Yet it’s not unusual for some buyers to find that ‘the one’ they buy is nothing as they had imagined it would be.

Most of us are somewhere in the middle of the continuum that is the ‘head versus heart’ decision making process.

Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. 

It is a very important, expensive decision and we want to get it right.

It requires a mix of emotion and intuition on the ‘heart’ side and logical and rational appraisal on the ‘head’ side.

At henshaws estate agents we spend time talking with potential purchasers, as well as our clients, the vendors, getting to know what they like in a property, as well as the basics of budget, number of bedrooms, garden size and general location.

When a buyer asks to view a particular property we also talk to them about similar properties we are marketing. The one that caught their eye and prompted them to speak to us may tick more boxes on the checklist, but a different property maybe the one that captures their heart, or provides that perfect balance.

When it comes to house buying, it is sometimes a numbers game. You could see several properties that match the checklist pretty closely, but none that capture your heart. Or the first property you view could set your heart raising. Ideally you will find one that you love, and that matches most of the priorities in your home search.

We know that it is not just the bricks and mortar that our purchasers buy, but the feel of a property too.

House buying is an aspirational purchase. We imagine how our lives would be when we live in this house. We tend to imagine how our own furniture would look in these rooms, and how much our children would enjoy the garden.

It can also be a very stressful time, and not all sales run smoothly. But the henshaws team works hard to ensure that everything stays on track, and that the sale proceeds whenever possible once an offer has been accepted and a sale agreed.

Our best advice, through this whole process is summed up in the words of Alfred Adler:

“Follow your heart but take your brain with you.”

 

Contact our sales teams to find out about the properties we have on the market, or click here to search for your ideal property on our website.

 Modern agency, traditional values