Who wears the pants in your family? In my 20 years of helping buyers and sellers of real estate in the Edmonton area I have had some pretty unique opportunities to observe people in some fairly high stress situations. Recently Coldwell Banker did a survey to find out once and for all who wears the pants in the family when it comes to real estate. The results pretty much just reaffirmed my observations but some of the findings were a little interesting.
Men it seems highly overvalue their opinions and women underestimate theirs. Oops that's my observations, not what the report said.
The actual key survey findings are:
- Women are more likely to make up their mind quickly
- Women would rather live closer to family than work
- Men would rather live closer to KFC then work. OK just kidding this wasn't a result.
- Home security is a deal breaker for both men and women
- 70% of couples responded that no one person wears the proverbial pants in the family
As a REALTOR® and part time marriage counselor here's my Top 6 things that can help make the buying process a little easier for couples:
- Talk things through - Buying a home can be stressful. Often a little communication can go a long way. This may help prevent rash, heat of the moment decisions that pave the way to divorce court.
-
Remove yourself – Sometimes when you see something you really like one of the best things you can do is take yourself out of the pressure cooker. Go for dinner, have a hot tub, go for a walk and try to talk about something else. Let your subconscious mind absorb the meat and potatoes of the problem. (This is very difficult to do in a hot market but it's worth it.
-
Think a little beyond today - As a young couple who is newly married buying a 1 bedroom condo may not the best move unless you've thought it through. Real estate is a long term investment so plan on buying a home you can live with for at least 5 years.
-
Work with anybody – I mean, seriously why put some thought and effort into who is going to work with you, just go with the first person you meet at an open house. What could possibly go wrong? (OK what I actually mean is research who you are going to work with, interview REALTORS® and decide who will best meet your needs and who you will actually get along with.)
-
There will always be another one – I don't mean you should go out and replace your spouse. When I was buying a home years ago, I brought my parents through the home and was very excited about it. In the meantime another offer came in that the sellers accepted. Although it was somewhat disheartening, in time another came along and it actually ended up being a better home for me. Of course the exception is if you have very specific requirements and the right one comes along it's probably best you act quickly.
-
Keep an open mind, be flexible - Keep your options open to area, style, size and so on.
In the end my honest opinion its more about personality type then sex that determines how people negotiate.
