This House Looks Perfect!

The house you see online looks perfect. Amazing, even. It has the single story you’ve been dreaming of, the right number of bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen, and maybe even the backyard you’ve pictured yourself enjoying.

Then you finally see it in person—and it’s just not right.

That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the house. It simply means the house isn’t right for you.

An online listing can give you a lot of information about a property. You can see the square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size, upgrades, and dozens of beautiful photos. You may even be able to study a floor plan or take a virtual tour.

What it can’t tell you is what it feels like to be there.

You don’t really know how busy the street feels until you’re standing in front of the house. Photos may not show you how close the neighboring homes feel or whether the rooms are bright and sunny or darker than you expected. Even with a floor plan, it can be difficult to understand how the rooms flow together or how the home is oriented until you actually walk through it.

And then there are all the things beyond the front door.

What is the neighborhood like on a weeknight? How about on a Saturday afternoon? What’s the drive like to the grocery store, your favorite restaurants, your doctor, or work? If you enjoy spending time outside, what is the backyard like in the afternoon? Does it get full sun? Is there shade? A patio? A patio cover? Is there enough privacy for you to actually enjoy being out there?

These details probably won’t make it into the listing description, but they can have a big impact on how much you enjoy living in the home.

Before you start looking, make a list of the things that matter to you beyond bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage. Better yet, ask your real estate agent to help you create a list you can carry with you when you tour properties. When you walk into a beautiful home, it’s easy to get distracted by the things you love and forget to check the things that will matter once you live there every day.

I also encourage buyers to explore the neighborhood at different times of the day and on both weekdays and weekends. Visit the nearby stores, parks, restaurants, community centers, walking trails—or anything else that will be part of your everyday life.

If you’re relocating from outside the area, that can be more difficult. We can talk about ways I can help you learn more about a home and its surroundings before you make the trip to see it yourself.

And remember: if the home you were convinced would check every box turns out not to be the one, that’s okay. You didn’t waste your time. You learned something about what matters to you—and that gets us one step closer to finding the right home.

The home for you is out there. Let’s find it.