Forging the Link

As we sat around the Seder table Friday night, I was struck as I often am by the profound importance the notion of home has for people. Far from being just a place to sleep, the notion of home is central to our fundamental sense of place in the world. We accumulate memories, which over time seem to actually imbue the bricks and mortar (or sheetrock) with personal significance. Because I understand the importance of this sense of place, I am frequently urging customers to see their home purchase other than in terms of investment. Given that historically (although not necessarily if you bought in 2007 and sold in 2009) real estate has been a great investment, and that none of us has a crystal ball about the market 10 years from now, I urge Warburg clients to think long term and not fine tune too much. If you are living in a place a minimum of five years, an additional 5% in the purchase price probably isn’t going to make that much difference if you have found the place you want to call home. And most of us, on some level, recognize it when we see it.

Concern about the same issues motivates me when I am interviewing agents who wish to join Warburg. Two things I never want to hear are “I love architecture” (who doesn’t?)  and  “I really like people” (as opposed to really DISLIKING people?). But among the things I am hoping to hear about are an understanding of the importance residential real estate plays in the psychic lives of the people we serve. They want analysis, of course, they want an appropriate price, of course, but even more they want a place which speaks to them when they walk through the door. And when we are doing our jobs right we hear that voice, even if it is disguised and we need to listen between the lines to make it out.

Every sales business requires an understanding of the psychology of the buyer. And buyers are motivated by different things. However, selling a suit, or a car, or even a boat, is not the same as selling people a home. Each may be an expression of personal style, but buying a home involves creating the architecture of a life in a way the others do not. And we, as agents, are the midwives of this profoundly significant passage.

Where you live both reflects and shapes the life you create. Although everyone has a budget, the most important thing about buying an apartment isn’t the money, it’s the fit. It’s the way the right place can intertwine with your life.  And although almost everyone has an agent, the most important thing about finding an agent is recognizing whether the person you have chosen will match you with the place which will open and enhance your life. I am embarrassed for our industry when I see agents on TV talking about the size of their commission, how much they will earn if they make this deal or that deal, how they want to push the buyer and the seller into the deal which will earn THEM the most. For me, and for the agents I respect, this business doesn’t revolve around the glib presentation or the slick speech. It’s discovering that mysterious vibration between the person and the property which keeps us working seven days a week year after year.

Reset Password

Start an account to create alerts and save your searches and more...

Get notified when new listings match your saved searches.
Save listings and get updated of any changes in price, status and new open houses.
Hide listings that aren't for you so you don't have to see them over and over again.
Get recommendations and stay up-to-date with your dashboard.

Start an account to create alerts and save your searches and more...

Get notified when new listings match your saved searches.
Save listings and get updated of any changes in price, status and new open houses.
Hide listings that aren't for you so you don't have to see them over and over again.
Get recommendations and stay up-to-date with your dashboard.

Sign in instantly with Facebook or Google!

Or sign up the old fashioned way