Last night I had buyer’s remorse. I know it’s an experience typically associated with large purchases. So many first time home buyers have it. I was working with a family who have bought and sold a string of homes and had buyers’ remorse buying the ideal home for themselves here at Mueller. That makes sense – the loss of ability to choose from any new homes being built.
My purchase was tiny in comparison and immediate – I purchased a better way to market my listings at Realtor.com while at a conference. The simple justification is that this is the leading website for home searches, and they get a lot of eyeballs. Eyeballs that can be turned (for a fee) to the homes I’m marketing, and to me so that I can make sure we answer any buyer inquiry promptly and accurately. It helps me differentiate myself from other listing agents – a slam dunk.
My remorse came after the credit card transaction had processed. Did I really need to buy 50% of the home slots in 78723? Would 25% have been enough? And this is for a purchase much smaller than a home. A sales person called me up and as he was trying to upsell me on some more products, I suggested we downgrade. He put me at ease, told me I’d done the right thing and explained why. I felt reassured though nothing had really changed.
When people are buying a home, they sometimes get cold feet in the process. I guess I could do a much better job of telling them they’ve done the right thing. Ultimately, it’s their decision. I never “sell” anyone a home – they buy it. If they have remorse, I can give them analysis as to whether they’ve done well in negotiations. I can tell them how prices compare. I rarely pat them on the back and tell them they’re lucky and made the right choice. I think it is much more powerful when I show them the data and they deduce that for themselves.
I live at Mueller Austin. I have very little remorse about that.