It can be a tough market out there right now if you are a buyer. There isn’t always a ton of awesome inventory to choose from. It can be easy to think that it will take seeing 100 places in order to find ‘the one’. And depending on what you are looking for, it might very well take a little longer. But there is one thing I notice that tends to happen that not only hurts your search, but it can drain your energy and increase frustration, in what can already be a stressful time {they say moving is literally one of the biggest stressors in life!}.

You might have made a list of parameters for your search {you should have}, and hopefully you’ve even prioritized them {yaaay!!}… but if you don’t find your place right away, all of a sudden you might be wanting to see all kinds of places that obviously don’t meet your needs. Inexplicably… Like maybe you need at lease two bathrooms, or you need a duplex down or no stairs…. and because you aren’t seeing a plethora of new listings that fit your parameters every day, you think maybe you need to look at places with only one bathroom, or that are up on the second or third floor.

I want to go see it just in case… 

Just in case what? You realize while you are there that yep, you really do need something totally different?

No.

Don’t throw away your list of needs and look at everything that’s out there. That is not a recipe for success.  Going around seeing tons of places that just don’t fit even your basic needs isn’t how you are going to find your dream place… it is however, how you will ensure that you are totally stressed out, discouraged, and miserable while looking for your new home.

You know what you need, trust that. Trust it and don’t waver… and don’t waste time looking at things that you know won’t work.

I went to a book signing event last year for the book “In The Company of Women”, and one of the panelists who is also featured in the book was saying that the way she determines if she wants to take on a new client or project is that “if it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no“. It’s that simple for her… she was talking about how she shifted into a new law practice and as she was growing her business she she dealt with this temptation to take anything and everything that came through the door, whether she was excited about the client or it was a good fit, in the name of growth.

But at some point she shifted, and decided to save energy and really focus on what she was passionate about… realizing that every client and project she said yes to that she wasn’t really excited about, was just stealing away energy from things she WAS excited about… ultimately impacting how much she was able to grow her business in the way that she wanted.

I love this. 

It’s a big deal to say no to something. Especially if what you are really wanting isn’t here yet.

That might sound familiar in more areas of your life than just your house search, huh?

If you are one of those people who wants a unicorn you might need to get realistic about your search parameters and your ‘must have’ list {news flash ~ not everything is a must have and you know it!}… but know your {real} priorities, know what is a real must have and what is just nice to have. The clearer you get, the more likely you are to find that great place more quickly.

And say no, take a pass, on everything else.

The way to find that great place, or to get what you are really wanting in anything… isn’t to spread your attention and energy out all over the place hoping something might stick… it’s to hone in even more… get even more clear on what is a must have and what isn’t important… so that when you do see that place that checks the boxes, you are ready to jump on it right away.

If it’s not a hell yes it’s a hell no.

Seeing every place that comes up, in lots of different neighborhoods, places that you aren’t excited about even before you see them, or they just don’t have what you need, just adds noise to your search. And it can keep you from being able to be decisive enough when you do find the place that is ‘the one’. We often know when your place shows up, but do you know? It’s not a good feeling for me to watch a client miss out on something that is perfect for them because they can’t decide quickly enough, or they are too uncertain to be able to make any decision and so they pass it by only to wish they had jumped on it after it’s gone.

So go back to your house search list, revisit those priorities, and be really honest about what is a must-have, and what is a nice to have. And if anything you see isn’t a hell yes, it’s a hell no… save your energy for things that are real possibilities… that you get excited when you see them… and be ready to jump on them when they come!