Step 4: Needs Vs. Wants
Needs Vs. Wants and Finding Your Next Home!
Before we begin narrowing down homes to view, please take some time to go over the Buyer Needs Survey to help determine what you NEED and what would be nice to have, but isn’t a deal-breaker.
Really take some time to go over what is important to you! This list will help you determine the area(s) you want to live in, how many bedrooms or bathrooms you’d like, how big or small you want the house to be, and much more.
If you are purchasing your home with others, each of you should fill out a survey or fill it out together and go over what you want in your next home.
Examples of Needs:
3 + bedrooms above the basement
2 + bathrooms
In a certain school district
Main level primary
Your list of needs are things that you absolutely cannot live without. You won’t even see a property unless it has every one of the items above.
Examples of Wants:
Central AC
Fenced in yard
One floor living
En suite Primary bathroom
These are items that would be nice to have, but you can live without them if needed.
Once you have filled out the survey, I will go over your answers and set up your MLS account with that information. That way if you see a home on another search platform that you want to view, but it doesn’t have a “need”, I can remind you that it doesn’t have what you need so you don’t waste valuable time seeing it.
*Note* As we begin to go through homes, you may find that your needs and wants may change. That’s OK! Just email me your new list so I can update your file.
The Funnel Process
As soon as you let me know your needs and wants, I’ll set you up on personalized email alerts from the MLS.
Each day, you’ll get an email(s) with all the new properties that have come on the market matching your custom criteria as well as any price changes which put homes in your budget that were previously over your budget.
This is the BEST way to find your next home!
Process for each day:
Check your MLS email daily and view all the properties that have been sent that day. Save any properties or make notes of properties you’d like to view.
Some homes we will only look online, some you will only drive by, and some we will go in.
Do a drive by of the homes you'd like to view to verify the area and neighborhood meets your needs before setting an appointment.
If there are any homes you want to view, get in touch via email or give me a call and I will let you know what times are available to set up showings.
Remember, most properties require 24-48 hours notice for showings, so we may not be able to get in the same day. In general, properties are usually available to see Monday - Friday from 9am - 7pm, and the weekends from 10am - 6pm. Sometimes Sellers will accommodate showings outside of those hours, but it’s up to the individual seller. During the Spring and Summer, properties can sell in 1-4 days, so it’s important to review your email daily so we can move on a property as soon as you see it.
I’ll confirm with you information on the day, time, and location once we have showings set up.
Before our showings, I will email you any disclosures or other information that is given to me about the property.
While you are looking at the MLS feeds each day, I will also be networking with my contacts and colleagues to find homes before they go on the market. If we find that there is nothing coming up for sale, I will ask you for 10-15 streets you'd like to live on and I will seek out owners to see if they are willing to sell their home.
Since I’ll be sending you homes that match the criteria given, there is no need to continue using other home search sites such as Zillow, Trulia, etc. All properties that meet your needs should be showing up for you in your inbox each day.
Now, let’s GO!
Empowering clients to build and preserve wealth through real estate.
Ready to connect? Reach out! I look forward to helping you on this journey!
Monique Hanson is a REALTOR® serving the greater West Michigan area. Monique helps people buy and sell homes in Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. You can contact Monique by calling or texting 616-805-9177 or emailing hello@moniquehanson.com.