WHAT MAKES THE BUYER GO "WOW"?

This past weekend I showed houses to two very different buyer types. They each had a WOW moment upon entering the homes.



Buyer #1 is a first time purchaser and we have looked at many homes in his price range over a course of several months. Basically if it was in his price and within a set parameter we saw it. Most of the properties were non-discript boxes all with one or more issues, a few had character. Some of the homes were well on their way to being a WOW but stopped short of completion leaving this buyer and others not knowing what to do. This well manicured and maintained home seemed like a good possibility from the outside. As I opened the door and the buyer walked in the WOW happened, he stopped dead in his tracks and began seeing a home not a house. Someone had gone in and reappointed the interior and you felt like you were in a nice new condo with laminate floors, mahogany cabinets and stone counters. This was done right and took my buyer and myself by surprise, we spent a long time in this 989 sq. ft. he kept checking all the details. He made a full price offer because it WOWED him.



Buyer #2 is an investor looking for a fix-up usually a house built in the 50's or 60's and in need of updating. This market has some good possibilities with the foreclosure inventory just a lot of research needed to find the ones that work. I found a new listing in an area he likes we met to take a look as we arrived it was looking good, solid red brick maybe a little close to a major road but not on it. Upon opening the door the buyer walked in and had a WOW moment but not a good one, 70% of the plaster ceiling in the living room was gone. Looking up into the exposed rafters and the underside of the roof underlayment was a surprise. As we explored the rest of the house my buyer had another WOW as he considered what needed done to make this a home. He made a full price offer because the possibilities WOWED him.

The WOW moments come in different forms yet all are fantastic to witness. When I see the WOW I know it is time to get the contract out. On your last purchase what made you go WOW?