The first love. The one that got away. The rebound. The fixer upper. The charmer. The One. For me, none of these describe my soccer-playing high school boyfriend, the free spirit who crashed on my couch for three months, or the country-singing burnout convinced he was our generation’s John Prine. Rather, they describe the California-style corner lot; the too-small condo with great views; the mid-century modern ranch that slipped through my fingers.
If you think about it, house hunting is a whole lot like dating. And while home buying is often stressful, and dating — I can confirm — is a living nightmare, applying the dating approach to house hunting might just be the smartest way to shop. Below, I break down the five reasons you should use your dating experience to inform your house hunting.
You’ve had luck using apps during your search.
“How’d you two meet?” you’re asked. “Late-night scrolling on the Zillow app,” you reply. This could be your fairytale love story! Whether seriously scrolling or casually browsing when you’re bored, real estate apps expose users to all types of listings and resources that make finding the right home so much easier. “Going on the websites like Redfin or Zillow is almost like going on Tinder where you’re swiping left or swiping right and kind of obsessing over good matches or something that aligns with what you’re looking for,” Georger-Clark says.
Keep in mind what you see online isn’t always what you get. Courtney Poulos, owner of ACME Real Estate and author of Break Up! With Your Rental, shares, “MLS photos are completely like online dating profiles — sometimes the houses that look the best in photos are kind of disappointing in person, and sometimes the ones that have terrible photos have incredible character and bones and you just can’t tell.” Keep an open mind for those listings that have potential but fall just a little short of perfection. You never know what sparks will fly in person!
Read more from ACME’s Courtney Poulos and others at apartmenttherapy.com.
Los Angeles CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale