Wait, that's not my dream home!

Here's a story from the field. I once showed 20 homes to a client before I realized why we hadn't found the right home for them yet. Even though we sat down and talked about all they things they wanted in a home, there were little details that revealed themselves over time that excluded each and every home from contention. The counters weren't quite right. There was carpet in rooms they didn't want it in. The fireplace didn't have the right kind of mantle. You get the drift.

Over and over again we went to look at homes thinking this was the weekend we'd find the right one and...nope. Another weekend lost. Then came the revelation. When we had this discussion, it was within 3 days that the right home emerged.

The revelation is this: you're not going to find your dream home. You're going to walk into someone else's dream home. It's going to be 80% of what you want, you are going to take it the other 20%. The previous owners wanted the carpet in the bathroom (yuck!). But don't let that break the deal. Focus instead on whether or not this home has the things you want that aren't able to be changed. High ceilings, location, a big yard, closet space. Then consider, if the counters are marble but you wanted quartz - change them. That's how you make the home yours. That's how you realize the dream.