My Misshapen Ear and How it Relates to Real Estate

When I was born, one ear was slightly bent over and a little smaller than the other. I honestly never noticed it and it wasn’t until a doctor asked me if I wanted to fix it that I understood it was different. I asked my mother about it, and in typical Mom fashion, she said it was probably due to the forceps delivery. 

 

When my second daughter was born, she had my ear! So much for the forceps theory. More importantly, though, was my realization that I loved this misshapen ear — both on my daughter and on myself. What I had once thought of as a flaw (though only after someone told me it was a flaw) was now something special and unique that she and I shared. It’s a part of who we both are.  

 

So how does this relate to real estate? 

 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen other agents, as well as myself, point out unique and possibly flawed things in a house to a buyer who not only wouldn’t have noticed the flaw, but  who probably didn’t care about it until it was pointed out. I’m not talking about structural flaws, but more like the agent commenting on something that reflected his or her own personal taste. For instance, I remember showing a house that, in my opinion, had hideous wallpaper in the dining room, and said as much, offering my best resource for wallpaper removal. My client, who was Chinese, told me that showing opulence such as this wallpaper and other formal accents in the house were a part of their culture. I’ve learned to listen to my clients and learn from them (especially when it applies to cultural preferences) before expressing my own opinions, and even then only do so now when asked.   

 

When you, as a buyer, are viewing houses, remember to evaluate each house based on your own taste and decide if the unique elements of each home will work for you. There’s an old saying: “There’s a lid for every pot,” and that goes for homes and homeowners as well.