Property Virgins

                Every once in awhile my mom asks me why I do not become a real estate agent.  I love houses.  Home remodeling and home search shows are on my TV a good chunk of the time.  Taking care of houses is something I know about.  It would make sense for me to become a real estate agent.  Right?

                Wrong.  After watching only one or two episodes of the home buying shows, I know real estate agent is not the career for me.  The people searching for homes drive me absolutely crazy.  I cannot believe some of the things they object to.  Sometimes it is the furniture or the decorations of a place.  Guess what, that stuff is not staying and walls can be painted.  Other times it is the size of the rooms.  Whenever someone says a room is too small and it is bigger than my entire first floor, I have to resist throwing something at the TV.  Then there are the closets that are too small even though my entire bedroom can fit in it, and the people who cannot figure out how to share a bathroom with their spouse.  I know many people who share a bathroom with an entire household and do just fine.  To say I get irritated would be an understatement.  This is why it is much better for me to watch people buy homes instead of actually being part of the process.

               My favorite home buying show, and one I watch most often, is Property Virgins.  In this show, host Egypt Sherrod helps people who have never owned a home before purchase their first property.  She takes the buyers to their dream area and lets them know that their budget and their desired location do not match.  Ms. Sherrod then takes the buyers to other nearby areas where they will be able to find a house for less money but still fills most, if not all, of their requirements.

                Upon arriving at the house Ms. Sherrod lets the buyers explore the house without her so as to not influence them.  Once the buyers are done with the tour, they meet with Ms. Sherrod and discuss what they liked and did not like about the house.  Sometimes Ms. Sherrod discusses an easy fix for their complaints while other times she goes straight to the price.  Either way she leaves it up to the buyers as to whether or not they want to put an offer on the house.  If they do not, Ms. Sherrod sets up another house for the buyers to look at.

                When the buyers are ready to put in an offer, Ms. Sherrod walks them through every step of the process.  She advises them on what would be a good offer as well as helping make requests such as new appliances or blinds.  Sometimes things work out and everything is accepted right away.  Other times the home owner counteroffers and Ms. Sherrod has to go to the buyers again.  This is where things can get interesting because there are times when the buyer is too stubborn to negotiate.  Some are willing to risk everything for a few thousand dollars.  At this point Ms. Sherrod does her best to make it clear to the buyers that their stubbornness could get them into trouble.  Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don’t, but somehow it all works out in the end.

                At least it does for the people actually buying a house.  There have been more and more episodes where the buyer never makes an offer.  No matter what Ms. Sherrod shows them, there is something wrong.  When this goes on for too long, Ms. Sherrod kindly gives them a reality check.  She lets them know on no uncertain terms that they are asking too much for what they can afford.  They then agree to stop the home search for now until the buyers can figure out their true requirements or save more money.  Everything is left on good terms as the buyers do understand what Ms. Sherrod is saying.  They want what they want, but they do not want to waste anyone’s time either.  At a later date they will come back together with Ms. Sherrod and find their first home. 

            What I like about Ms. Sherrod is she really has the buyers’ best interests at heart. The previous host, Sandra Rinomato, was the same. Both women really took the people into consideration when showing houses. I don’t know how many times I have seen Ms. Sherrod show a buyer townhouses or condos because those, instead of a single family home, are what is best for the person at this point in his or her life. They also do whatever they can to find homes that fulfill all the buyers’ requirements and very rarely go over their budget to do so. If the budget does have to be gone over, it is usually not by too much. It is also mostly done as a last resort. Neither woman wants their buyers to be overextended and paying for a house they cannot afford. They care about their buyers and only want good things for them. I would love to work with either of these women whenever I decide to buy a house, no cameras needed.