How To Find Success in Your House Hunt: Bring a Highlighter and a Redliner

People are different—we think differently, process information in different ways and make decisions in different ways. And those same qualities that are different from our own and so glaringly wrong in our spouse, partner, best friend or sibling can be absolute salvation if leveraged at the right time. Take house-hunting and the way we make decisions:

If you tend to see potential in everything and generally take the “I can work with that” approach, you’re most likely a Highlighter. You look first for what works and build on it. You make decisions based on how the people around you are affected. So when you look at a house you envision a summer afternoon in the beautiful garden, family Holiday gatherings in the kitchen and warm, romantic nights in front of the fireplace. You make sure there’s room for both the family and guests while ensuring that the community supports each family member’s hobby, sport or entertainment need. You’re pre-qualified for a mortgage and know the price range that’s within your budget.

What you need is a Redliner counterpart who sees what you miss and may really need to note. Your Redliner approaches life from the angle of, “What problem can I solve?” “What needs to be done?” And when house hunting, he looks for facts in a completely non-personal way. He sees the year the roof will need replacing, the cost to repair the crack in the foundation and the lifespan of the outdated bath. He already knows the exact mileage from the house to work and has three different driving or transit routes already mapped out. He knows the rank of the school system as compared to the rest of the state, the local crime rate and preferred utility providers. He knows the details of your mortgage pre-qualification and can tell you exactly what your monthly costs will be.

When you look at a house together, you may drive each other to distraction seeming to lack the ability to get on the same page. You focus on family needs while he’s consumed with the age of every appliance and cost of every improvement. But together, you actually have the entire book you need to buy the perfect home. Combine the factual practicality of the Redliner with the potential-building perspective of the Highlighter and you have the ability to truly find the house of your dreams.

So grab your Redliner and Highlighter and get started!

photo credit: photosteve101 via photopin cc

Francine LaMarr

Francine LaMarr is a dedicated communicator. Whether working on video, app or printed content as a Brand Communications Manager at ERA Real Estate or teaching people how smart their dogs are at Dream Chaser Dog Training, she believes the key is in choosing the right tools for clear communication. A Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KSA), Francine has taught group and private classes, held behavior consultations and trained her own dogs to compete in Obedience and Agility for the past 10 years. You can read more about her at www.dreamchaserdogtraining.com.