What happens if you and your partner can't agree on which property to buy?

Buying a property is a rollercoaster ride, so it’s great to have someone by your side who wants the same thing. But what if they don’t? How do you narrow down your search if you and your partner are at loggerheads over the perfect property? 

Get a new partner! 

Only joking, but we often work with couples who have significantly different ideas about their next move. One half is convinced that buying a fixer-upper in an up-and-coming suburb is the best investment, while the other wants a turn-key home that’s within walking distance from the best cafes and schools.

The indecision and inability to come to a compromise slows down the process and leaves a lot of couples falling behind the pace of the market and unable to get their foot on the property ladder. However, there is hope.

A focus session with our team is the first step to getting on the same page with your partner, and getting a handle on the property market as a whole. It helps define your search parameters and balances the emotions of property hunting with the cold hard facts of the market. 

While we figure out whether location, the number of bedrooms, investment potential or location to local schools is most important, we’re also working out whether your idea of the dream property exists in the current market.

So, how does a focus session work? 

We start by having each member of the couple complete a separate brief form. 

Couples are often surprised when we have them complete our initial brief separately. And more often than not, it’s when we bring those separate briefs together that they understand just how much the brief highlights the gap between their property goals. 

Having all of the wants and needs down on paper is the easiest way to begin working toward a happy, and more importantly, realistic compromise. 

Next, we look at the facts. 

Whether you’re a seasoned investor or entering the market for the first time, navigating the real estate industry is a highly emotional process. And it’s often the emotion that guides the answers on the brief when talking about the property you’re looking to buy.

Unfortunately, emotions tend to get in the way of making realistic decisions, so we take the time to take a long hard look at the facts.

We start by pulling up all of the properties you could have purchased in the last three months based on what sold met your budget, location, house size, and type preferences. 

Sometimes, we don’t find a single property that fits the bill because of unrealistic expectations. Gulp. Often, we find properties that only meet some of your preferences and highlight those areas that need a compromise to not only meet your partner in the middle but to meet the market. 

Finally, we reassess your goals to refocus your property search.

There won’t always be that one special property out there that fulfils your every hope and dream. But it’s our job to help you realise what’s most important and begin matching you with the properties that tick as many boxes as possible.  

Armed with the facts, we can define the non-negotiables from your briefs and find common ground that’s achievable. An impartial decision based on market research, and decades of property buying experience, can go a long way in bringing together even the couples who were once on different books, let alone on different pages! 

And as always, please get in touch if we can help with your search.