I’ve noticed an increasing trend among my buyer-clients these days: they all compare the houses and condos that we look at to those of their freinds, family, and colleagues.

“I like it…..but I like Sebastien‘s kitchen more.”

“The floors are nice….but think about those floors in Nancy‘s condo!”

Isn’t envy one of the seven deadly sins?

Okay, so here is the honest truth: I wrote this blog post in my head at the gym yesterday while listening to the single greatest song ever written.

This song really hammered home this theme of “envy” among house and condo buyers.

What is this song that I speak of?

It’s not by the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.  U2 need not apply.

Nope.

The song is the classic 80’s tune, “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield.

Greatest song ever written!

Jessie is a friend
yeah, I know he’s been
a good friend of mine
But lately something’s changed
that ain’t hard to define
Jessie’s got himself a girl
and I want to make her mine

I was on my umpteenth set of calf raises as I heard these lyrics and it made me think of all my clients and their love for other people’s houses and condos.

I find that most buyers start with their “idea” of a dream house and then as we go out and look at properties, the idea changes as it becomes shaped by those other properties they’ve seen in the past.

There’s a few main reasons why I think buyers are so fixated on the properties that belong to their freinds & family:

Warmth: House versus ‘Home’

Imagine comparing the exact same condominium unit; one with all the comforts of home, and one vacant.  One has photos on the wall of your friend Drew’s wedding and the unit smells of fresh baked cookies that Drew’s wife makes every time you come over, and the other has bare walls that are scratched up from the previous tenant, and smells like the previous tenant…

It’s easy to see how you can walk into a unit at 1005 King Street that has everything you’re looking for, but you still compare it in your mind to the incredible space that your colleague Mike has just two floors above you.

Of course, this is why people stage houses and condos to make them look more like homes than just houses.  You want to create that feeling of warmth that buyers covet.

And thus we see how buyers can turn up their noses at properties if they don’t have that same inviting feeling.

And she’s watching him with those eyes
And she’s lovin’ him with that body
I just know it
Yeah ‘n’ he’s holding her
in his arms
late at night

Memories & Good Times

If you’ve been over to Steve & Patty’s condo six times per year for the last three years to eat, drink, and be merry, and you associate unit #1907 with some of the high points in your life, it certainly changes things when you’re in the same building looking at #915, or trying to decide whether the building next door has the same panache.

You stand on the balcony that faces north, and you think about how Steve & Patty’s balcony faces west.  Remember the time when you were drinking Merlot with Patty on that very balcony, watching the sun set, and she told you that she wanted you to be her maid of honor?  How can you possibly compete with that when you’re looking at a unit downstairs?

The unit you’re looking at could be better in ten different ways!  But it doesn’t have any memories!  It’s totally bland; totally raw.  There’s no character; no personality!

You long for something familiar and great; something that speaks to you before you even enter!

You know, I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
Where can I find a woman like that?

Furniture & Possessions

All the talk of staging in the past two weeks, and it should become obvious that sellers and listing agents bring in furniture to bring a house or condo to life!

Having been to social functions at houses and condos belonging to your freinds, family, and co-workers, you can’t help but admire their belongings.

You know that beautiful round pedestal table that Kate & Kenny have in their dining room?  It’s such a small space but that table makes the room!  We should have one just like that!

Where did they get that table?  Was it on sale?  Can I still find that exact same one?  I can’t picture my dining room without it!

And Bradley has that gorgeous antique armoir in the corner of his living room.  You simply can’t replicate that piece!

But it’s not just the belongings – it’s also the tastes and the individual styles of the properties, via the owners themselves.

You wanna talk about envy?  If you have absolutely zero interior design capabilities, and your best friend practically worships Martha Stewart, her place is always going to be nicer than yours!  So either hire an interior designer when you purchase, or just accept that you have to make your space your own.

Try being original!  I have a set of nun-chucks on my TV console because I like to decorate my condo with items I’ve picked up in my wordly travels!  Most people think I’m trying to be tough, or that I’m the ultimate bachelor who will never grow up, but I consider this ancient Japanese weapon to be a piece of “art.”  My father, the lawyer, considers this art to be a “weapon,” punishable by Canadian Criminal Code bla bla bla…

Some people live in their own filth, and some people live in a sterile museum.

But if you’re looking at an empty space, or a furnished house or condo that doesn’t quite meet the highest of high expectations, just consider that you should make your space your own and not worry about how your furniture will stack up to these rental items that probably originated from Pier One.

I play along with the charade
there doesn’t seem to be
a reason to change
You know, I feel so dirty
when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her
but the point is probably moot

Price Points

This is the biggest issue to overcome.

Recgonize that there is simply no way to compare the entry level $399,900 fixer-upper home on Greenwood to your boss’ house on Jackman that played host to last year’s company Christmas party.

I spent today showing $1.1 Million condos to a “big swinging bachelor” who is about my age.  He was equally as impressed by the 825 square foot terrace on the penthouse at Quad Lofts complete with hot tub and pool table as I was, but the only difference is, he’s going to be living there, and I’m going home to my 1-bedroom condo at King East.

I see amazing spaces every day of the week.  But I realize that my time will come (when I want it to), and I urge my buyers not to compare themselves to ANYBODY.

You know the expression, “Your eyes are bigger than your appetite?”

You’d be amazed at how many times I have first-time buyers come to me looking to spend $300,000 but what they describe could only be had for upwards of a half-million-dollars.

You can only afford what you can afford.  Don’t torture yourself by comparing your house to anybody else’s.

And I’m lookin’ in the mirror all the time
wondering what she don’t see in me
I’ve been funny,
I’ve been cool with all the lines
Ain’t that the way
love supposed to be
Tell me where can I find a woman like that?

You know I wish that I had Jessie’s girl…