Reflections from buying a house (as a real estate CEO)

At the end of 2024, I bought a new house (in the #Adelaide Hills). It was an interesting experience to be on the other side of the sale, as I’ve spent the past 17 years as a #real estate agent.

Our previous home was the first house our daughters ever lived, so they didn’t quite understand what it meant to move house, or why we wanted to. They had only ever known that house, so it was interesting to be able to share the experience with them. It was the first move with kids involved, so the stakes were much higher than before.

Overall, it was an awesome experience and things moved fast. This wasn’t surprising, given the market conditions. As a real estate professional, I look at houses every day, but when my wife and I walked into this house, I knew straight away it was the one. I didn’t have my ‘real estate agent’ hat on, looking at the features and financial potential. I was looking at a home.

What soon followed was fear at the realisation that we might not get it. There were a lot of other people there. At Nitschke, we talk a lot in terms of strategy about finding your emotional buyer.

We were the emotional buyer. You have to let the owner know what the house means to you, if you have your heart set on one, too. It’s okay to be vulnerable. If you’ve found the home that you love, you owe it to yourself to try to buy it.

Being the emotional buyer is tricky when you’re submitting your best and final offer, because it’s easy to second-guess yourself. If you go too low, you might miss out on your dream house. If you win the house, you might worry you’ve paid too much. These are all natural emotions, given this is likely the biggest purchase of your life.

Go with the offer you’re comfortable with and do your best to remember that if it’s meant for you, it will work out. If you get it, don’t doubt the purchase – just be stoked that you bought a house. If you didn’t get it, know that your house is out there, and you will secure it in time.

If you’re still on the journey, I’m here as a resource for you – whether that means answering questions about my personal experience or becoming your agent.

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