Most of my clients have heard me say, “you have to kiss a lot of frogs!”. I am referring to the number of houses that you sometimes have to see before you find THE ONE. Searching for the perfect home, whether it be the primary home for you and your family or a second (or third) home, brings with it a lot of emotions: excitement, anxiety, impatience, surprise and sometimes even resignation.

Making the decision to search is the first hurdle, then when the search begins, it can sometimes encompass your life. In Barbados over the past 10 years, we have had so much inventory to choose from that it can be exhausting. As agents, we try to make the process easier by helping you prioritize your wish list. We enquire about your budget, (if you do require financing, have you been to the Bank to find out how much you qualify for?), your preferred location, and the type of home that you want. With your answers, we try our best to match what you are telling us to what is out there (yes, essentially, we are matchmakers).  

Now the fun part, you begin your search. You walk through the homes and try to imagine your life in this space. Sometimes you have to knock out a wall or two, change a few things around, so that you can “fit” the space. Then there are times when you walk through the front door and want to just turn around and walk back out. When this happens a few times, where the property just does not even remotely make sense, you start wondering if you are ever going to find the right place and most importantly, at the right price. Sometimes it takes years, yes years, to find the perfect property, but one day you walk into a house. You look around, and your furniture fits, the layout is friendly to your needs, you love the neighbourhood, you can work with what is being offered, and you realize, this is it. The sky opens up, the sun shines down and with that euphoric feeling that you have been waiting for hits, you have found the one! 

This is my favourite part of the job. It is so satisfying when you see that look in your client’s eyes, the look that says, I have kissed a lot of frogs, but I have finally found my prince.