I was in a meeting a few weeks ago, when Tom Bosley (yes, there really is a Mr. Bosley behind Bosley Real Estate) put a lot of today’s real estate questions in perspective: “Why is everyone only talking about real estate as an investment? Isn’t buying a house about making a home?”
Realtors, the media, buyers, sellers and real estate stalkers everywhere fret daily about the real estate market: Are we in a bubble? Is a house a better investment than a condo? Is a one bed + den better than a one bedroom condo? A few months ago a Buyer actually told me he wished the data existed to tell him how a property appreciates based on lot size so he’d know if he should buy a 22 sqft wide lot as opposed to a 20 sqft lot.
But really, isn’t buying a house about making a home? A place to gather with friends and family? A place to watch your children grow up? A place to celebrate old traditions and create new traditions? A place where you know you belong no matter what the rest of the world is telling you?
I’m a real estate agent and my job is to find people homes – not a house or a condo, but a home. That home may be 500 sqft on the 18th floor of a 40 storey tower overlooking the lake, or a great old renovated Victorian in Leslieville. And yes, we’ll need to talk about interest rates, the economy, neighbourhood growth and ease of resale. But what I really want to do is find the space where you can be you. Yes, real estate is an investment – but unlike RSP’s or stocks, you get to create memories in it.
There really is no place like home.
