San Antonio Home Buying: The Art And Science

By rerockstar • September 9th, 2009

City Of Arts And Sciences - Valencia, Spain - Designed By Santiago Calatrava

A little Monet, a little Einstein.

Buying a home in San Antonio, you will go through a lot during the process. From start to finish, you will face many different aspects of the world of real estate and by the time you’re done, you’ll have a new home. No matter what comes at you (or me as your San Antonio Realtor®), we only need two skills to conquer everything. Art and science.

Art? Science? I thought it was more math? I thought it was more legal? I thought it was more personality? It is all these things and more, but all can be worked at with the simple concepts of Art and Science. Art is free form and carefree. Art is subtle, forgiving, and what you make of it. Science is rigid and serious. Science is factual, unforgiving, and results based. Having one without the other will get you nowhere.

The Arts of Real Estate.

Finding your new home. As your search begins, you will start scouring through the listings looking for that one home that takes your breath away, the house that says “home,” and the perfect match of form and function for your needs. You want something that pleases your eye and makes you feel good inside. Somewhere you can imagine yourself. Art at it’s finest.

Making your offer. Rooted in Science, making an offer always comes down to Art. I can show you all the comparable properties in the world, but a house is worth what you’re willing to pay for it. You have to have the feelings that say “yes.” Science only goes so far at times.

Negotiating. Detecting a nuance in a seller’s agent’s voice. Listening to the seller’s agent tell me things they should be keeping confidential between them and their clients. Considering not only what you’re willing to pay, but trying to calculate the seller’s response. Think of it as a chess game – both players want to know what the other is thinking and where they’re heading next.

Conquering feelings. Regardless of what you thought when you started the process, your feelings may change through the process. Perhaps a bit of buyer’s remorse, perhaps questions that popped into your head at midnight, perhaps you can’t remember what color the walls were painted. No matter what the thoughts, there are answers and solutions. Let your feelings out, talk to your agent and work towards the goal.

The Sciences of Real Estate.

Getting a loan. Loans are all about numbers. Science. Your lender should have a bit of an Arts leaning in order to not seem so stiff, but they need to be strong on factual, serious topics. Know the numbers and have your lender guide you through them. If a lender can’t explain his own Science, maybe you should find a new Einstein.

Contracts. Once you offer becomes a contract, the Art fades and Science rules. A contract is a solid structure, not a fluid dance like the offer was. Contracts are not meant to be bent or messed with – they are rigid and for the most part, unchangeable.

Taxes and insurance. Try as we all might, we can’t escape taxes. Hard numbers. Bottom lines. Insurance is the same. Hard numbers calculating risk and loss. No matter how much you wish you could change these two and make them go away, they will always be there.

HUD-1 Settlement Statements. The HUD-1 Settlement Statement is a list of all the charges in a real estate transaction. Think of it as the accounting for the home buying process. These numbers can’t lie – and if they do, we better go back and figure out where the mistake was made! Make sure your San Antonio real estate agent or escrow officer (also called a “closer,” this is the person at the title company who gets you to sign all the paperwork) reviews this document with you carefully. I’ve seen mistakes made and we don’t like mistakes in Science!

And everything in between…

These are just a few of the pieces of the puzzle, but I wanted to take a moment to show you that you need to be both Artist and Scientist when buying a home. And not just you…I do too. With every step you take, we must be ready to utilize both skills and make things happen, know our facts, and intuitively look at your situation. In being adept at the two very differing disciplines, we can accomplish so much more. Being aware that they exist, only makes the ride smoother.

photo courtesy of Jules Antonio