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Why real estate is more like dating than you’d think

How to put your best foot forward in real estate and in life, from REALTOR® Kaleb Streeter
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Sometimes, to explain real estate in a relatable manner, REALTOR® Kaleb Streeter likes to use analogies.

One of his most memorable is that real estate is a lot like dating.

Putting your home on the market is like going live with your Tinder profile: first impressions are everything! With this in mind, you should consider staging your home first so that you can showcase it to the fullest. It’s like putting on make-up and your best outfit before you post your picture all over the internet.

If you skip this crucial step, it could mean getting overlooked by potential buyers. Just like in real life, the longer you’re on the market the more people start to wonder what’s wrong with you. Take your time prepping for the market and avoid people second-guessing your home’s worth.


Now that your home is staged, you’re ready for the beauty shots! These are what people will see online, form their first impressions with and determine if they want to ask your home out on a date. It’s important to hire a professional for this. You want to look your best, but not mislead people either. Imagine a blind date where your date looks nothing like their photo. No one likes the bait-and-switch. This happens in real estate all the time with weird angles and wide-angle lenses. Homes can appear to be much larger online than they are in person, so do your best to advertise it proportionately.

Lastly, in the context of presentation, make sure your home looks the same as your photos. Remember the make-up and outfit you wore for your Tinder photos? Make sure when someone meets you for the first time they can recognize it’s you. If the counters were cleaned off and the couches were moved for pictures… leave it that way for all the showings too.

If the first date goes well, you may get a second one!

When a buyer makes a conditional offer on a property, that’s the equivalent of being asked on a second date. They want to discover more of you and see if you’ll be the right fit long-term. They want to learn the ins, outs and quirks of your home with minimal commitment. They can do a deep dive into the history of the home, run a background check on it, inspect it, etc. This is like looking up someone’s FB profile and creeping ALL of their post history, pictures, comments and so on. If they like what they see, you can move forward to the next step…. proposal!

Firming up is a term REALTORS® use when you remove all conditions. But before you get down on one knee and propose to that house, you get to do your due diligence first to make sure you’re confident that you’re making the right decision. Signing on the dotted line means SHE SAID YES!

At this point you want to be sure of your committal decision. Of course, you can always back out. But just like any separation, it’s time consuming, involves lawyers and can be really expensive. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

You went from dating a home to making it your fiancé. Now you wait until the big day… closing day… and you’ve just got hitched to the home of your dreams! It’s time to celebrate with family and friends!

Streeter and his team’s role in this whole process is to serve as matchmakers. They’ll introduce you to a number of suitable candidates and help you narrow down the ones that best match what you’re looking for. Thankfully, they’re matchmaking experts and won’t steer you wrong.

To search hundreds of homes locally, check out the Streeter Team's listings or call 705-323-9212.