Use the ‘80-10-10’ rule to know if you’ve found the right house
As a 10 -year real estate broker working with customers ranging from 300,000 to 3 million dollars, I can safely say that it is not a perfect house.
Many buyers start home searches with a long “sine qua non” and “beautiful” list. This is a great starting point, but you can quickly get stuck in weeds. The real clarity comes when you start to walk around face to face, because then you really start to understand what you are. need what are you request.
However, regardless of the budget, place or market conditions, every home comes with compromises. The key is to know what to evaluate what is the most important for you. The “80-10-10 rule” comes into play here.
Use the 80-10-10 rule to simplify your search
I did not create the 80-10-10 rule-If I knew who did it, we could give credit to that person. However, over time, it has become a widely adapted industrial metrical.
Using it as a guide, the right house for you:
80% of what you love: This is the basis of your dream house – the elements you cannot live without it. Consider its location, lot size or architectural style. These are the features that you will have difficulty to change.
10% of what you can develop: These are things you can upgrade over time to approach your vision such as paint color, counter, flooring or cosmetic luminaires. Improvements can be made as they settle.
10% of the things you can live together: The fence of a neighbor you are not willing may be a water tower from a distance-although they are not ideal, the agreement may not be crushers. If small and lived, do not allow 90% of the employee to overshadow.
How to make the most conscious decisions about your future home
Most of my customers travel between five and 10 houses before making an offer. If you fall in love with an early property, I usually recommend you to visit a few more to confirm your decision again. Sometimes the first is really . First, it is only useful to have a tying and you can quickly sort a few shows.
However, I created what I call “love frame” to help buyers focus and make conscious decisions. It is designed to cut the noise and to ground you while visiting the properties. Because when emotions rise, having a system to return makes the difference.
Here is what love means:
- Location: Where is the property? Is the most important thing for you close to work, schools, transit or lifestyle foundations? Location, one of the few things be able to do Change, so it should be the most important priority.
- Offers: What is the house that the house actually offers in terms of bedroom/bathroom number, square images, garage, garden, systems and infrastructure? Does it meet your current and future needs?
- Added value: Does it have the potential to improve or improve equality over time? The examples are: Unfinished basements, cosmetic updates, expansion potential or zoning upwards.
- Output strategy: What is the sales potential again? Even if you plan to stay in the long run, if you decide to sell or rent, it will be wise to think about how the house will perform in the future market.
This abbreviation helps my customers to cut attention to distracting elements and focus on the most important foundations for both lifestyle and long -term value.
Whether you’re just starting your search or feel stuck in the middle, remember: there is no perfect house. But there is a right house for you with the right frames and systems.
Beef bull He is a real estate agent, investor and partner at Strobeck Antonell Bull & Co. Representative of an accredited buyer (ABR) and certified real estate negotiation specialist (Rene). He is a four -person mother and characters, a passionate collector of old and antique houses drawn to properties with strangeness and narratives.
Are you ready to buy a house? Make a new online course by CNBC How can you buy your first home?. Expert trainers will help you to weigh every step of the process, financial preparation and safely navigating from mortgage to closing the agreement. Sign up today And use the Earlybird coupon code for $ 97 (+tax and fees) discount discount by 15 July 2025.
