The last thing we ever want is for a buyer to close on a home and feel regret instead of relief. It happens more often than people assume, not because buyers made a bad decision under pressure, but because they never built a clear picture of what they actually needed before they started looking. Here’s the strategy we use to help prevent that from the very first conversation.
It Starts Before You Ever Tour a Home
Buyer’s remorse rarely comes from the home itself. It comes from buyers chasing the first appealing listing they see without a real framework for evaluating it against their actual life. Before we ever schedule a showing, we spend time building that framework with every client: what are your true must-haves, the things that are non-negotiable, and what are your like-to-haves, the things that would be nice but aren’t deal-breakers if they’re missing.
This distinction matters more than it sounds like it would. A buyer who hasn’t separated the two tends to either overpay chasing every box checked, or talk themselves out of a genuinely great home because it’s missing something that was never actually essential in the first place.
Why We Use an 85% Target, Not 100%
Nobody finds a home that checks every single box. That’s not pessimism, it’s just how real estate works, especially in competitive Bay Area markets where inventory is limited and trade-offs are the norm, not the exception. Chasing 100% usually means an endless search, mounting frustration, and often missing out on homes that would have been genuinely excellent fits.
We aim for 85% instead. If a home hits roughly 85% of a buyer’s real criteria, meaning nearly every must-have and a strong majority of the like-to-haves, that’s a strong outcome worth pursuing seriously. It’s a number that respects the reality of the market while still protecting buyers from settling for something that doesn’t actually work for their life.
How This Plays Out in Practice
Once we’ve built out a buyer’s real criteria, that list becomes an active filter, not a formality. It shapes which listings we send over in the first place, how we talk through a showing afterward, and how confidently a buyer can move when the right home does appear. Buyers who’ve done this work upfront tend to move faster and with more conviction when it counts, because they’re not re-litigating their own priorities in the middle of a competitive offer situation.
It also changes how we handle the homes that don’t quite fit. Instead of a vague “something felt off,” a clear criteria list lets us pinpoint exactly what’s missing and whether that gap is actually a dealbreaker or just a preference that got overweighted in the moment.
What This Means for You
If you’re starting a home search, the most valuable conversation you can have isn’t about neighborhoods or price points first, it’s about genuinely separating what you need from what you want. That groundwork is what keeps a search from turning into an overwhelming, directionless scroll through listings, and it’s what gives you real confidence when you do find a home that’s an 85% match or better.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a must-have and a like-to-have? A must-have is something the home genuinely cannot work without, like a minimum bedroom count or a maximum commute distance. A like-to-have is something you’d enjoy but could live without, like a specific architectural style or a particular finish in the kitchen.
Why not aim for 100% of my criteria? Homes that check every single box are extremely rare, especially in competitive markets. Chasing 100% often means missing out on genuinely great homes while searching for something that may not exist within your budget or timeline.
How do you build out my criteria? It starts with a direct conversation before any showings begin, walking through your actual lifestyle, priorities, and non-negotiables so we can build a real filter rather than guessing at what might work.
What if I fall in love with a home that’s missing a must-have? That’s exactly what the upfront criteria work protects against. Having a clear list makes it easier to recognize when something is a genuine dealbreaker versus a feeling that will pass once the excitement of a new listing wears off.
Does this process take longer than just touring homes right away? It typically saves time overall. A clear filter means fewer wasted showings on homes that were never going to be a real fit, and more confidence when the right one does appear.
The Bottom Line
Buyer’s remorse isn’t inevitable, but it is preventable, and it starts long before a buyer ever walks through a front door. Building real criteria, aiming for 85% instead of perfection, and using that framework to filter every decision along the way is how we help buyers close with confidence instead of second-guessing.
Starting your own home search? Let’s build your criteria first.
Yohay Davidson Group Mike Yohay & Jeremy Davidson REALTORS® | DRE 02080767 | DRE 02085874 [email protected] M: 510-800-7449
