Recently I've had a few conversations with acquaintances about their buying process, and was surprised how many places they saw before finally putting in an offer. One even went as far as saying that in the end she was so frustrated, she just put in an offer for the sake of buying a suite, since she was never going to find what she was looking for. Something really strikes me as fundamentally wrong with this whole picture. How much time did all of these people waste looking at suites they did not want or did not qualify for under their basic search criteria. Personally, I have seen this on many occasions. Usually, when I host an open house, and clients look at their agent, and question why this suite has no balcony, laundry, or whatever it is that was important to them. I usually get this look like it is my fault, but no where did it state in the listing that there was a balcony or any of those other things that they were looking for. I'm not trying to point a finger here, but let's be serious; it is not rocket science to read a listing. Nor is it that difficult to pick up a phone or send and e-mail to find out details that are missing on the listing. Is this not what Agents are supposed to do for their clients? The question then is, 'How much time are they wasting?' Time is important for anyone; we never seem to have enough of it. Not only are you wasting your own time by looking at suites that do not fall under the basic search criteria of what you are looking for, but you are also wasting the listing agent's time, the seller's time, and/or the tenant's time. One of the first questions you should ask yourself is, 'Is my agent is working for me?'. Are you getting the point across as to what you are looking for in terms of what is important, and have you made your list of 'must haves' and 'nice to haves'? I can not stress communication in the buying process enough. Typically my clients buy their 4th or 5th place they see. Perhaps it's a coincidence, perhaps they are lucky, or perhaps we have all sat down together, done our homework, and communicated our expectations clearly. I believe that the latter is most likely. My basic point is this: talk to your agent, make sure that you both have a clear understanding of what you are looking for, and how realistic it is to find the perfect place. There is no point in looking at studio suites when you are looking for a 2 bedroom. Your agent is supposed to help you narrow your search, and find you that 'elusive' place that will work for you.