The 85% Home

Why the perfect home doesn't exist, and why that's completely okay.

Every buyer comes to the table with a list. Often, it’s a couple coming together: one has a mental wish list and the other a spreadsheet full of must-haves and nice-to-haves — and their lists are more of a Venn diagram than of complete overlap. Either way, you each have a picture in your head of the perfect home, and that picture is wonderfully specific.

Here's something I tell almost every buyer I work with: that perfect home probably doesn't exist, especially when there are two buyers at the table. But the right home? That one is absolutely out there.

My brokerage manager, Alan Scearce, is always talking about what most buyers end up with: the 85% home, a home that checks the vast majority of their boxes, but not quite all of them. Maybe it's single-level and move-in ready on a lovely quiet street, but the third bedroom is a tad smaller than ideal. Maybe it has everything you need but the bathrooms haven't been updated in a decade. There's pretty much always something!

"The buyers who find themselves happiest six months after closing are almost never the ones who got everything on their list. They're the ones who got the things that truly mattered."

A Typical Buyer's Wish List on the Monterey Peninsula

• Single-level, spacious floor plan

• 3 bedrooms

• 2 bathrooms

• Turnkey, move-in ready condition

• Updated kitchen and bathrooms – to your taste

• Quiet street

• Walkable neighborhood

• At your ideal price point

• All of the above in the same home (the elusive 15%)

  
  

The key to a successful home search isn't finding the 100% home. It's getting crystal clear on which items on your list are truly non-negotiable, and which ones are just preferences. For some buyers, single-level living is the priority that can't be compromised. For others, it's the neighborhood feel. Knowing the difference before you start touring saves a lot of heartache.

It also helps to ask yourself: is the missing 15% something you can change over time? A dated bathroom can be renovated. A spare bedroom can be refreshed with a weekend of work. But you can't move the house to a quieter block, and it’s a ton of work to add a second story. Prioritize what's hardest to change.

So when you find a home that makes you feel at home, even if it doesn't tick every single box, don't walk away too quickly. The 85% home, bought with clear eyes and a good plan, often becomes the 100% home after you settle in.

Ready to start your search? Let's talk about what's really on your list, and find the home that truly fits your life. I'm always happy to help in a no-pressure way.

Ashley