Most of the ideas I talk about here are hardly more than common sense. The key is applying them at the appropriate time. That is certainly the case with the single most important distinction you need to make when buying a home: separate the things you can change from things you can’t change.
Bling = Eye candy = Distraction
I was taking a couple on their first home viewing tour. The first home we went through had lots of “bling.” Bling in a house comprises things like fancy materials such as granite or tile, remodeled or “staged” areas or rooms, eye catching decorating or other features that may have plenty of visual impact but have little bearing on a home’s suitability for a homebuyer.
This home had it all: new countertops, a new floor in the kitchen, the special colors and fabrics known as “Pottery Barn® style” throughout, buffed hardwood floors in the living room and dining room, and had been staged to maximize the sense of available space.
The husband was busy conducting a mini home inspection; overly focused on details unimportant at this early stage of the search. His spouse was mentally arranging their furniture in the home. In bowling terms, my client couple was heading for the gutter.
It was time to talk about the “can change/can’t change” principle. 
Can change vs. can’t change principle
Most of what is important about a house is not very sexy. When considering the appropriateness of a property it is essential to begin with aspects that cannot be changed.
One example is location. Who hasn’t heard the real estate maxim, “the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, location”? Where is it in the city? Where is it in the subdivision? Where on the street; on the lot? What is its proximity to work sites, public transportation, major commuting arteries, shopping, parks, and houses of worship? What is the context of the home? What is around it? What is the aesthetic value of its surroundings?
Did they notice the busy 4-lane road in front of the home-a major through-traffic conduit across this suburban city? Did they notice how close together the homes on that street were? Did they realize how small the rooms were-or how little furniture they contained?
No, they were too busy examining the things they could have changed to see the things they couldn’t—and to recognize that this wasn’t going to be the house for them.
Take home…
The simple fact is that if the things you can’t change are unacceptable, the things you can change become irrelevant.
