‘Million Dollar Listing’ Star Josh Altman Has This Simple Yet Effective Advice For Stressed Out Home Buyers

Finding the right home and buying it is not an easy task. There are plenty of things that potential home buyers have to consider along the way. Understandably, a lot of people crumble under the pressure and end up making unwise decisions. Worse, some buyers go through all the steps only to back out of a purchase at the last minute.

Television personality and real estate extraordinaire, Josh Altman has some great advice for this kind of buyers.

The ‘Cold Feet’ Effect

Altman stars in the reality show ‘Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles’

According to Altman, first-time buyers tend to be the ones to back out when it’s finally time to make an offer for a home. Given his vast experience in real estate having sold properties for big names like Robert Herjavec and Kim Kardashian, Altman has witnessed many clients get cold feet. He understands this fear though, considering that for most people, buying a property might be the biggest investment they’ll ever make.

Real estate agent Dana Bull of Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty has observed a similar phenomenon among her clients. As per Bull’s experience, a buyer might resort to pointing their finger at trivial excuses when things begin to become ‘too real’ during the course of the house buying process. In the end, these buyers typically get cold feet and pull out of the deal.

The Solution

Altman recently launched his book ‘The Altman Close’ which gives the readers an inside look at the realtor’s selling process and techniques

So, how can first time home buyers overcome their fears? Altman has one advice: see as many houses as possible.

According to a study done by the National Association of Realtors, the regular house hunter looks at around 10 houses before making a purchase. The 40-year-old realtor acknowledges how exhausting this process can be for people.

Seeing a series of dud choices can easily dampen a buyer’s enthusiasm but Altman says that the things they learn doing so will be important in the overall process. Having seen a lot of homes and gaining knowledge of the market will make buyers more confident in making their decisions, Altman said.

Importance of Variety

Altman works together with realtors Josh Flagg (second from left), James Harris and David Parnes on the show

Of course, Altman himself follows this simple yet effective advice. He makes sure to show his own clients around houses that are a step lower or higher than their budget. This would help them get a better feel of the current market and serve as a form of research on their part as well.

‘Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles’ is now its 12th season. It premiered in 2006 and has resulted in three other spin-off shows set in San Francisco, Miami and New York City. Altman first joined the Bravo show during its fourth season and has been a mainstay ever since. The ‘Million Dollar Listing’ series of shows follows a group of real estate agents as they go about their jobs and also gives a glimpse of their personal lives.