I’ve shared my story on this blog about all my bad experiences renting.

But today I’d like to share with you just one idea that I hope can help you make the right decision about what place to call your home.

In the past, I’ve made entire spreadsheets with dozens (actually close to 50) of properties.

And despite this type of extensive research into all the areas my family should move to, there is really just one thing you need to do after all this research is done.

Trust Your Gut!

I know it’s hard to trust your gut when you get so systematic about picking a new property to live in. Let’s look at a few reasons below.

Reason 1: Reviews aren’t the full story

If your gut tells you that the property is perfect despite what the Google Reviews online are saying, trust it!

There were 2 properties we moved to which had close to only 3 stars on Google. People said that these properties were terrible, badly run, and the garages were always dirty.

But when we did the tour, our gut instinct just said “YES!” so strongly that we couldn’t ignore it.

And it worked out fine! People said that the neighbors were loud. In both cases, they weren’t. People said the garage is in horrible shape. It wasn’t. It was always clean.

It wasn’t even that these reviews were from months ago (or years in some cases). They were recent reviews. But our gut experience felt different. When we drove past those properties, they had a certain vibe and energy and it felt good, so we went for it.

(Btw, in case you’re curious, one of the properties I’m mentioning happens to be Magnolia on the Green in Allen, TX. And no, I don’t get paid to mention them).

The reality is that many reviews are silly. Sometimes people leave bad reviews without even living in that property. They maybe came for a visit, or a tour, and they had to wait for a bit. Or they parked where they shouldn’t have and gotten their car towed.

Ignore the reviews, trust your gut!

Reason 2: Price isn’t the full story

Sometimes people filter up or down based on the prices.

They automatically believe that a higher priced place is better. Or they filter out higher price properties because they think it’s out of budget and downgrade.

I’ve written in the past about choosing your ideal. In this case, let me tell you how prices work.

They are seasonal. They are based on supply and demand. They are based on how new the property is (or how old). They are based on renovations. Or new management. It can be based on so many reasons.

Sometimes, the same unit can be on rent for much cheaper in the fall or winter then in the summer.

Summer time is busy time. The demand is highest, and properties know they can do ridiculous things like charge $400 for applying to their “resort”.

Aside: Most of these applications checks are done on the back-end for no more than $35. But properties like to upcharge by up to 10x as another ridiculous revenue generator. I like to steer away from these, because you are likely to see other ridiculous charges they aren’t upfront about.

Try the same place in the fall or winter when units are empty and the same property will practically give you all the bells and whistles to “clear out the inventory”.

That’s why we’ve now made it so that we move to a new home only in the fall or early winter. There are still plenty of homes, and you will get more bargaining power!

Trust your gut. If you like a property, save it for later and extend your lease to go month-to-month. You’ll be surprised at what you can get after the busy summer season is over.

Reason 3: Hidden Locations

You should especially trust your gut when you stumble across a property that wasn’t on your list.

All these Zillow searches are silly. They break things down based on zip codes and neighborhood names. The reality is that there are nuances everywhere.

A zip code just segments land for the sake of standardization. But that doesn’t mean you need to be standardized. Look a few streets over. Drive through neighborhoods you wouldn’t have thought of.

The best place we lived at came through because we completely ignored all the maps and what all the locators told us and trusted our gut.

We spent a lovely Saturday walking in the neighborhood we wanted to live at. Through a hunch, we just took a turn down a few streets until we stumbled across the perfect home in Uptown Dallas!

We trusted our gut, called the owner, and had everything sorted within a day or two. Easiest move ever!

Trust your gut. Don’t get hung up on locations, zip codes, and neighborhood names. Just go around, get a feel for things and you might just stumble across something that works.

How Home Scout Advisor helps

We don’t share the same gut feeling, but we make it so that it is much easier to be in a place where you can have a strong gut feeling about a place.

We ask dozens of questions (more than any real estate agent or locator will ever ask you, or even what Zillow can filter for). We do live calls and follow-ups.

We want to do research for you so that you feel great and your gut gives you a strong YES! feeling when you find the home that works for you.

And we don’t take commissions from any property, so we’re actually incentivized to look for those neighborhoods that you don’t know about. And look for prices that can be negotiated. And where reviews may or may not be the highest, but can still be a great place to live!

If you’re ready to act with us, click below and get started.