07/04/2026
Most agents ask...
How many bedrooms do you need?
We ask...
Where do you want to be in five years? And work backward from there.
The difference may sound small.
In practice it changes almost every recommendation we make.
• The school district that matters is the one your youngest will be in when you are thinking about moving again, not just the one your oldest attends today.
• The commute you agree to is the one you will still be fine with on a Tuesday in February in year three, not the one that feels manageable on a Saturday morning showing.
• The neighborhood that matters is the one your family will still love coming home to years from now, not just the one that photographs well today.
When we start with the five year picture we are not slowing down the search.
We are building a much more precise target for it.
The homes that make it onto the shortlist at that point actually fit the life, not just the current list of requirements.
There is a difference between finding a house that checks your boxes and finding one that fits where you are headed.
The second conversation takes a little longer to start.
It almost always leads somewhere better.
