Ok, call me crazy but on the eve of the opening day of the Ventura County Fair I couldn’t help but draw direct comparisons to the home searching experience these days for home buyers. Now before you completely dismiss the idea and head out to shotgun funnel cakes, humor me for a minute and check out this list of 5 ways the Ventura County Fair is just like searching for a home.
1. I’m Just Here for the Donuts
The amazing donut machine has been thrilling audiences for generations. How fun is it to watch those little doughy guys take a voyage from fryer, to sugar, and eventually our taste buds? A damn good time is what it is! This usually is our family’s first stop and common meeting place if we get separated. Meet me at the donuts would make a great Fair slogan one day. The truth is that I have said this as we are walking in. ‘Let’s just do donuts today kids and we’ll come back another day when we have more time’. Little did I know that I had completely cursed myself and hours later as I’m dragging myself out of the fairgrounds I realize that I have no intention of just getting donuts, I really wanted the complete Fair experience right then.
I can’t tell you how often this has happened with buyers I’ve worked with. Of course in the beginning of the home buying process they just want to ‘look around’ and ‘get a feel of the market’ before making a purchase – taste ‘the donuts’ so to speak. However, when the right property at the right moment comes up I can’t write the offer fast enough and before I know it my clients and I are in escrow aka riding the Zipper, white knuckling as it goes around for the 8th time, glad that we didn’t just settle for donuts.
2. How Can I Choose?: An Ode to Fair Food
Every year as I approach the expansive food court of the Ventura County Fair I go through the five stages of the Fair food experience.
- The first, excitement. “I’m going to eat like there is no tomorrow”.
- Second, anxiety. “Wow, there are so many choices.”
- Third, complete terror. “Where do I begin? Corn? Corn dogs? Deep Fried Oreos? No! You’re better than that Benner!”
- Fourth, of course, immense pain. “Why did I eat so much?”
- Fifth, relief. “I came, I ate, I conquered.”
The home searching experience is no different, I tell you:
- First, you start clicking around on Zillow and Trulia, enjoying zooming around the map and feeling pretty good about yourself.
- Second, you start to feel overwhelmed as you see homes flying off the shelves or realizing they are not even for sale anymore.
- Third, you push your laptop or set your phone down in disgust, telling yourself there is no way you can do this.
- Fourth, you curse this American Dream feeling you have and vow to never feel the burn to buy property again
- And finally, you find ‘the one’, close escrow, and sip champagne when you’re thirsty.
3. Always Playing Games
I believe it is called the Midway, the section of the Ventura County Fair reserved for the carnival games They are bright, loud, and stocked with stuffed animals as far as the eye can see. My kids are drawn to this area like a magnet and of course they feel that an 8-foot gorilla would totally tie their room together.
Now being 6’5″ and 300 pounds it is difficult for me to slither by the games area without being cat called by their smooth-talking operators and boy do they turn it on. All the classics are here, Ring Toss, Spill the Milk, and of course, the High Striker or Strong Man game. That’s the one they always get me on and 30 minutes and $40 dollars later I’m in negotiations to trade my 2 prizes for 1 shot at the gorilla. Am I having fun yet?
It is easy to feel swindled as you look for homes too. Pictures can be deceiving, neighborhood doesn’t work, and most of all you don’t want to be talked into buying something. Rather than get discouraged however, chalk it up to the experience and remember that if you stick to it and stick it out, you’ll find your dream home and of course, be a big winner.
4. Sticker Shock
Every year I think I get enough money out to cover the admission, the food, the tickets, the parking…all of it. And, every year I fail miserably. All those rides on the Ferris wheel just cost more than you think. 
A common complaint is that the Fair is too expensive, but for some reason we all still go. Yes it is pretty good hit to the pocketbook for a family of 4 to do the Fair right, but is the value there? Absolutely. We always have a blast and leave with big smiles on our faces. I think about how big of an operation it is to put on the Ventura County Fair. Coordinating something of this magnitude is not going to be cheap and I’m happy to pay for the professionals that work tirelessly to make my Fair experience the best it can be. If my money contributes to being able to see Salt N’ Pepa push it good, let’s be honest, it’s worth every penny.
Home buyers feel the same way when they start to look around and see the prices here in Ventura County, especially those coming in from other areas. “Sam, that house is HOW much?” is a common reaction when I finally reveal the price. But just like the justification you make to yourself as you exit the Fair happy, full and satisfied, there is incredible value to living here. The weather is amazing, the beach is right here, and the lifestyle being offered is second to none. Is that worth more money in the long run? I sure think so.
Now Go Have Fun, You Crazy Kids!
Enjoy the Ventura County Fair and if you see me anywhere near the High Striker/Strong Man game please remove me from it.
All the Ventura County Fair info can be found here.
If you need any help with searching for a home afterwards, give me a call.
Remember high school? The campus was naturally broken into sections and when the lunch bell rang you would see certain groups gravitate to an area they felt represented them.
When I met my wife over a dozen years ago and I got to look into her pretty green eyes the rest of the world disappeared. She had a child from another relationship and I can recall people questioning my decision to court her. A blended family isn’t exactly how society would draw it up, but that didn’t matter to us. For us, it was just right and 9 years later we are still making history.
This adorable couple, recently married, comes into my office with the blinding glow of eagerness and enthusiasm that you’d expect from a first time homebuyer. Both of them express how excited they were to get out and look at homes, learn about market conditions, and of course, could not take their eyes off each other the whole time. When I asked them how soon they wanted to move, they took their eyes off of each other for a moment and said, ‘that depends on….’. The long pause gave me ample time to realize they were thinking about having children. I held up my hand as to say ‘I’m with you’ and proceeded to ask them a few questions. By the end of the conversation they thought they would buy something small, just for them, and postpone having children until they could move up and keep this small place as an investment property. Smart, I thought, these young kids thinking about the big picture like that.
When confronted with the idea of Veteran’s Day today I can’t help but conjure up mental images of my grandfather piloting planes bringing supplies to soldiers during WWII, close friends who I grew up with who served bravely in the Middle East, and finally those who are currently serving in troubled areas not questioning their important yet dangerous duty.
Protecting Your ‘Family’
My thoughts turn to the nearest, but not closest by a long shot experience I’ve had in my life that I can compare to serving in the military, playing football. I can remember the deep, unspoken relationship with my teammates who became family. Guys I would do anything for, including sacrificing my body. What else would motivate you to grab onto two 300+ pound guys and drag them into the dirt? So your linebacker behind you could make the tackle of course! It is the community of football that I think brings the players together, for one cause, to win, at all costs. Just ask my busted shoulder which as painful as it is, still brings a smile to my face.
With the litany of online tools available to buyers there is little doubt that your home will be found, as long as you are working with an agent who knows how to leverage these tools properly. Leveraging the big dogs like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia and pairing them with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram is a sure fire way to get the looks and most importantly the high quality offers sellers are looking for. It definitely takes a holistic marketing approach that is much more than sticking a sign in the yard and putting out finger sandwiches. To effectively get as many looks at your home as possible you must have all online tools in play, working together.