We all know, buying a home isn’t like buying a new pair of shoes.

It’s not even like any large purchase. It’s what marketers and psychologists call a considered purchase—and understanding this single concept could completely shift how you approach sales as a real estate professional.

If you’ve ever wondered why even highly motivated buyers take weeks, months, years to decide, this blog explains why. And more importantly—what to do about it.

A considered purchase is:

• High in emotional, reward, and/or financial risk

• Has significant research and decision time

• Involves input from multiple people

• Tied to identity, security, or long-term lifestyle

Examples include:

• Real estate (primary and investment properties)
• Vehicles, especially luxury brands
• Education and college decisions
• Healthcare providers

In other words: this isn’t a quick yes. It’s a long, emotional process full of hesitation, doubt, and information overload.

And while over three-quarters of U.S. adults say they want to buy a home, fewer than 2% of real estate leads convert to a transaction within a year. That gap comes from misunderstanding how people actually buy.

If you approach a considered purchase like a simple sales transaction, you’ll:

• Get ghosted

• Lose trust

• Fail to create follow-up momentum

Instead, understanding it means you’ll:

• Ask better discovery questions

• Guide people through uncertainty

• Offer emotional clarity—not just financial facts

1. Recognition – A need or desire is triggered by: promotion, marriage, relocation, growing family, 

2. Information Gathering – Clients obsessively research homes, agents, lenders, and neighborhoods. Real estate is one of the most publicly discussed markets in the country, making up roughly one-third of the U.S. economy. That means buyers are constantly exposed to media headlines, conflicting advice, and online opinions that affect their sense of timing and urgency.

3. Doubt/Fear (F.U.D.) – Fear, uncertainty, and doubt slow or stall the process. Clients question timing, affordability, and their own readiness.

4. Experience – Their real estate journey and interaction with you becomes the decision-maker.

If your process doesn’t move them through doubt toward clarity, you lose the sale—even if the home is perfect.

• Emotionally intelligent discovery – Not “What’s your budget?” but “What are you hoping this move changes for you?”

• Story-based selling – Help them see their future life inside the home.

• Repetition and reassurance – They may need to hear things 2-3 times to internalize them.

• Clear next steps – Don’t leave them in limbo. Always offer a logical next action.

Agents who win with considered purchases know the secret: trust and timing beat tactics. You’re not closing a deal. You’re guiding a journey.

If you want more conversions, fewer ghostings, and stronger client loyalty, meet people where they are—inside their own consideratio