Have you ever had a Buyer’s remorse experience? Don’t wish one on you. We had one just a few days ago. A few days ago, my wife and I went to town to get some items for the office. I hate shopping really, so my goal was just to walk into a few stores, not more than 2 or 3 of them, to see if we could get the items we wanted, so that I could get back to the office.{{more}} So we walked into this store. I saw a plant there, not exactly what I was looking for, but what I thought would probably work. The price was not the money I was planning on spending, but what I realised was that this would be the budget I would have to think about if we were going to get what we want. So we shut our eyes tight and bought it. Then we needed a pot to put the plant in. We then drove up to another store and lo and behold! They had the exact plant we were looking for at a price we would have gladly paid, and pots to match. I almost dropped! I never thought you could feel SO BAD when you buy something and regret it. It is my first experience and I never want that to happen to me again, EVER. Certainly, not you. So this week, let me give you some tips to avoid buyers’ remorse when you are getting ready to build your kitchen.

1. Know everything or have an idea of what you want. This is very important. If you don’t know what you want, then anybody can convince you that they have what you want… risky. You may not be a kitchen savvy person, so do some homework, go online, buy magazines, drive around, and if you still don’t know what you want, then know what you do not want and build from there.

2. Ask questions! Don’t just take our word for it. Make sure you ask questions like why is this appliance going here, why there or why not there at all. Do I have the space for this or that, what about durability of your product etc. A kitchen is a great investment. You need to take charge of it and have peace of mind before you write that cheque.

3. SHOP AROUND. I have to be honest, too, so shop around. Make sure that you are comfortable with the company before you make a choice. This ain’t no friend thing and who you know thing. This is your money thing and you need to shop around and find the right people who can capture your vision and go to their websites if they have any, and go see some work they do if you have the time and try to talk to their past customers and see how the company works before you make a decision.

4. Start early so that you can plan properly. Don’t buy into a quick sale if you are not quite ready, you may compromise on things that you wouldn’t otherwise because of a buy it now sale. You are still spending the money anyway, so take your time and assess the situation.

5. Don’t build blindly. Ask them to show you something before. I keep stressing that gone are the days when you have a guy walk into your home and surprise you with a kitchen. I know a lot of people who are now unpleasently surprised. Ask to see what they are going to be doing in your space before you let them. That would almost 90 per cent of time prevent any remorse.

6. SPEAK UP.. say exactly what you want and what you hope to get in your space. SHUT UP… yes, sometimes, you have to keep quiet and listen because sometimes our space does not represent our ideas, so if the person says to you that you can’t have what you want in that space, either keep quiet or ask for a different opinion. I have no REMORSE for saying that; it’s for your own protection.

I’ll continue next week.. have a great weekend!

Angelica and Rayan James

Exclusive Kitchens

494 2579 / 532 6756

www.exclusivekitchensvc.com