What Michael Scott Can Teach You About the Home Buying Process

I love The Office. It’s one of the shows I binge the most, so you won’t be surprised to know one of my favorite episodes is the one where Michael Scott buys his condo. I mean, duh. Probably because he does the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do, and yet somehow it still works out for him (shout out to his real estate agent for making that happen.) Obviously, if you’re modeling yourself after Michael Scott, the battle is already lost, but I thought it’d be funny to see what, if anything, you can learn from him and his home buying experience. Check it out.

Here are the Aragon Lending Dos and Don’ts:

DO know the correct address to the property, or at least be able to identify it even if the condos look similar. 

DO have a complete understanding of what type of mortgage you secured, unlike Michael Scott. You can’t just borrow his go-to move and scream “I declare baaaaaaankruptcy” to get out of paying your debts. Banks tend to frown on that.

DO research on the home builder and their reputation. Don’t leave it to Dwight to point out you have thin walls–maybe this is something he should have considered before the close?

DON’T forgo a home inspection. “Oh cool, carpenter ants!”–Dwight. Definitely could have avoided that awkwardness had he gotten an inspection…

DON’T forget to read the purchase agreement. Once again, Dwight is there with the hard truth: “Either walk away and learn a $7000 lesson or stay in your junk coffin and pay for 30 years.” The devil is in the details, and maybe you should read it before you get to the close? Just saying!

Fun fact: Did you know the real estate agent in the episode is played real-life wife, Nancy Walls?

Ok, a lot of these don’ts could be consolidated into one:

Don’t invite Dwight Schrute to your close. Sure, he’s fictional, but let’s just cover the bases here, shall we?

I mean, obviously, if you find yourself wondering in the home buying process “What would Michael Scott do?” I want you to stop what you’re doing immediately and call me ASAP so I can help you do it right, and not the Dunder Mifflin way (one day we’ll tackle just what a terrible idea it was for Jim to buy his childhood home without telling Pam, but today is not that day….) At the very least, it will set you up for a “that’s what she said,” because my advice is going to be better than Michael’s. At least when it comes to home buying. Selling paper? Not so sure…