People Don't Buy Houses, They Buy Saturday Mornings
Updated: Jul 27
Fierce and epic all rolled into one, she’s an absolute rockstar. Jessica Hastings-Lesperance was raised with Real Estate™ for her entire life. She is co-owner, Marketing Visionary, Director of Operations, and Realtor® at the Terri Hastings Real Estate Group/Keller Williams Realty Centres, one of the top-producing Keller Williams teams in all of Canada.
Last week, I found myself standing outside a small coffee shop in Sauble Beach, Ontario, with a camera in my hand. A few hours later, I was filming inside a clothing boutique, then a local gift shop. Someone walking by probably wondered why a Realtor® wasn't filming houses. The truth is, I was, just not in the way most people think.
One of the questions sellers ask me most often is, "How are you going to market my home?" My answer has changed over the years. We don't market where people live. We market why they'll love living there.
After years of studying buyer behaviour, I've realized something. People don't move because of houses. They move because they're chasing a different life. The house simply becomes the place where that new life begins.
Research in consumer psychology tells us that emotion drives decision-making long before logic catches up. Buyers may compare square footage, taxes, and interest rates later, but first, they imagine themselves living there.
I call this "The Second Showing." Every buyer experiences two showings. The first showing is the house. The second showing happens entirely in their mind.
They picture Saturday mornings. They picture walking to their favourite coffee shop, where they'll buy birthday gifts, and where their children will make friends. They picture evening walks, neighbours who wave, and family traditions they haven't even created yet. The second showing is the one that sells the first.
Last week, our team filmed three incredible businesses in Sauble Beach: CB Coffee Club, The Patch, and Grit & Grace. We did not film them because they hired us or because we were promoting their businesses. We filmed them because they tell the story buyers are hoping to find.
Imagine this. Saturday morning starts with a coffee from CB Coffee Club before heading to the beach. On the way home, you stop by The Patch because your son suddenly needs another hoodie after staying out longer than expected, and your daughter finds the perfect summer outfit she can't stop smiling about.
Later that afternoon, you wander into Grit & Grace looking for a wedding gift before meeting friends for dinner. None of those moments happen inside the home, yet they're exactly why someone chooses to live there.
Growing up in this area, I remember working summers at the local ice cream shop. Families would walk in after a long day at the beach, with kids still covered in sand and parents laughing. Everyone was squeezing one more memory out of a perfect summer day before heading home.
Today, I watch my own children walk into some of those same businesses. The clothing store I remember has become one of their favourite places to shop. The businesses have changed, but the feeling hasn't. That's the value of community.
As Realtors®, we have the privilege of introducing people to much more than a property. We introduce them to a way of living.
I've noticed something changing over the last few years. Families still ask about kitchens and bathrooms, but more and more, they're asking questions like, "Where do people go for coffee?" "Where will our kids spend their summers?" "Where will we walk after dinner?" and "Will this feel like home?"
Those questions can't be answered by a feature sheet or an MLS® listing alone. An MLS® listing tells buyers what a home has. A story helps them understand why they'll love living there.
That's why we spend time filming local businesses, beaches, restaurants, walking trails, parks, community events, and the hidden gems that make every town unique. Buyers don't remember statistics. They remember stories.
Stories create emotion. Emotion creates connection, and connection inspires action. Most sellers believe they're competing with the house down the street. I don't believe that's true. I believe they're competing with every lifestyle a buyer can imagine living.
Sellers often invest thousands of dollars renovating kitchens, updating bathrooms, or improving curb appeal. Those improvements absolutely matter, but one of the most valuable things you can market isn't inside the home at all. It's everything waiting just beyond the front door: the neighbourhood, the businesses, the traditions, the people, and the memories waiting to be made.
That's why we film coffee shops, highlight local boutiques, and tell stories about communities. We're not simply marketing a property. We're helping buyers imagine a life worth moving for.
At The Terri Hastings Real Estate Group, we believe every home deserves more than professional photography and an MLS® listing. It deserves a story.
So, the next time you see a Realtor® filming a coffee shop instead of a kitchen, maybe they're not marketing a business at all. Maybe they're creating The Second Showing, the moment a buyer stops looking at a house and starts imagining a life.
When buyers fall in love with the life they could live, falling in love with the home becomes the easy part. At The Terri Hastings Real Estate Group, we don't just market homes. We showcase the communities buyers dream of calling home.
If you're thinking about selling, we'd love the opportunity to tell your home's story and the story of the life waiting just beyond your front door. Find us here.
Jessica Hastings-Lesperance, Realtor®, Director of Operations, Co-Owner
Fierce and epic all rolled into one, she’s an absolute rock star. Jessica Hastings-Lesperance was raised with Real Estate™ for her entire life. She is co-owner, Marketing Visionary, Director of Operations, and Realtor® at the Terri Hastings Real Estate Group/Keller Williams Realty Centres, one of the top-producing Keller Williams teams in all of Canada. Jessica is an inspiring entrepreneur, real estate investor, coach, speaker, and published author. She has been featured on major media outlets, including podcasts and real estate TV talk shows, and has been published in various magazines. Recently, she was recognized as one of Canada’s Top Fitness Instructors for 2023 by Impact Magazine.
