Tips to Manage Your Stress During Your Next House Hunt!
As good as your Realtor may be, there will always be stress associated with the home buying process. We try our best to anticipate issues and control them before they explode into a monstrous problem. But, it doesn't always happen. The key is to know how to manage the stress that is inevitable to occur...we cannot control the thing that is stressing us, but we can control how we react to it.
Here are some tips to managing your stress during your next house hunt!
- Get Pre-Approved For Your Mortgage
Your best first step is to go into your home hunting with a pre-approval from your bank or mortgage company. This gives you assurance that you can buy a home and how much of a home that you can buy. It will alleviate the stress of wondering if you can afford the home that you're looking at (and falling in love with). It will eliminate the stress of your financing falling through after finding your perfect next home. Don't fear it, just take care of it! You'll be less stressed if this is cared for right off the bat!
2. What Are You Looking For In Your Next Home?
As part of getting acquainted with clients, I try to decipher what it is exactly that they are looking for in their next home. Unfortunately, lots of times, clients aren't even sure what they want OR they may not even be sure. This creates stress for some clients. A great way to avoid this stressor is to begin brainstorming and dreaming of what you really want in your next home! What's non-negotiable and where are you flexible? Things to consider---number of bedrooms and bathrooms, style, lot size, neighborhood, garage or no? Having these things in mind and communicating them to your agent will eliminate issues during your home search!
3. Be Flexible with Your Expectations
This point is right in line with the last one...know what you want in your home, but be flexible with those expectations. Realizing in the beginning that the "perfect" home does not exist will adjust your expectations to reality. Having realistic expectations will cut down on that stress. Resting in the fact there is an almost perfect home out there for you will help you to enjoy the process a bit more. One home may have the perfect lot in the perfect neighborhood, but it may not have your must have garage space. Another may have that must have garage, but it is WAY above budget. The combination of issues is endless. But again, knowing your "must have" list and managing your expectations will lead to a more enjoyable buying experience.
4. Trust ( & Listen To) Your Agent
If you are hiring an Agent to represent you on this journey, please make sure that you can trust their knowledge and instinct. We are trained and have experience with this process. Let us take the lead. By all means, ask questions and be informed, but trust their advice. Let them know what you need and let them take you there! Trusting the process and your agent will eliminate a huge stressor in the house hunt! And if you can't trust them, do both parties a favor and don't hire them! Find someone that you can!
5. Be Financially Prepared
Buying a house is probably the most expensive purchase you'll ever make. Making sure that you have enough money saved to cover all of the cost incurred during the home buying process is key making sure that your stress level is manageable. I recently wrote a blog on the costs that occur most often when buying a home.Take a look!
Comments
Post a Comment