10 Simple Tips to Take the Stress Out of Home Buying Process - Focus on the Positives!

Tip 3: Keeping Emotions in Check

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime, and along with the finances come emotions. It is important to keep your emotions in check during the process. Being organized and in control will contribute significantly to getting the best home deal possible with the least amount of stress. 

Once you find a home you like, you become emotionally attached to it. Emotional attachment can cause you to make unwise decisions when making an offer, handling negotiations, and so forth. Once you’ve fallen in love with a house and visualized it being your home, you’ll start to do WHATEVER it takes to make sure it becomes your home.

This is about the worst possible way to buy a home, but this may also be the best possible home for you. You do want to fall in love with your new home, but you also want to be careful. You can literally cost yourself thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands of dollars, by being too emotionally attached. Instead of letting emotions rule the game, try to include some common sense in the buying process. Real estate investors have a saying, “Don’t fall in love with the house, fall in love with the deal.”

Having said that, realize that you will always have some emotional attachment to your home. You need to like it. Your goal is to strike a balance between liking the house and using common sense to tell you whether you are sacrificing too much to try to get the house. If you find you have to make a lot of compromises to get a house, stop yourself and ask, “Is this really worth it?”

It's important that you choose an experienced Realtor who is willing to work through these emotions with you. Someone you know you can trust when choosing your most valuable asset. Someone you like and work well with, someone who makes the experience fun and exciting...gets excited for you! Someone you trust to know your wishes, desires, and goals...not just your list of likes and dislikes in purchasing your dream home.

So, remember to strike a balance between emotions and common sense. Find a Realtor that fits your personality, is patient and understanding of your emotions, and will work to keep you on track. You'll be grateful, and it will help you enjoy your home that much more once you actually move in!

Next...Tip 4: Find the Home that Fits Your Lifestyle