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

Tip 10: Buyer's Remorse After the Purchase.
 
 
Buying a home is a big financial commitment, but many first-time home buyers suffer from buyer's remorse after they complete the closing on their brand new home. This is common not only because it represents a significant change in the life of one's family, but also because it is an enormous financial decision that often creates waves in the family budget. If you're suffering from home buyer's remorse, follow these tips to deal with the regret you feel.

Talk to Friends and Family

Someone - your spouse, your sister, your aunt or your best friend - can remind you why you fell in love with the house in the first place. Often, home buyer's remorse is a result of new problems you find in a home, so try to remember why you thought it was such a good idea during your first tour. In most cases, your fears are just products of stress and worry, which are making small issues seem like big ones. Deep breaths, everyone.

Get to Decorating

Perhaps you're experiencing home buyer's remorse because your house just doesn't feel like home yet. If you start decorating your house - new paint, new floors, new window treatments, new counter tops - it will start to look like a place in which you want to live. If you don't have the cash to replace things just yet, start putting your own pictures on the walls and knick-knacks on the shelves.

Surround Yourself with Familiarity

Don't let regret overshadow the real reasons you feel depressed. Home buyer's remorse can be the product of unfamiliar territory. You've uprooted yourself from your old home and now you're in an unfamiliar place. Remind yourself that you have family and friends who love you, and you still have the belongings you brought to the new house. Get rid of that pesky regret by going through boxes of old books or looking through scrapbooks.

Get Off the Internet

A major pitfall that can cause home buyer's remorse is the continual scouring of the Internet for other, better houses. You can't return the one you just bought, so quite looking at MLS listings on the Internet.
 
Sure, that other house might have a bigger master bedroom or prettier landscaping, but that isn't the one you chose to buy. You'll sink yourself farther into regret by looking at houses you just can't have.

Shun the Negativity

You'll have people in your life who will praise your new home and congratulate you on a job well-done. You'll also have people who want to criticize everything from the ceramic tile floor to the sloped bedroom ceiling, so get rid of that negativity. Home buyer's remorse can be created through the negativity of others, so please don't let them get to you. It's better to focus on the positives.

Distance Yourself

If you've found that your home buyer's remorse is more than overwhelming, take a brief vacation with your family to get away from it all. The weeks after you buy a new home might seem like the worst time to leave, but it can help you distance yourself from your worries and bring a healthy new glow to your life. Perhaps the stress of packing, moving, closing and unpacking has just clouded your judgment. 

Finally...

Take time to make it yours. With each area of the house you "settle" -- that is, get the room to the point at which you can enjoy being in the room without distraction by the undone items in the room. Prioritize structure over cosmetics, and heavy use rooms over out of the way corners, and prioritize anything that affects your day to day living -- water, heat, electricity, kitchen functions, etc. Take the better part of the day and do one area that you know you can finish that day and truly notice the change and feel more settled for having done it. 

Start having people over. They will tell you how great your home is. They won't see all the little things you see. Take pleasure in the pleasure others take in your house.

Congratulations! You are a home owner...and everyone loves your new home and how you have made it yours!


 

12304 Swanhaven Dr - Rivendell on the Lake


You will fall in LOVE with this incredible 2 story home in prestigious Rivendell on the Lake. The features are endless: hand scraped wood floor, marble & ceramic tile, designer fixtures, Pickled Oak cabinetry, stainless steel appliances,  Sub Zero fridge, huge pantry, granite breakfast bar, beautiful open staircase w/ wrought iron railing, wired for surround sound, wonderful whirlpool tub in master, huge shower, dbl vanities w/granite, 6” crown molding & baseboards, plantation shutters, Romeo balcony, library paneling, 3rd living room upstairs has wet bar & lots of hall cabinets. Study for him, computer nook for her by the kitchen. Huge laundry room. Square footage of a 5 car garage, but 3 car side entry, keyless entry, intercom system, insulated garage doors, tons of storage. Upstairs: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3rd living, wet bar, library, & media room. Salt water heated pool. Lots of details & charm await you. Call TODAY for your private viewing!
Be sure to visit: http://www.rhondasrealestate.com for more information.


Realtor.com link: http://ht.ly/4AcN6



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

Tip 9: Negotiation in Real Estate.

Whether you're a buyer or a seller you want to succeed in the real estate market. That's natural and reasonable, but what are the steps you need to triumph?

Negotiation is an important part of the real estate buying process. It's a complex matter and all transactions are unique. Negotiating too much...trying to get an extra low price, or even refusing to budge on your offer may cost you the home in the end.

Both sides—buyer and seller—want to feel that the outcome favors them, or at least represents a fair balance of interests. In the usual case there is a bit of bluff, some give-and-take, and neither party gets everything they want.
 
So how do you develop a strong bargaining position, one which will help you get the most from a transaction? Experience shows there are five basic keys which will determine who wins at the negotiating table.
 
  • What does the market say?
At various times we're in a "buyers" market, a "sellers" market, or a market where housing supply and demand are roughly equal. If possible, you want to be in the market at a time when it favors your position as a buyer or seller.

Because all properties are unique—it is possible to buck general trends and have more leverage than the marketplace would seem to allow. For instance, if you have a property in a desirable neighborhood with only a few sales, you may be able to get a better deal than elsewhere. Or, if you're a buyer who can quickly close, that might be an important negotiating chip when dealing with an owner who just got a new job 500 miles away.
  • Who has leverage?
If you're on the front page of the local paper because your business went bust—and the buyer knows it—you have little going for you in the bargaining process. Alternatively, if you're among six buyers clamoring for that one special property, forget about dictating an agreement—the owner can sit back and pick the offer which represents the highest price and best terms.
  • What are the details?
A lot of attention in real estate is paid to transaction prices. This surely makes sense, but the key to a good deal may be more complex.

Consider two identical properties that each sell on the same day for $275,000. The houses are the same, the sale prices are the same, but are the deals the same? Maybe not. For instance, one owner may have agreed to paint the property, replace the roof, purchase a new kitchen refrigerator, and pay the first $3,000 of the buyer's closing costs. The second owner made no concessions.
 
In this example, the first house was actually sold at discount—the $275,000 purchase price less the value of the roof repairs, closing credit, and other items. If you're a buyer, this is the deal you want! If you're a seller, you would prefer to be the second owner and give up nothing.
  • What about financing?

Real estate transactions involve a trade—houses for money. We know the house is there, but what about financing? There are several factors that impact the money issue:
  1. Has the buyer been pre-qualified or pre-approved by a lender? Meeting with a lender before looking at homes does not usually guarantee that financing is absolutely, unquestionably available—a loan application can be declined because of appraisal problems, title issues, survey findings, and other reasons.
    But, buyers who are "pre-qualified" or "pre-approved" (these terms do not have a standard meaning around the country) at least have some idea of their ability to finance a home and know that they are likely to qualify for certain loan programs.
    The result is that pre-qualified buyers represent less risk to owners than a purchaser who has never met with a lender. If the seller accepts an offer from a buyer with unknown financial strength, it's possible that the transaction could fail because the buyer can't get a loan. Meanwhile, the owner may have lost the opportunity to sell to a qualified buyer.
  2. The lower the interest rate, the larger the pool of potential buyers. More buyers equal more potential demand...good news for sellers.
    Alternatively, high rates or even rising rates may drive buyers from the marketplace—and that's not good for anyone.
  3. It used to be that downpayments were a major financing hurdle—but not anymore. For those with good credit, loans with 5 percent down or less are available. Reduced downpayment requirements are good for both buyers and sellers.
  • Who has expertise?

Imagine you're in a fight. The other guy has black belts in 12 martial arts—and you don't. Who's going to win? Who do you want representing you at the bargaining table?

Successful negotiation depends on give and take, so make sure you are being fair in your requests. Work with a Realtor who has the negotiation skills to make the transaction come together...one with collaboration, competitive, and compromise knowledge and expertise that comes with being a Certified Negotiation Expert.

Tip 10: Buyer's Remorse After the Purchase.