Back in 2018, Homes.com conducted a survey about how Americans feel about house hunting. The results of their survey show that two out of five homebuyers found that house hunting is the most stressful activity they’ve done. Apart from them, 44 percent said that they were riddled with anxiety and even panic while house hunting. Thirty-three percent said that they even ended up crying due to the stress.
These numbers clearly show that house hunting, while crucial in the lives of almost every adult, is a very stressful affair. Unfortunately, there’s not much that we can do about the process of it all. That’s for the leaders of the real estate industry to worry about. But what we can do is manage how we deal with all of the stress. There are many ways to make sure that we don’t fall prey to the stress of house hunting.
Here’s how we can keep our cool during these trying times of adulthood:
Maintain Healthy Habits Amid this Stressful Time
The first thing that we should do and keep on doing is to maintain habits that help us manage our mental health. And we all know these habits already. Maintain a balanced diet. Get enough sleep. Drink lots of water. We’ve heard all these so many times. But because house hunting is an incredibly stressful time, it’s very much easy to get caught in the middle of the chaos. Thus, it’s very easy to forget all about the healthy habits that we should be maintaining.
So to help us remember, we should be more aware of what stress can lead to. For one, it can cause headaches and fatigue. It can affect our behavior and relationships with our loved ones. And it can also cause chemical imbalances in our bodies. The most common among such imbalances is iron deficiency — which, in turn, can lead to other effects on our bodies.
So be sure to maintain healthy habits. Take your chewable iron food supplements regularly. Keep a clear head as we face the challenges of house hunting.
Plan Your House Hunting Carefully
The best way to keep our minds calm is to organize everything. When we start house hunting, we don’t immediately start visiting houses. We need to be sure first about the location and, if it’s far away, the logistics of moving there. Then we need to decide firmly on a budget, size, and other specific needs that we may have. For example, if we have pets, we might want to invest in a house with a backyard where our dogs can run around freely.
Let’s also be sure to consult with a trusted realtor. This way, they can help us, too, with our planning and making sure that we have everything in order.
Secure Approval for a Mortgage
The whole process of house hunting is very slow for many people. It takes a long time to find the perfect house. But the relief we would feel once we find the right home is the best. But that relief can be short-lived if we find out that our bank didn’t approve our mortgage application. Thus, we can no longer afford the dream home.
To save us from the stress from all of that, let’s secure approval for a mortgage first before we actually start looking at houses. This way, we know perfectly well how much we can afford for a house and base our expectations on that.
Cast a Safety Net with a Backup House
Another stressful thing about house hunting happens towards the end, or what we thought would be the end. And that is when we start negotiating with the seller. Although many make deals for a living and actually enjoy them, many find this activity incredibly stressful. And the stress is heightened even more when there’s an entire house on the line. Unfortunately, many homebuyers have experience with sellers who would suddenly back out of the deal. They would change their minds about selling, increase their prices too high, etc.
To avoid any mental breakdowns caused by negotiations, we can make sure that we have other options for houses. When we start negotiating for a house, let’s keep other options in our back pockets. This way, if deals fall through, at least we can still go for other houses.
Much like any high-stakes endeavor that we go through, house hunting can lead to negative impacts on our mental health. So when we go through it, we need to ensure that we’re taking extra precautions to maintain a calm mind. It’s all about keeping healthy habits and careful planning.
