Can I get real for a moment? Yes?! Thanks a bunch!
Stress kills. It really does. Avoiding stress should be something all of us should be thinking about. Honestly, we can’t avoid all stress, but reducing it, that we can do. And I’m here to help!
While it didn’t make the Top 10 Most Stressful Life Events, changing your living conditions does rank a 25 on the Holmes and Rahe scale making it a highly stressful thing. Various other studies have confirmed that the stress of buying or selling a house is quite high.
So… what can you do?
Avoid the Stress of Buying and Selling a House
Here are the best tips on how to avoid the stress of buying and selling a house in our modern, high-speed world. Read them slowly… that will also help. *wink*
#1 Realistic Expectations
Understand up front that everything isn’t going to be perfect. There will be issues that pop up. Every transaction has them. Don’t skip this one. Repeat to yourself, “There will be problems.” Now they won’t be a surprise, just an expected hurdle that will be overcome.
If you think that there’s truly a “perfect house” out there just waiting for you, please understand that you are mistaken. There’s not. I’m just being straight with you.
#2 Plan Ahead
Since you’re moving anyway, go ahead and start packing up as many of the non-essential items in your home as possible. Ask friends to help! Declutter and clean your home throughout and then just plan on keeping it that way. You never know when someone will want to show your home.
#3 Exercise Is Great
Take care of your body by exercising regularly. Some see this as optional. I see it as a smart, stress-reducing activity that also makes you feel better and live longer!
#4 Get Plenty of Sleep
Depriving your body of sleep is a form of stress right there. Plan to get plenty of shut-eye, especially during the house hunting and negotiation process and you’ll be thankful you did.
#5 Eat Healthy Foods
Science has shown that eating a healthy diet gives the body what it wants. That makes it happy, right? A happy body has less internal stress and does a better job coping with new external stressors.
#6 Share Your Feelings
Along with keeping your body on a low-stress track, do the same for your thought life. If something is bothering you, share your thoughts with someone—a loved one, friend, or even your Realtor. Good communication can potentially prevent some stress from even arriving!
#7 Stay Flexible
This one is huge. Remember what I said in #1 Realistic Expectations? Issues will arise. How you handle them will go a long way in determining how much stress there will be.
“The struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.” -Robert Tew
#8 Set Aside Time for Relaxing
This one could fit under #2 Plan Ahead but I like it so much I decided to give it its own category. You should plan to have some specific time each day (with extra every week) where you get to take part in the kind of relaxing behavior that recharges you. We call it “me time” but it could also be called “kill that stress time.”
#9 Choose an Experienced Expert
Since you’ll be traveling on this journey with your Realtor anyway, choose one that can help take some of the stress from you. That’s a smart move.
Select an agent with experience. Someone who’s been around the block and can head off any potentially stressful situations. He can also expertly advise you during those stressful times.
There will always be a certain amount of stress when buying and selling a house. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your level best to minimize that stress and overcome it.
Now, who’s up for some yoga?
