How to Cope with a Long Home Buying Search
April 30, 2019When you’re ready to buy your first home or move into something else, searching for the right home for you can be stressful. It can also sometimes take a long time. Here’s how to cope with a long home buying search:
1. Take Your Time
It may be tempting to rush through home buying, especially when the excitement takes over. But, it’s important to take your time as you tour potential homes and really think about how well each one fits, or doesn’t fit, your current and long-term needs. This is essential to avoid home buyer’s remorse caused by rushing through a purchase and ending up with a home that doesn’t work for you.
It’s also important to keep in mind that your excitement may make your home buying search feel like it’s going on too long when it’s actually moving at a standard market pace. It may be normal for buyers in your area to view homes over multiple months and to have their offers rejected a few times before being able to get under contract for a home they like.
Make sure you have an honest and upfront conversation with your real estate agent about the average length of a home buying search in your area. Then, be prepared to spend at least that long on it. Or, if you know the average home buying search in your area is too long for you, consider looking into a building a custom home instead.
2. Stay Focused and Positive
As a home buying search stretches on, it’s easy to start feeling jaded as excitement fades and disappointment grows. It’s important to stay focused on what you want and why you started the home buying search in the first place. Remembering why you began your search can also help you stay positive and regain your energy to continue.
3. Make Time for Other Things
One of the ways to cope with a long home buying search is to make time for other things. When you start to feel like the home buying search is taking too long, it can be tempting to funnel more time and energy into it to try and speed it up. Although spending more time on it can make you feel like you’re helping to move the process along, this can often result in a false sense of productivity and increase the risk of burnout.
You don’t want to stop the home buying search completely or skip things you need to do, but you do want to make time for other things in your life. This can also help you stay positive and keep you sharp when you shift your attention and effort back into the home buying search.
4. Take Notes, Re-Evaluate, and Communicate
As you go through homes, make the most of local home shows, and continue through the home buying search, make sure you take notes and communicate with each other and with your real estate agent. Keeping a record of your experiences can be a good outlet for your frustrations, a reminder to help you stay positive, and can also help you continue to narrow down what you do and don’t want in a home. They also serve as a good resource as you re-evaluate what you want and need for both the current time and long-term.
This information is also useful for your real estate agent as it will help them filter out any homes that would not be a good fit. The better information your agent has about the types of homes you want to see, the less likely you’ll have to go on home tours and visits that are a waste of your time. This can help reduce additional friction and frustration to make the home buying process smoother overall.
5. Don’t Settle Just to End the Search
When a home buying search starts to go on longer than you anticipated, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking the home you want just isn’t out there. This line of thought often leads to a homebuyer settling for less than they want just to end the search. Buying a home is a big investment – it should fit your needs and your lifestyle.
As long as your budget and your expectations are realistic for your area and what you want, there is no reason to settle for less. When you find yourself thinking about settling for less than you need, referring back to your notes about what you want and don’t want in a home can help you get back on track. Thinking about how much remodeling you would have to do in order to get what you want if you were to settle can also help you regain your focus.
6. Consider Investing in a Custom Home
Another way to cope with a long home buying search is to consider investing in a custom home. If your home buying search is taking too long or you have time limitations that make a long search impossible, consider investing in a custom home. Oftentimes, especially in these situations, investing in a custom home is a better use of your time and your money. This approach allows you to get what you want in a home instead of waiting for the market to give it to you. In addition to more control over the look and feel of your home, you also get a little more flexibility in your land as well.
A custom home is built to your specifications and needs, which can make it the perfect solution to the problem of how to cope with a long home buying search or a market that just doesn’t have what you want available. If you’re ready to bring your dream home to life and avoid a painfully long home buying search, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090 to start working towards your custom home!