Second-guessing is peculiar to our species. When a hungry lion sees an appetizing zebra, does he hesitate? Or regret it months later?
But ever since that kerfuffle in the Garden of Eden, we homo-sapiens tend to dither over big decisions and, worse, beat ourselves up about them later. No wonder sleep doctors are so busy. And no decision seems to invoke mind-numbing anxiety like the selling and buying of real estate. Was my list price too low? Did I offer the seller too much? Do I really like the place that much? What will mom and dad think?
I happened upon an article today at Trulia.com that could prove helpful to anyone who buys or sells a home. Trulia is one of those real estate sites where you can search for homes, find an estimate of real estate values by market or even neighborhood, and occasionally read something thought provoking and useful to your personal real estate situation.
Tara Nicholle-Nelson, a San Francisco real estate broker, has posted an article entitled “8 Remedies for Real Estate Remorse.” She makes a strong case that both buyers and sellers feel remorse, and often over the same deal.
“…the night the contract is signed, the buyer lies awake thinking they could have gotten the place for less,” writes Ms. Nicholle-Nelson, “while the seller does the same exact thing across town, thinking they could have gotten more. (Both tend to ring up their agents; that’s how I know this is true!)”
Although I am not sure each of us has the patience to adopt her eight cures, I especially appreciate her first one: “Write out your vision of the life you want to live after you close the deal.” (I know, it can be read two ways, but she means write it out before you close the deal, not after.) Those of us who occasionally read golf instruction pages in magazines or books should understand the concept; imagine in your mind’s eye the arc of the ball and its arrival on the putting green, and you will have a better chance of executing the shot properly –- and not regretting the swing.
Ms. Nicholle-Nelson’s article is available by clicking here.
