Letting go of regret
What regrets from past decisions you made are still influencing your decision making today? And are those things you can listen to to guide your next big decision? Or, do you need to let go of them? Perhaps their power over your decision making was necessary to get you to where you are today, but now, are those past decisions and a fear of regret holding you back?
If you found the exact right thing today, would you pull the trigger? What would it look like or feel like to know that it was the right move for you?
This topic comes up a lot, not just with clients in real estate, but with our agents, with my friends, and I often remind myself to sit with this thought when I’m doing some decision making of my own.
Making decisions out of excitement vs. fear
Try this: close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Then imagine the You that just closed on your new house and is proud and excited to move in. What does it feel like the first time you unlock the front door yourself? Who is the first person you’re going to have over? How are you going to spend your time there? What updates or personal touches are you most excited to add?
When you find yourself in a position to make a decision, go to that place in your mind. Hangout there for a few moments. Then decide your next move. Making decisions from this place helps you make your dreams a reality instead of keeping you stuck by making decisions out of fear.
The best way to fight fear
Speaking of fear, I’ve found the best way to fight fear is with numbers. When you’re making a purchase especially, you’ve gotta have a great lender partner to help you run numbers, be creative with your financing, and ultimately make a purchase that is within a healthy financial range for you. Spend time meeting to discuss your goals, and talk through different scenarios with your lender before you pull the trigger. If you need a great lender recommendation, shoot us an email, we are always working with them and can share our real-time experience.
Danielle Hayden,
REALTOR®
Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether it’s a good time to buy or sell a house (coming from real real estate agents):
Something to consider would be the time of year and how it applies to your family situation. “SPRING is a great time to make the transition to new locations if you have kids!” says Brick & Banister agent Danielle Hayden, REALTOR®. A very common example of this would be a family listing their house in the spring so they can close and move into their new house before the school year starts again.
Decision making based on transitions
Along with that, another thing to consider might be the season (figuratively speaking this time) of life you’re in and what big transitions might be on the horizon. Are your children ready to leave the nest and you’re ready to move into something a little different/smaller/swankier? Or are you expanding your family and need something with more square footage to comfortably fit everyone? Maybe you’re over having to mow and shovel and a townhouse, condo, or something with an HOA who takes care of that sounds like a good plan.
Inventory-based decision making (yay numbers!)
According to Kelsey Zimmerman, REALTOR®, “A great time to sell your house is when inventory is low. It’s also a great time to buy in the winter months or in the dead of summer. The market tends to slow during these times and competition is markedly reduced.”
“Also, the best time to list (if selling fast and for top dollar is your ultimate goal) is in the early spring or fall. You want to hit the market before the market is flooded with listings. So don’t wait until you’ve been hearing people say their homes have been selling in multiples for the last two months. You want to be one of the first ones out of the gate as we are heading into that multiple offer season” says Kelsey.
Now, on the buyer side, if you can be a bit flexible in what you are hoping to find, buying during the slower months is a great option as you will see less buyer competition and more opportunity to negotiate with the seller. The downside is there is usually less inventory.
Kelsey Zimmerman,
REALTOR®
So how do you decide if its the right time?
All in all, it really doesn’t matter what time of the year it is when you are ready to buy or sell, but there are definitely advantages when you know how to track the market and are willing to play ball. A great real estate agent will be able to help you navigate these seasons, and the reasons listed above exemplify why finding an agent who takes the time to get to know you and what your “whys” are is so important.
It just so happens that (shameless plug) our Brick & Banister agents have gotten into real estate first as people people. Meaning, we love building relationships and find ourselves extremely lucky to work with and help people accomplish their goals, above all else. Whether that’s buying, selling, investing or building a house. We also happen to be GREAT at negotiating, writing contracts and keeping up with market trends.
We’re basically the total package.
Shoot us a message or give us a call and we’d be thrilled to work with you and find out what you would like your future to look like. Then, we’ll help you make it happen!