Mary Huffman, RE/MAX of Boulder
BOULDER – I was having a conversation with my client on our RE/MAX of Boulder podcast about how stressful it is to buy and sell a home. It happens that this client, Steven Moore, is a psychotherapist with a practice in Lafayette. Moore was explaining that buying and selling a home is one of the most stressful events in our lives because “it always happens in conjunction with other ‘stressers.’ It’s rare to hear someone say ‘I’m just buying and selling a house because I feel like it.’” Usually there’s some reason for moving, whether it’s because the kids have moved out and it’s time to downsize, a child has been born, or there’s marriage or divorce. Not to say that the process of buying and selling a home itself isn’t stressful, but it’s the fact that other stressful things are also happening that often compounds and intensifies the feelings of tension around buying and selling a home. So I asked him, as Realtors®, how do we help our clients through the stress? Below are a few quick tips.
Five count breath
There are physical signs of stress. Moore teaches all of his clients that in moments of stress, during which a real estate transaction can be many and often (e.g., contract discussions, showings, inspections), try to regulate your body through breathing. Take five breaths counting to five on each inhale and exhale. This will help “reset” you.
Pause to reflect and observe
During our process of finding Moore and his wife a new home, Moore admits that he often didn’t remember the homes we had viewed. I’ve seen this happen to many of my clients, and I’m sure my fellow real estate agents can relate. Moore conveys that “when we’re stressed out, all our senses tend to narrow…we’re not going to take in everything.” When showing property, Realtors can pause and nam
e, out loud, a few objects or features they notice in the home. This will help their clients remember what they are seeing, and more importantly, it will help relax them.
For this and more helpful hints to reduce stress (whether buying a home, or just getting through life), check out the RE/MAX of Boulder podcast for full discussions, including long term practices to reduce stress at youtube.com/watch?v=D9SKHLvC8VU.
By Mary Huffman, RE/MAX of Boulder
