Who Knew This Would Be So Stressful?
Want to give your stress ball a good work out? Buy or sell a home. While it’s not listed as one of the Top 10 most stressful life events, according to something called the “Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale” (Holmes & Rahe must be a real party to hang out with), real estate transactions often get paired with the major events that do register on the scale.
Among the most difficult life events on the scale are death of a spouse, marital separation, illness, marriage and retirement.
Just a bit down the scale comes job change, obtaining a mortgage, changing residence, school change… well, you get the idea.
My point? A move is almost never “just” a move. It carries more baggage than the moving van can handle. And since there are often two or more families involved in a real estate transaction, the stage is set for more drama, comedy and tragedy than the set of Maury Povich. And the stress often plays out. My blood pressure spiked just writing that.
What one party may feel is totally reasonable can be an outrageously inappropriate request to the other. A hiccup on a mortgage (which happens, believe me) can delay the moving plans of several families. One of those families (at least) is usually coping with one of the aforementioned stressful life events.
Reason and appropriate behavior often get thrown out with that drawer full of old takeout menus.
When you find yourself in a situation like this, it’s best to try and focus on getting to the other side and not the inevitable annoyances and unknowns of the journey. Don’t add more stress to the already stressful event. The time will come soon enough when it will all be behind you. Then you can slump on the couch, scream into a pillow, and plow through that half-gallon of cheap ice cream. Or maybe you have a healthier approach than I do.
