Buying a home is exciting and wonderful, but it must be said: it can also be the perfect storm of stress. You’ve got big sums of money to deal with. You’ve got a whole lot of people you don’t know very well making demands on you—real estate agents, lawyers, bankers, mortgage brokers. You’ve got deadlines. You’ve got to pack up and move from one place to another. You’ve got to balance all of this with whatever else is going on in your life, like husband or wife, kids, job, school. No wonder buying a home consistently tops the list of modern life’s stressors.

The latest is a survey done in England, where only divorce was reported to be more stressful than buying a home. A survey by Genworth Financial Canada found similar results in this country. Women find it generally more stressful than men do, and selling was found to be slightly more stressful than buying. Astonishingly, British women reported the experience as more stressful than arranging care for an elderly relative, having a child, changing jobs or getting married.

That is some serious stress.

Can we do anything to lessen it? Yes, we can. And perhaps the best way to start is by admitting from the outset that you won’t be able to control every little thing along the way. There are too many other people involved, too many wild cards. Sometimes things will happen, and you won’t be able to do a thing about it. You can’t foresee or prevent someone from coming in with a higher offer, for example, and you might as well accept that. Prepare mentally for the unexpected, and you will save yourself some anxiety.

More practically, experts recommend these simple strategies.

Know what you want, and agree on this with your partner if you have one. This includes the physical layout and appearance of the place—how many bedrooms and bathrooms, the size and design of the kitchen, whether there is a balcony or terrace and what kind of amenities it has in the case of a condo. It also includes the location. Falling in love with a fabulous home that’s in an inconvenient or otherwise undesirable area is not good. Arguing about it, trying to convince the partner to change his or her mind is a sure way to raise stress levels. Agree not to do this before you start. Stick to whatever you agreed to and don’t try to change the rules mid-game. At the same time, be a little flexible, knowing that perfection does not exist in this world. Getting hung up on a detail (the placement of a window; the absence of a heated floor in the bathroom) when the big picture is beautiful would be counter-productive.

Be financially prepared. This includes having a sufficient deposit and down payment for the price range you can afford, and having enough cash in the bank to cover closing costs. It includes educating yourself as much as possible about the process of buying, from determining what you can afford to making an offer. A good place to start is Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Buying a Home. It also includes getting pre-approved for a mortgage before you begin looking at properties. Nowadays it is not uncommon for vendors to turn down offers that don’t come in with a pre-approval. Don’t risk disappointment by being unprepared in this key area. There’s too much competition out there in a market like Toronto.

Find a real estate agent you can work with and trust. A good agent can really ease the stress on you, but you have to let him or her do the job, part of which is giving you advice based on the agent’s professional experience. If you aren’t prepared to listen to the advice, you will only create more stress for yourself and for the agent. A good agent, one who has listened to you and understands what you are looking for, will not waste your time, or his, showing you properties you can’t afford or won’t like. You should be able to ask your agent any question about the buying process and get an answer that satisfies you completely. Likewise, you should be confident that your agent will not try to rush you or encourage you to act imprudently, like making an unconditional offer just to avoid losing out in a competitive bidding situation. In the end, you have to trust your own instincts too. If you feel you are being pressured by your real estate agent, it could be time to find another one.

When getting ready to buy a home, as in everything else in life, the better prepared you are, the better things will go. Remember, buying a home is one of life’s great experiences, and the rewards are great.

The 10 Most Stressful Aspects of Buying a Property :
1. Having to deal with slow lawyers
2. The risk of the deal falling through
3. The huge sums of money at stake
4. All the documentation to complete
5. Numerous phone calls
6. The property survey
7. Difficult vendors
8. Difficult real estate agents
9. Being gazumped (the vendor raises the price after accepting your offer) at the last minute
10. Disruption caused to your working day

Buying a Home – Exciting, but Stressful Too by Josephine Nolan | Condo.ca