How To Manage Stress and Anxiety When Buying and Selling a Home in Phoenix, Arizona
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There are so many emotions that can come with buying and selling a home, and only a few people know how to navigate the process or the feelings the process brings up. In most circumstances, the people selling the house and looking to buy had experiences in that home that creates a bitter-sweet emotion. I was lucky enough to have met Talicia Llanes, an Occupational Therapist turned Real Estate agent. Talicia and I got to sit down to discuss where she sees clients having the most difficulty when buying and selling a home and how she helps them through this process. Here are the areas Talicia shared that often create more stress and anxiety for clients and how she goes about helping them.
What Adds to Anxiety and Stress Behind Selling and Buying a Home
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An urgency to get through the process quickly. There is a lot to buying and selling a home. It's normal to want the transaction to go through without a hitch, but since there is so much to the process, it takes time. Patience is key.
The process can be a roller coaster. Talicia explained that there is a lot to buying and selling, and the process s can create a roller coaster of emotions to match. Questions like "Will the house appraise for what we want?" "Will we get the offer accepted?" "Will everything be okay with the inspection?" "Will they fix the house?" and "What will it re-appraise for?" can create a lot of anxiety and mixed emotions. It’s important to normalize the emotions and the questions that come with them.
It can be harder on families, and understandably so. Little ones can often be less flexible regarding a routine shift or change. As adults, it can certainly be challenging, but for kids, it isn't easy and can be a lot to manage on top of everything else.
The pressure of finding the "Forever" Home. It's easy to understand how the stress of finding that forever home could make buying a home much more difficult. Many people put this extra pressure on themselves when finding the “perfect” home, but the reality is that most people will live in a home for 7-10 years, not a lifetime. It’s vital to remember this and to balance expectations with desires while searching for that home, which can help with the stress and anxiety.
Having very set expectations and needing more flexibility. Bottom line is that it’s good to know what you want, and it's also good to be flexible and willing to explore different options. This makes it a lot less emotionally draining and stressful in the end.
How Talicia Helps Her Clients and Ways To Manage The Stress and Anxiety When Buying and Selling a Home
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Validate the emotions and normalize them. As an EMDR therapist, this has to be my favorite. We can get so swept up in our feelings that it's easy to get carried away in the whirlwind. And from the list above, it is clear that buying and selling a home can create many emotions and upset one's life. And that is totally normal! Talicia works with her clients to validate their feelings and help them navigate the process to meet their goals.
Try not to only listen to what the media is saying. It's no secret that the media often tries to sensationalize most topics, and the housing market is no exception. Talicia shared that no matter the time of year, pandemic or not, "if it's not the price, it's the interest rates, if it's not that there's COVID." And that many clients ask, "tell me when it's going to drop?" but unfortunately, there is no crystal ball. While all of this can add to the uncertainty, stress, and anxiety, if the situation is approached with a bit more flexibility, there are some great opportunities out there.
Find a Realtor Who Will Be Transparent and Honest. This is a quality that I think can be hard to find when looking in the buying/selling market. Talicia is transparent about the process and breaks it down step by step with her clients so that it feels less stressful and anxiety provoking. This makes sense to me as an EMDR therapist working with people who struggle with past trauma and anxiety. Understanding the process can help us feel more comfortable and have less stress surrounding the factors we can't control.
Find a Realtor Who Will Be As Unbiased As Possible. It's essential to find someone who will keep your values and goals in mind rather than having the sale as the sole goal and purpose. Talicia shared that she tries to be as unbiased as possible, "I would much rather them go into this and have a good experience and recommend me to the next person. It's much more about the longevity of the experience rather than this one deal." Talica told me, in a nutshell, "I think it's just about being super honest with people, putting my emotions aside" to help the client have a positive experience with buying and selling.
Venting is okay! There are times when buying and selling a house could be more fun. Talicia shared that she wears many hats as she helps her clients navigate the process, "you're the negotiator, you're also the guide, but you're also the person they vent to and you also facilitate the transaction." When helping clients navigate the process, she also tries to normalize it, helping them understand why something is happening and that it’s normal to feel the way they are feeling.
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Buying and selling a home is a process, and Talicia is there to help her clients navigate the ups and downs. She loves working with single professionals and young families looking to build generational wealth through real estate so they can create a legacy for their families.
Tips and Take Aways From An EMDR Therapist in Phoenix, AZ
Speaking firsthand as my family has recently made the move from Tampa, Florida, and returned to my childhood home in Phoenix, Arizona, emotions certainly play their part. Through this process, I've had to do my own soul-searching, validating feelings, and trusting the process. Having someone like Talicia would have made the process so much easier, and I am happy I met her! You can find all of her information here if you'd like to connect with Talicia and see if she can help you with your home-buying and selling goals.
EMDR Therapist Phoenix and Tampa - Kandace Ledergerber. Picture description: White female with short curly hair smiling at viewer in a field with greenery, wearing a navy blue tank top with sunflowers
If you are looking to understand more about EMDR therapy or if it may be a good fit for you, I would love to have a quick chat with you to talk about what you’re going through. I offer free 15-minute consultations, and I’m more than happy to discuss if EMDR therapy might be a good fit for you or if there is a better fit for what you are looking for.
