Many first-time home buyers suffer from buyer’s remorse after they complete the closing on their brand new house. This is common not only because it represents a significant change in the life of one’s family, but also because it is an enormous financial decision that often creates waves in the family budget. If you’re suffering from home buyer’s remorse, follow these tips to deal with the regret you feel.
Talk to Friends and Family
Someone – your spouse, your sister, your aunt or your best friend – can remind you why you fell in love with the house in the first place. Often, home buyer’s remorse is a result of new problems you find in a home, so try to remember why you thought it was such a good idea during your first tour. In most cases, your fears are just products of stress and worry, which are making small issues seem like big ones. Deep breaths, everyone.
Get to Decorating
Perhaps you’re experiencing home buyer’s remorse because your house just doesn’t feel like home yet. If you start decorating your house – new paint, new floors, new window treatments, new counter tops – it will start to look like a place in which you want to live. If you don’t have the cash to replace things just yet, start putting your own pictures on the walls and knick-knacks on the shelves.
Surround Yourself with Familiarity
Don’t let regret overshadow the real reasons you feel depressed. Home buyer’s remorse can be the product of unfamiliar territory. You’ve uprooted yourself from your old home and now you’re in an unfamiliar place. Remind yourself that you have family and friends who love you, and you still have the belongings you brought to the new house. Get rid of that pesky regret by going through boxes of old books or looking through scrapbooks.
Get Off the Internet
A major pitfall that can cause home buyer’s remorse is the continual scouring of the Internet for other, better houses. You can’t return the one you just bought, so quite looking at MLS listings on the Internet. Sure, that other house might have a bigger master bedroom or prettier landscaping, but that isn’t the one you chose to buy. You’ll sink yourself farther into regret by looking at houses you just can’t have.
Shun the Negativity
You’ll have people in your life who will praise your new home and congratulate you on a job well-done. You’ll also have people who want to criticize everything from the ceramic tile floor to the sloped bedroom ceiling, so get rid of that negativity. Home buyer’s remorse can be created through the negativity of others, so please don’t let them get to you. It’s better to focus on the positives.
Distance Yourself
If you’ve found that your home buyer’s remorse is more than overwhelming, take a brief vacation with your family to get away from it all. The weeks after you buy a new home might seem like the worst time to leave, but it can help you distance yourself from your worries and bring a healthy new glow to your life. Perhaps the stress of packing, moving, closing and unpacking has clouded your judgment.
