The Silicon Valley real estate market is so overheated in many segments (some areas, some price points) that there’s a lot of exhaustion to be found among consumers, Realtors and others involved (inspectors, title company employees, etc.). Why is that?
- Home buyers in the San Jose area are finding that most of the time, they have to write a few offers before one can get accepted. The rejection is both disappointing and exhausting, and every successive attempt is stressful since most buyers understand that with multiple offer situations, the odds are against them.
- Home sellers in Santa Clara County are finding it a challenge to work like crazy to make their property as close to ideal as possible, only to find that multiple offers either aren’t ideal (or still seem scary, if they are ideal) or perhaps they don’t come at all. Even in a hot market, not every home sells! Some home owners work so hard at fixing up their house or condo to sell that they somewhat fall in love with it all over again…and that makes it hard to sell. Their pre-sale exhaustion also can make them prone to feeling overwhelmed.
- Real estate agents or licensees are exhausted because there is so much URGENCY that it’s hard to get any down time (let alone a day off). Most real estate licensees I know are really burned out – or very close to it – due to working 24/7 for the last 2+ months. (Buyers are very time consuming and may require many many attempts before being successful in getting into contract. Sellers may have worries and find themselves needing a lot of reassurance – even when it’s not really urgent at all.)
Together with the extra stress of the market which changed so fast are a LOT of emotions (as well as mistakes that might not be made if everyone were calmer and better rested). Buyers grieve when they lose the house. Sellers worry that they sold too fast, too low, too easily. Buyers, when successful, worry that they have overpaid (“buyers remorse“). Agents are burning the candle at both ends and can find themselves a little frazzled too. Sometimes when our clients have a bad day, they can make it contagious by yelling at us or otherwise being overly difficult because they are stressed. Even agents dealing with other agents can be a headache if the other one is upset, burned out, sloppy or emotional.
Time out! What most everyone needs (myself included) is a breather. Everyone needs a little time, a little down time, to feel a bit more human. Take a day off. Decide not to answer the phone or email before or after set hours. As for me, I’m going to work on that. I hate to see email accumulate in my inbox, I feel like I have to address it right away (as if it were a text message about a house burning down). But being in reactive mode, no matter who we are, is not so good in the long run. When the going gets tough, it’s more important than ever to get enough sleep, exercise (esp time away from the computer) and diversions. Too much intensity can make for more friction, and in the long run, that is bad for the transaction, bad for our relationships and even bad for our own personal health.
So in this overheated, stressful market – let’s all try to step back enough so that we can clear our heads a little and keep a semblance of balance. It will make for better real estate transactions in the long run, no matter whether we are buying, selling, or assisting clients as realty professionals in the South Bay.
More reading:
Qualify The Advice You’ll Accept When Buying or Selling a Home in Silicon Valley
Impulsivity and caution in home buying
