It seems that with each closing there is an aftermath of Buyer's Remorse.
I had two offers on one listing-both from people who were not working with a Realtor. I was about to list another similar home two doors down and knew the one who did not get this one would want the other (and they did). The client who had the accepted offer on the first home asked about the other one and had this look like ‘maybe I would have liked that one better'.
I showed my first time buyers about 50 homes and we could not find the right one, in a particular area and within their price range. And then we did. They knew the minute they were inside-and they liked it better than the one they put an offer on which was not accepted. I felt really good. At the final walk-through (the day before closing and after a difficult inspection and further negotiations), they brought a friend who flips homes and had him walk through it with us. He pointed out several things they would have to deal with-and a few more they didn't know about right after they moved in. It's an older home and adorable and when the remorse settles, I think it will be great.
One of my clients just bought a condo and the deal had a few bumps along the way but it all worked out. One of the main reasons she picked this particular one was the deck out back with trees around it which made it very secluded. She has never lived in a condo and the backyard gave her the privacy she was used to. About a week later I get this call "you won't believe what happened" and found out the association had come a few days after she moved in and cut a large chunk of the tree because of a work order that had been submitted previously.
And the list goes on. When I started thinking about it, I had a similar story for each client-some with a little remorse and some more significant remorse. Next I started looking at my seller's. They had remorse as well-maybe they shouldn't have reduced it that last time (especially the one with two buyers); or they really appreciate their old home and the cleanliness compared to the new one. Then I started thinking about myself. I like to garden and was unhappy with the flowers I chose for some of my planters-everyone is admiring the yard but I know that next year, I won't buy some of them again and feel I wasted my money.
The definition of remorse: "a deep, torturing sense of guilt felt over a wrong that one has done; self-reproach". Regret: "to feel troubled or remorseful over (something that has happened, one's own acts); or over something that one has done or left undone".
As a Realtor who represents the deals that bring on this remorse or regret, I usually feel responsible or have remorse over their remorse. But the definition says that we are troubled over our own acts or something we have done. I always do my best; I want to find my clients a home that they fall in love with and have them sign the papers because they chose this particular home.
So, as human beings, I think we are just remorseful by nature. Can it be just as easy to live with our choices without any of the regret-to move forward powerfully and embrace what's next? I have always noticed this odd thing I have with light bulbs-that moment when I turn on the light and the light bulb does this quick pop and burns out. It always seems to me that I turned it on too fast and if I would have turned it on differently, it wouldn't have burned out at that precise moment. It may sound weird but I guess I must think light bulbs should last forever-or at least not burn out when I am around-or maybe I just don't like the inconvenience of having to change it because I do want the light. So, I guess it just comes down to this: I wouldn't know I have something I want, without a few bumps along the way.
Royal Oak Realtor selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michigan. TishHouse sells Houses - selling Oakland County Real Estate with RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to say about my extraordinary customer service.
