What I learned when I helped my mother move: some personal insights
A few years ago, I was finally able to persuade my mother that she couldn't live alone in her house - the one in which my family had lived since the 1970s - and needed to move into a smaller co-op apartment in a nearby retirement community. But neither she nor I were aware how stressful the process of selling a house and purchasing an apartment could be.
While I wouldn't presume to advise anyone on the technicalities of buying and / or selling real estate, I did come away from the experience with hard-won insights on how to deal with some of the emotional crises that can occur. Here are some of the things I learned.
It's not you - it's the process
If this is the first time you've sold or bought a home, get ready - it's going to be a wild ride. A lot is involved: finding a buyer and negotiating a sale, or finding a new home and negotiating the purchase. Or both. In between, there are open houses, legalities, inspections, unexpected expenses, and tons of paperwork. So unless you're really into real estate, you may be tempted to give up and hide under your bed at some point.
You may find it helpful, at least in the beginning, to consider it a research project rather than somethi …