Melissa Harmel - LESS HOME, MORE LIVING

• Review your contingencies. Think about what you might be willing to concede. The fewer stipulations you have, the more appealing your offer. • Consider making a significant “good faith” deposit to prove your commitment and demonstrate your seriousness.

DO Be Prepared to Walk Away.

This strategy might be a hard pill to swallow, but sometimes the best thing to do is walk away from a potential deal. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, all parties involved cannot come to an acceptable agreement that everyone is satisfied with. And if you think you’re making too many compromises and concessions, or offering a price that you know isn’t affordable for you to live comfortably in your retirement, then it’s OK to say no. There are other properties out there, and it’s OK to move on. This is one of the reasons that it’s so very important to keep your emotions at bay and work with your agent to keep things professional and treat the negotiations like the business transaction that they are.

DON’T Feel Trapped.

The home-search and home-buying process can be time- consuming and emotionally and physically exhausting. But even if you and your agent have put in a lot of investment toward a home, and in the end you just know it’s not going to work out — whether it’s because the home doesn’t end up meeting all your needs, or in the end it’s just not affordable, then please don’t feel trapped. You have the rest of your life to think about! The next exciting chapter of your life! If you end up buying a home that you are unsure about, that you don’t really love, or that you can’t afford, it just won’t be worth it.

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