The element of surprise
How do you plan for surprise in the home buying process? You don’t…because then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it? But somehow you do need to “plan to be surprised” during the home buying process. Expectations…throw them out the window.
The process, while it has predictable general steps, has unexpected twists and turns that may occur. Unfortunately, it can be a frustrating process for those who are used to knowing everything that is expected and being fully prepared upfront so nothing comes up later. There are limitless scenarios that may rear their head, that none of the professionals know will come. So there’s no way to say…this is “here’s all I’ll ever need throughout the process” or “we can count on this or that”.
The answer to your question may be, “I don’t know, but I’ll let you know ‘when’ I do.”
It might take longer to process the loan that you expected. They may ask for more information after they should have had everything they need.
The inspection report might reveal some costly issues. The seller may or may not agree to fix them.
The seller may or may not agree to your terms or price.
The appraisal may not come back as high as the purchase price.
Closing may or may not be on time as you scheduled. There may or not be some off the wall scramble at the last minute.
The termite letter might reveal that there are termites.
The house you just have to have may be owned by a real….well, fill in the blank with something that represents nightmare negotiation.
Multiply these scenarios by infinity, and you’re completely prepared.
You can do it. Tell yourself you can’t always be “proactive” enough to avoid everything unexpected or to take care of everything….It’s certainly not always gloom and doom, but it’s never perfect. The best scenario is that if you expect surprises, the process has the “opportunity”, certainly not the guarantee, to go surprisingly well. Let your agent guide you through the process and help relieve some of the pressure or stress. It will all work out for the best in the end!
