Lessons I learned when we moved house….

If you’ve ever been through the process of buying a new home, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say that there comes a point where you become convinced the whole thing is about to fall apart.

We moved into our house earlier this year and, despite everything working out in the end, I lost count of the number of times I was sure something had gone wrong.

One day we’d hear from the solicitor three times before lunchtime and then… nothing for days. We’d be waiting for one phone call, only to find out someone else was waiting for a completely different piece of paperwork before anything else could happen. It’s no wonder buying and selling a house is regularly listed as one of life’s most stressful experiences.

The funny thing is, a lot of the time nothing has actually gone wrong at all. It just feels that way because there are so many moving parts that have to come together before anyone can move on to the next stage.

There Are More Moving Parts Than You Think

Before we bought this house, I imagined the process was fairly straightforward. You agree a price, sign a few forms and before long you’re picking up the keys.

If only it were that simple.

When you’re moving house, you’ve got estate agents, buyers, sellers, solicitors, mortgage lenders, surveyors and often an entire chain of people, all relying on one another. If one person is waiting for an answer, everyone else is waiting too.

That’s why there are often long periods where it feels like nothing is happening, when in reality plenty is going on behind the scenes.

I Really Felt For The First Time Buyers

One thing I kept thinking during our move was how overwhelming the whole process must feel for first time buyers.

When you’ve never bought a property before, it’s hard to know what’s normal. Is it okay that nobody has called for a week? Should your solicitor have updated you by now? Has something gone wrong, or is everyone just waiting for someone else?

Looking back, I think the uncertainty is often more stressful than the actual waiting.

Having an estate agent who keeps you updated regularly makes such a difference because even a quick message to say, “There’s nothing new just yet, we’re waiting for the searches,” is much more reassuring than complete silence.

There’s A Lot Going On Behind The Scenes

Something I hadn’t really appreciated until we’d been through it ourselves was just how much information an estate agent is juggling.

Every buyer has different questions. Every seller is at a different stage. There are viewings to arrange, offers to record, paperwork to chase and conversations happening all day long.

It’s why many agencies rely on an estate agent CRM to keep everything organised behind the scenes. Rather than relying on memory or handwritten notes, everything can be logged in one place, making it much easier to keep track of conversations, documents, next steps and updates.

As a customer, you’ll probably never even know what system your estate agent is using, but you’ll certainly notice the difference if they’re organised and able to keep everyone informed.

Things Go Wrong… But That Doesn’t Mean The Move Will

One of the biggest lessons I learnt from our move is that there’s a big difference between delays and disasters.

When you’re buying or selling a home, it can often feel like things go wrong every other day because plans change, paperwork takes longer than expected or someone in the chain is waiting for another decision.

Most of the time though, those aren’t problems that stop the sale altogether. They’re simply part of a process involving lots of different people, each with their own workload and deadlines.

Looking back now, there were several moments where I was convinced our move wasn’t going to happen. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Looking Back…

Now that we’re settled into our new house, it’s much easier to laugh about how stressful it all felt at the time.

If there’s one thing I’d say to anyone who’s currently buying a home or moving house, it’s not to panic every time communication goes quiet for a few days. Ask questions if you’re worried, keep in touch with your estate agent and remember that there’s often far more happening behind the scenes than you realise.

A well-organised estate agent, backed up by good communication and systems like an estate agent CRM, won’t necessarily make the process any quicker, but it can make it feel a lot less overwhelming. When you’re making one of the biggest purchases of your life, that’s something to be thankful for.

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