How to reduce the anxiety of selling, buying a home

How to Reduce How to Reduce the Anxiety the Anxiety of Selling, of Selling, Buying a Home Buying a Home

written by JENNIFER BLAKE

REALTOR, LICENSED IN MD. AND PA.

SULLIVAN SELECT LLC

Deciding to buy or sell a home is a major decision. I wish I could say that you will have a stress-free experience dealing with the real estate market, but I can’t. There will be some factors in the process that tend to create anxiety.

The good news is that preparing for and understanding the process will help alleviate many of the unknowns. The best way to start the endeavor is to hire an experienced real estate agent to guide you through the process. Whether you are a rst-time homebuyer or an experienced investor, having the right agent is imperative.

When moving, it’s easy to create negative scenarios with unknown factors that weigh on our minds. Communicate anxieties, ask questions and seek answers. Once your agent explains the hurdles involved with buying or selling a home, the unknowns become fewer and the bigger picture begins to emerge. Maintaining your mental health and general wellness will greatly affect the outcome.

Taking obstacles one step at a time is a great approach. For example, if you need to be approved for a loan, do that step rst. If you know you want to sell your house, then start preparing it for sale. Once you commit to that and study your options, the rest of the process will fall into place.

A positive mental attitude is crucial to having a less stressful experience.

Understanding outcomes is helpful to keep anxiety at bay. There might be challenges if you sell your home, such as buyer nancing falling through, unreasonable repair requests, changes in settlement dates or movers not being able to relocate you in time.

Buying a home creates its own set of challenges – between low inventory, offers not being accepted and dif culty asking for reasonable repairs.

I like to point out that establishing a worst-case scenario contingency plan helps tremendously. There are always ways to make deals work if both parties are willing to compromise somewhat and keep their focus on the bigger picture.

A fantastic way to deal with stress is to visualize the outcome and practice self-care: • Pack some boxes, then do some stretches or yoga. • Play your favorite music while preparing for your move. • Take walks to get out of your house and make time to enjoy nice days. • Pack one room at a time. • Drink plenty of water and rest when you can. • Continue your daily health routine. • If you are exhausted, get a massage or visit with friends.

You will survive this process and you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your best days are ahead.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Blake

Sullivan Select LLC 13146 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown Jenblakehomesales 301-745-5500 • Cell: 410-746-4420

Five tips for getting children back to school safely

Written by EMMA TUDOR sportsforlearning.com Chances are high that the COVID era has had detrimental effects on your child’s wellness. This is a truth we may not feel comfortable addressing. However, this reality poses an important question: How can I help my child return to normalcy intelligently and safely? Here are five tips for getting your children back to school safely, pertaining to their social, emotional, physical and academic well-being.

Examine how COVID has affected you and your family.

This one might be harder to face than you’d like, but the truth of the matter is that children absorb environmental stressors as much or more than adults do. This fact should be central in your decision-making processes around your student’s return to school and the transition into the postCOVID era.

Does your school have a social and emotional learning curriculum? If so, what does it look like? How can you tie it into your household?

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) needs to be at the forefront of your school’s plan for reintegrating students into schools. SEL teaches students the social and emotional skills needed to help reintegrate into a social setting like a school. Without these skills, students will have a much harder time retaining anything academic. They need these foundational skills to excel, and the COVID era hasn’t been kind to social and emotional development.

Reflect on observations you made of your child during COVID and distance learning.

Use what you observed about your child during the COVID era to your advantage. In many cases, distance learning’s success hinged on student interest levels. It is also true that you likely had much more face time with your child. Reflect on what you observed in your child. Did the child express an interest in technology or Legos? Being outdoors and exploring new places? Use these observations as a springboard for providing additional opportunities for what the child finds interesting.

Mitigating learning loss is important, and it’s easy to believe that focusing on student academic success might be the first place to start. While academics are crucial and important to student wellness, it’s imperative to focus on social, emotional and physical well-being first. These core pillars of your child’s wellness will promote healthy academic growth.

Explore what your school is making available to catch up on learning loss.

There is no escaping that your child might have experienced academic learning loss over the past year. Many districts across the nation are extending schooling into the summer months to help compensate for this learning gap. Explore what your district is making available this summer and consider enrolling your child in a summer program.

Emma Tudor is vice president of Sports for Learning, and has enjoyed 15 years in the field of education.

Do not underestimate the power of play time.

children and involved in social engagements. Whether sports teams, play dates, acting classes, art classes or summer camps — the choices are endless but the implications are powerful — as children learn endlessly from other children via social observation. Assuming your child has experienced some level of isolation from their peers over the past year means that they have not had the opportunity to properly learn from their peers.