If you’re selling and buying property simultaneously, you have so much invested in the sale both emotionally and financially, you’d think that pissing one another off would be right up there with the daftest things you could possibly do.
As crazy as this sounds, it’s not. I’ve seen people go from being the nicest person in the world to the most unpleasant, hard-nosed person the planet has ever lay witness to.
So why is it so risky to piss your buyer off? Well firstly they could pull out. More likely is that they’ll begin to nitpick and then finally smash you over the head with a lower offer on the back of a survey that could be considered entirely damning or pretty standard for the age, depending on what colour tints you’re wearing.
Equally as dangerous is winding up the people you’re buying from. What if they suddenly decide that your deal over their curtain poles and £3k curtains is now no longer valid as they’ve found a spot in their new home for them? Or worse still, they refuse to sell to you and just pull out.
Being wound up is natural, it happens to the best of us, so my sure-fire cures for dealing with property rage are:
- Do nothing when raging. You’ll only do something stupid. Let the anger subside and think with a clear head. Usually overnight.
- Try to see the bigger picture. You’re obviously moving house for a reason. Is that reason bigger than the fact your buyer is becomingly increasingly obnoxious?
- Always speak on the phone. Dealing via email is a sure fire way to escalate a misunderstanding.
