How to Make a Mindful Decision As You Buy a House in the UK

Your home will likely be the largest purchase you’ll ever buy. House options UK buyers would gladly snatch up in a few seconds abound, though, so how do you slow down, be mindful, and make sure you’re buying the right house to meet your needs? These tips can help.

What Does it Mean to Make Mindful Decisions?

Mindfulness and buying anything, particularly a house, aren’t always coupled together, but they absolutely should be. The idea of making mindful decisions is the idea of purposely concentrating your attention on the moment, not being overly reactive or getting overwhelmed at the number of choices you have. This is particularly good advice when it comes to buying a house in the UK, because taking this one step means you have the ability to completely focus your attention on your home purchase.

Mindful House Buying Tips You Can Use

So, how do you incorporate that idea into actually buying a house? Here are three ways to make it happen.

• Start with a Purpose: Naturally, you have a purpose as you work to find the right home, but it needs to be more specific than that. Know what you want and what you can afford before you ever begin to shop. There are literally thousands of properties on the market across the UK, but very few of them are right for you. Begin with your finances. What can you afford to pay from month to month and what can you afford in terms of deposit. From there, make a list of must-haves in your property. Think not just about the home and the number of bedrooms and baths, but also about the location, garden space, and accessibility to the things that make your life whole.
• Engage as You Shop: Any time you sit down to shop for a home, fully engage in the experience. Whether you’re looking through property listings on RightMove or Zoopla or you’re actually with an estate agent viewing various properties, be sure you’re fully present. Don’t try to do more than one thing at a time. We tend to multitask frequently in our society today, and that actually damages our ability to pay attention to the most important thing. Any time you’re ready to go on the hunt for properties, make sure you can properly focus on that one activity at the time.
• Pause when you Find the Right Home: When you think you’ve found the right home, don’t automatically place an offer, even if the estate agent is pushing you to do so. Pause and reflect. Go back to your original purpose. Does this home offer everything you need? Does this home actually meet your financial stipulations you created? Will you be happy in this home in the years to come? Feel free to ask the estate agent for a second or third showing as you ponder the answers to these questions, as often repeat visits can help you think through the ideas you’re considering more fully.

Don’t Stop Practising Mindfulness After You Find the Right House

When you find the right house to meet your needs, you can’t simply flip the switch and turn off your mindful nature. Instead, the process of actually making that home your own is fraught with stress and pressure, and ending your mindfulness practices there would be a massive mistake. The same basic principles apply as you work to obtain a mortgage, exchange contracts, and set a day of completion. There will be paperwork to fill out, inspectors to hire, and lots of on-edge waiting. It may help to continually revisit your purpose. You know what you want when this is over. Keep that goal at the forefront of your mind. Likewise, stay engaged. As you work to complete the paperwork, focus only on that, with your goal being the reason you remain engaged in it. Finally, if you begin to feel overwhelmed, take a day or two to pause. The home sale will still get completed, but you’ll feel a lot better about it if you simply step away from the process and breathe. Then, when that day of completion comes, you can finally step back and truly enjoy the moment.