Decision fatigue can derail the home buying or selling process.
Real estate is absolutely chock full of difficult choices and options to choose from, which can easily cause decision fatigue to set in. Decision fatigue describes the inability to make quality decisions after you’ve had to make too many in a short period of time.
It’s an affliction that seniors face often when buying and selling. For example, downsizing to a smaller property involves a lot of difficult choices, but those aren’t the only decisions involved. Throughout the months prior, choices must be made about whether to downsize in the first place, where to move, what the new lifestyle will look like, what can be taken with, and many more.
“After making so many decisions in such a short period of time, a person’s brain can just shut down—even if there are still more choices to make.”
When someone’s not downsizing, there’s a lot less decision-making to do. They can just pack everything up and take it with them. Downsizers, however, have to be a lot more selective about what they bring for everything to fit. And some of these choices can be incredibly tough—antiques, sentimental items, and furniture that were passed down through generations may not be able to go to the smaller home. This is all taking place while thinking about when to sell the current home, how to price it, how to switch utilities, who’s going to move everything, and where to go next.
After making so many decisions in such a short period of time, a person’s brain can just shut down—even if there are still more choices to make. They may stop caring about outcomes or allow things to just pile up due to this fatigue.
So, when working with senior clients, there are a few things you want to keep in mind to stop decision fatigue from cropping up. Do paperwork in increments instead of all at once, and save disclosures for when there are fewer decisions to make. Spreading out these difficult tasks can help remove some of the stress and allow your clients to make more confident decisions when needed.
You’ve likely experienced decision fatigue yourself, so it helps to imagine what it’d be like to go through that at a much older age. Put yourself in their shoes and try to ease some of the decision-making burden. If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
If you are considering a specialty working with mature homeowners and downsizing seniors, join our community of Certified Senior Housing Professionals by signing up today for Success in Seniors Real Estate!