What to do when you don’t know what to do

We all have to make decisions every day of our lives. We are all different in our ability to be decisive. Some are happy to “go with the flow” while others find it an anxiety ridden process where their fear of an incorrect decision leading to a negative outcome can almost be paralysing.

This can get amplified when it comes to making a major life decision like buying a new home and/or selling your existing property. For those who are facing this situation and are struggling to decide what to do, there are some simple steps that you can use to help you.

Firstly, get as much relevant information as you can to actually make a decision. So many people base their decision making on perception rather that the reality of the situation. Work out the costs, read about the property market you are in, look at actual comparable sales data, get some professional opinions. Just on this last point, everyone will have an opinion so be careful who you listen to. Well meaning family and friends are often not the best source. Their advice often comes from an emotional base rather than a factual base. I’m not saying don’t listen, just do your independent homework also.

Secondly, write it all down so you can stand back and look at it visually. Often a big piece of A3 paper with all the pros and cons written on it can be a simple but highly effective tool for gaining clarity. Stick it on the wall, grab a coffee and stand back and ponder. Try it, it really helps.

Thirdly, accept that you are not dealing with certainties, you are dealing with probabilities. You will not completely know the outcome until you actually go through the process. If you are highly concerned about making the wrong decision, try and work out the absolute worst probability and see if this is in anyway acceptable to you. If you can accept this, then you are in a good place to put all your efforts into improving that position and influence a more positive outcome.

Lastly, if you decide to proceed, have a clear strategy from the outset and follow it. If you are selling, the agent you choose should be able to map this out for you from the start. You should understand it clearly and be able to follow the strategy easily through its implementation.

If you do all these steps you will certainly be heightening probability of a positive outcome and you may even enjoy the process! Let us know if we can help.