Reduce Real Estate Stress

Purchasing a home can be a stressful experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Using the Kolbe and DISC assessments can arm you with the information you need to survive and even enjoy your home-buying experience. The clients who utilize these assessments are much happier with their home purchase. We’ve had some clients claim that these assessments “saved their marriage” and another said “My husband, who struggles to make large purchases, was comforted the entire way and Dave understood his personality type, to work with him so it made the process much easier for me.”

Since the days of Aristotle, every person has been recognized as a combination of three dimensions: Ethos, Pathos, Logos. As with most things Greek these words sound pretty fancy, but in essence they mean Thinking, Feeling, and Acting. Buying a home requires all three of these and if one or more is neglected, the result is either stress, loss of money, or worse.

Logos

You may recognize logos as the thinking part. Thinking is a big part of purchasing or selling a home. The complexities of the market must be understood, financial components must be thought about, and real estate contracts to comprehended. But it takes a lot of time to learn all of this information and skills required for a home purchase. In our modern era most people try the Do It Yourself approach. We surf the internet and Pinterest looking for ways to do things ourselves. We rely on the logos of someone else who knows how to do it, to lay out the pattern of how we can do it ourselves. While this can be a good idea for crafts, car repair, and minor home improvements, it is not a good idea for big things like surgery, legal proceedings, and real estate.

You don’t have time to go to medical school, law school, or real estate school so you call upon a professional to represent you. Your doctor uses their logos to perform a surgery, a lawyer prepares and presents your case to a judge, and a real estate agent represents you in negotiations and drafting contracts for your home purchase. Just as the doctor and lawyer provide expert advice and allow you to choose how you would like to act, a good real estate agent presents and helps you interpret real estate data. When considering which agent to hire, make sure you choose an agent with a lot of knowledge and experience. After all, that is what you are paying for. Their knowledge about the market, legal procedures, and financial implications is what makes them a valuable commodity in your home purchase.

Buying or selling a home is not merely a mental process. It requires emotions and actions, Pathos and Ethos.

Pathos

If you’ve been looking at homes or feel pressured to sell your home you know that emotions are involved in real estate. How you feel is called your Pathos. An additional advantage of having an agent is they provide an unbiased opinion about your purchase. When you use a family member or friend for your agent they can become emotionally involved in the transaction and lose their objectivity. Part-time and discount agents can become emotionally involved in your transaction for a different reason. If you don’t buy or sell a home with them they may not be able to pay their bills. Full-time expert agents have enough business that their finances don’t rest solely on your transaction. They can remain objective in helping you make decisions without stressing about what it means for them and their family.

Taking the DISC assessment will help you and your agent understand your Pathos Personality. Understanding your Pathos will help you make better decisions and reduce the negative emotions experienced in the process. The DISC assessment has been around since 1928 and is used in many situations. It is used to help relationships, business teams, as well as self improvement. Our primary goal with the DISC is to understand what real estate decisions will meet your emotional needs. For example if you are an I (stands for influence) you enjoy hosting parties and social gatherings. This is important for agents to know so they can search homes that fulfill this need. Whereas if you are a C (conscientious) and require a lot of information, your agent needs to be able to prepare and present that information to reduce your stress level.

Click here for more information about the DISC.

Ethos

Now that we’ve talked about your thoughts and your feelings, what remains is what you do. Aristotle referred to the Ethos as a person’s true self, their character. Kathy Kolbe calls the Ethos your Modus Operandi or your Mode of Operation. The actions and behaviors you consistently make are a greater reflection on your Ethos than your knowledge or your emotions. You may know that buying a home is the right thing to do, and feel good about your decision, but something prevents you from taking action. That’s why we think the Kolbe assessment is so important when buying a home. We want you to be aware of your Ethos so you are empowered in your home purchase.