Michael Greenwald
Real Estate Stress Management

What Is Real Estate Stress Management?
Real Estate Stress Management is an approach that takes the stress of both listing and purchasing a house, and gives that burden to me. There is stress in every real estate transaction and my goal as your agent is to, in essence, massage the deal so that together we move forward with as little stress to you as possible. I accomplish this through:

• Education
• Communication
• Organization

Stress?! Where Does It Come From?
In real estate, as in any kind of work, surprises are what cause stress. For instance, if you travel to work everyday along a wide-open freeway, you experience stress when there is an unexpected accident. If you expect the everyday traffic--and you anticipate that it's going to be bumper to bumper--your experience is totally different when the traffic hits. It may be the same traffic, but foreseeing obstacles and preparing accordingly makes all the difference.

So How Do We Prepare For It?
When we expect the going to be rocky at times, we are equipped to handle it much better. I educate my clients by:

• Discussing the issues
• Identifying any problem areas
• Rehearsing the rocky points ahead of time

In the end, together we're able to alleviate a lot of that stress.

What Kinds Of Stresses Are We Talking About?
One of the most potentially stressful processes is the physical inspection of a property once in escrow. I remind my buyers and sellers that, in most cases, they are dealing with a “used property”. I let the seller know that the buyer will come in with a wish-list of things they want repaired or credited for repair. I tell the buyer that they're going to want certain things fixed as part of the transaction.

But with both buyer and seller I make sure that the things focused on are key elements to the integrity of the house. Stress begins when the buyer or seller begins focusing on the little things. I educate them to focus on the larger picture--and not get hung up on a noisy garbage disposal or pool filter.

Are There Any Stresses Unique To The Westside Area?
Just as there are amenities unique to the Westside area, there are stresses unique to the area as well. The Westside of L.A. has a landscape that varies from beach to canyon to flats to mountains, creating a need for extreme architectural diversity. Deciding on a property's topography is crucial to all other subsequent decisions. We have been in a “sellers” market since 1998 where, the demand is quite high, with low inventory and a seller's market.

Both the diverse landscape and a current, fast paced seller's market have proven to be two potential stresses unique to the Westside.

Varied Landscape
The Westside has beautiful, varying topography. To its advantage, this means:

• You can be at the beach and then on top of a mountain within 20 minutes
• The desert is only an hour and a half away
• Skiing is only two and a half hours from the Westside area

Because of this diversity, I've often been skiing in the morning and then lying on the beach by the middle of the same day. (When I was younger!) When looking for a house, however, this can prove stressful, especially for those moving from out of state and unaccustomed to hills next to oceans next to canyons. Buyers must answer the questions:

• Do I want to live in the flats?
• Do I want to live near the ocean, which has a different soil content and nature of foundation?
• Do I want to live on a hillside, which could mean having a cantilevered swimming pool or tennis court or a house built into stone?
• Do I want to be able to walk to areas in the flats or do I prefer the trade-off of having views?

Deciding in which landscape to live is important, for there are few cookie-cutter homes on the Westside.

High Demand, Low Inventory
On the Westside, real estate moves at incredible speeds. In previous years, it was a buyer's market, and deals could be made over a period of months. Now, the switch is almost totally to a seller's market--we are seeing an incredibly fast transaction process. This includes the speed of getting a loan, doing the physical inspection of the property, selling your own home and moving. Everything can happen within a month. The process initially tends to move very slowly, and then suddenly incredibly fast.

In such a market, there is the stress of needing to put an offer on a home as soon as you see the home. A few years ago, buyers used to have all the time in the world. Now, when a buyer sees a house, they need to move much more quickly. The stress for a seller in such a market is putting a house up for sale and preparing for it to move quickly, entertaining multiple offers in many situations.

A Way Through The Stress
I give you, in essence, a road map through the stress. As your agent, I am your guide through the transaction process so that you know what to anticipate regarding such points as:

• Contingency dates
• Loan process navigation
• Pre-qualification
• Paperwork crunches
• Property appraisal
• Removal of the physical inspection contingency
• Termite report completion

You will know ahead of time about such traffic jams because I will have already guided you through them.

What Is The End Result Of Real Estate Stress Management?
The end result of my Real Estate Stress Management is a successful purchase or sale of a home where my clients feel that they had a comfortable handle on one of the most expensive transactions in which they will ever be involved. My clients come out of the transaction knowing that I treated them and their deal with respect, deflecting as much stress away from them as possible.