We are now about a year into trying to buy a house and I genuinely feel mentally worn down by the whole thing.
The sellers are elderly siblings who have lived in the property for most of their lives, and it’s become increasingly obvious that this is emotionally very difficult for them. The sale keeps slowing down because decisions and paperwork seem to move at an incredibly slow pace.
We’ve tried very hard to be understanding and patient because I genuinely don’t think this is anyone being malicious — I think it’s just a huge life change for them.
But at the same time:
- we sold our own house because of this purchase,
- moved into rented accommodation,
- have spent months paying rent/storage/moving costs,
- our searches are now close to expiring,
- and every time things seem close to progressing, it slows down again.
One of the sellers recently messaged me asking if we could “slow the pace down a bit” because I am pushing them too much too quickly.
That message honestly made me feel awful because I don’t want to pressure elderly people through something traumatic… but equally our own lives have effectively been on hold for a year now.
How do people stay patient in situations like this without becoming emotionally exhausted or resentful?
Did anyone else go through a very long emotionally complicated purchase that eventually completed successfully?