BUILDING HOME SWEET HOME—4 SPOUSAL SURVIVOR TIPS

​Valentine’s Day recently passed and if you celebrated with your sweetheart, it was probably an evening full of fun and love. Building a dream home, on the other hand, can be stressful at times. Buyers who choose to build their dream homes can expect to make quick decisions with long-term impacts and deal with delays. No one says it will be easy, however everyone believes building a dream home is worth it. 

1. Enlist family and friends.
When you share your plans to build your dream home, plant a seed—a request for help, with those closest to you. This is especially important if you have small children. You’ll need trustworthy caregivers to pop over and care for children so you can focus when choosing tile, fixtures, countertops, paint, etc. Expect to meet with your loan officer, the builder and perhaps an interior designer a few times during construction. The more people you have enlisted to help, the more productive you will be.

2. Repeat the ‘sweet’ in ‘home sweet home.’

Plan an effective stress management program to follow for the duration of your dream home construction. This may include making improvements to your diet; committing to an exercise program and learning relaxation techniques in case you have a hard time falling asleep at certain times during construction. Setting aside a date weekly or monthly night will also help you to maintain a sweet vs. a stressed attitude.

3. Choose your building battles wisely.

Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Projects with the greatest pay-out are predicated on compromise, collaboration and flexibility vs. acting rigidly, defensively and selfishly. Most couples differ on a variety of preferences—style vs. comfort; textures, colors, lighting, etc. Resolving from the get-go that each partner have greater say in specific rooms, while collaborating on larger, shared spaces will make the process much smoother.

4. Keep your eye on the prize.

Truth be told—Most couples survive the home building process and better yet, their bond becomes significantly stronger upon completion. Couples who embark on building their new home with the mindset that its completion will mend their underlying issues are sadly mistaken. Challenges such as quick decision making; construction financing and household finances; and dynamic timelines actually amplify a couple’s issues. By anticipating delays; being flexible and patient; and consistently focusing on the vision and benefits of their dream home, couples can minimize stress and maximize relationship success.

Thomas A. Edison said, “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.” Keep these four tips top-of-mind and you and your spouse will successfully build your home sweet dream home.

Article by: Jennifer Elkow