The Waiting Game of Real Estate

Everyone plays the waiting game...it is perhaps the most torturous game of all. It seems that I play the waiting game at least once every day. Sometimes it's waiting for the baby to go down for nap time. Sometimes it's waiting on the bus to drop the kids off after school. Sometimes it's counting down the minutes until the babysitter arrives. I think the point is that the small things are simply exercise, training methods to prepare us for when the big games are on the line.
My family and I are currently engulfed in the real estate market. The timing and patients required for this specific game is immense. To remain patient through this process is somewhat of an unachievable goal, at least for me. I am not sure what is more frustrating...cleaning like a crazy woman, vacating my home with 4 kids and dogs in tow, or if it's hearing the not-so-kind feedback from the people that have come through my home. Then the waiting game comes in to play again when my family and I are expected to tour other home. When we find the perfect one, we are forced to sit back and watch someone else snag our great deal. It is frustrating to say the least. Perhaps the biggest game of all when it comes to real estate is the process of writing a contract. In today's market everyone expects to get a great deal, and thanks to the foreclosure rate, this has become more achievable than ever before. There are deals to be had everywhere. Hopefully, I will exhibit nerves of steel and the patients of a saint when our family has reached this point, and hopefully we will be at that stage soon....because I am beginning to become impatient!