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To see more Bay Area home listings, visit www.realestate. sfgate.com A: Life is full of lessons. No matter how many war stories and strategies your agent can share with you to avoid the call telling you that you didn’t make the cut, for many buyers it is an individual process to go through — on their own time and at their own speed.

Hopefully, this happens sooner than later, as buyer fatigue is real.

I tell people all the time: You are not alone. I try to manage expectations from the start, as I have seen many through disappointment. I don’t try to sugarcoat it.

Most agents I know have been through the same buying process and can relate to the feeling these buyers have and that helps — I know I certainly have.

First and foremost, start with the truth and then educate buyers on how to write offers that reduce the risk of disappointment. I share stories of other clients, many of whom thought life was over when they lost homes early on, only later to say, “Wow, we really lucked out on losing that house.”

I am sure we could compare the home buying process to dating or marriage and see so many parallels. Don’t ever despair — if you have a great agent, trust the process, it will all work out.

Rachel Swann,

the Agency, 415-943-9520, rachel.swann@theagencyre.com.