Research finds half of Americans cry while buying a house

People of color are also more likely to feel the stress of buying, especially among Latinx and Black communities. Zillow research has shown that Black mortgage applicants are denied 84% more than white borrowers.

Much of the stress comes from the difficulties of finding a home within budget and within a preferred neighborhood as well as not having enough homes to choose from.

Meanwhile, 30% of buyers with plans to apply for a home loan have lost to those who can pay entirely in cash, which Zillow said is often seen as the more attractive offer to sellers since “they don’t need to worry about the sale falling through in the financing stage.”

Amanda Pendleton, home trends expert at Zillow, said buying a house is different from buying other assets in that it’s a more personal – and therefore emotional – experience. Even if homebuyers don’t end up crying, 90% said they found the process stressful.