Emotional baggage accompanies selling a house

Selling a house can be one of the most emotional experiences a person goes through. Here’s some advice on how to deal with the emotional side of the transaction.

Anxious excitement

Deciding to sell you home is a big decision, especially if it’s your first time selling – but with the possibilities that come with moving and finding your next project or your dream home – selling can be a thrilling experience. Along with the excitement, anxiety can set in as the process of staging and listing can seem overwhelming. It’s easy to worry about finding the right seller and getting the right offer. But, keep your focus on your goal and the home you are looking to purchase next. Listen to the advice of your realtor and plan ahead to clean out your home of clutter so staging will be a breeze. Much of the work in selling a home is prepping the little details. By getting a head start in this area, you will greatly minimize the work ahead.

Don’t get excited too soon

Some sellers fail to realize that selling a home is a process and while every realtor will do their best to make the transaction as smooth and as quick as possible, bumps in the road happen. Sometimes it’s a lowball offer than can put a damper on a seller’s gung-ho spirit, and they begin to question if their home is priced correctly or wonder if they should hold out for a better offer. Other sellers get sloppy with maintaining their home while it’s on the market, fail to stage properly, or overprice their home, thinking they won’t have any problem finding a buyer. These types of mistakes can cost a seller not only an emotional toll as problems can arise from being unprepared, but they can cost financially as well in the additional time it may take to sell a home that isn’t prepped and priced well.

Under the microscope

If you thought your home was in great shape, listing it for sale can be an eye opening experience as you receive feedback and criticism about areas of your home that were never an issue before. In addition, a home inspection can come up with a laundry list of nitpicky items. This long list can be daunting and overwhelming and some sellers feel defensive of the home they have spent so much time working on. But never fear, every home has a list of issues and often finding common ground with a buyer is not as difficult as it may seem. If a buyer has come so far as to negotiate after inspections, they are most likely “in it to win it.” Negotiating with a buyer isn’t a loss on your part, but a move toward settlement. The next buyer will most likely be concerned with many of the same items from the inspection report so it is best practice to keep your strong offer and negotiate the inspection report items, if necessary.

Seal the deal

You said your goodbyes and had a last walk through in your home where so many memories have been made, and at long last, settlement day has arrived and you’ve turned over your keys. While this can be a very bittersweet transition, selling a home is a right of passage as you are freed up to move on to a better fitting home, whether you are downsizing or upgrading. For many, especially in today’s real estate market, their hard work has paid off and selling their home puts them in a great position to buy and invest again. The market for sellers is a hot one and there is no time like the present to make a move.