10 Tips to Prepare Yourself Emotionally When Selling Your House
Years ago, when you first laid eyes on your current home, perhaps it was love at first sight. Now, there are many hidden reasons only known to you why it is time to end things with your home and move on to something bigger (or smaller) and better. How can you make a break to focus your energy and time on the house of your dreams, your new love?
In this article, we will discuss ten helpful tips to mentally prepare yourself to sell your current home before finding your next dream one.
1. Ensure That You Are Prepared to Sell
Before you list your home for sale, it is important to determine that you have good reasons to do so. This process is referred to as “understanding your why” of selling by HGTV. Get ahold of a pen and some paper and put together a list of all the reasons why you want to relocate. It might relate to finances, the growing need for more space, being closer to a top-rated school district, a change in career, or the desire to downsize. If you struggle to think of good “whys,” wait a couple of months and circle back around to it.
2. Prepare for the Selling Process
Once you decide that selling is for you, you will need to prepare yourself emotionally for the selling process. Listing your house on the market will open it to scrutiny. Both realtors and buyers will likely provide feedback after open houses. The process of inspection will reveal a few hidden (or noticeable) flaws. It is only natural to feel emotional attachment. However, it is important to keep in mind that this is just a business transaction. It is important not to take feedback as a personal attack.
3. Price Your House Accordingly
If you run into moments when you feel reluctant to let a home go, it can be tempting to overprice it. When determining how much your home is worth, it is important to conduct research beforehand. Look closely at what different homes similar to your own have sold for. You will want to take into account unique features that your home has, like high-end finishes, a swimming pool, or acreage.
4. Determine What Selling Strategy is Best for You
There are plenty of methods to sell your home. Whether you opt to do so with the help of a trusted real estate agent or for sale by the owner, it is important to always determine the pros and cons of both options. An agent who is good at their job will walk you through all the steps of the process, but you will likely have to endure open houses in an unpredictable timeline for selling.
Selling the route for sale by owner will allow you to avoid paying commissions on a realtor, but you will have to do all the legwork, from marketing to scheduling showings, photography, and signing paperwork.
5. Paint Your House as a Product to Sell
It might be true that your home is full of memories and sentimentality, a prospective buyer will look at it through a different lens. Place yourself in the buyer’s shoes and look at the house’s imperfections and attributes. Highlight ideal features and correct things that will take away from the worth. Lastly, look for investments that are simple that you can make to increase the home’s value.
6. Be Involved in the Selling Process
The traditional method of listing your house for sale does not warrant “set it and forget it.” If you can be in tune with the selling process the whole time, more in control, you will feel at the end of the day, and you will have more satisfaction with the outcome. Discuss with your real estate agent what to expect. Keep your home tidy for inspections, listen to and retain feedback from prospective buyers and realtors, and respond to all questions promptly. Look over all the paperwork with care, and make sure to ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.
7. Lean on Family and Friends for Extra Support
Just as if you were going through a breakup, family and friends can provide you with all the support in the world through the moving process. When emotions are running high, meet someone or pick up the phone so they can provide you with a listening ear or perspective if you forget why you want to move in the first place. The best of friends and trusted family members can help you celebrate all the milestones of moving, like closing on the sale and moving.
8. Keep an Open Mind About All Buyers
You may imagine that your home’s ideal buyer is like you and would love the house for the same reasons that you did at first sight. This is not always the case. Don’t decline a good offer because the buyer doesn’t fit in the mold of your vision. Opt to be practical and check the numbers and provide terms instead. You can always counter the offer if it is too low.
9. During the Deal-Making Process, Opt to Remain Flexible
Negotiations are never easy and might be one of the more stressful parts of selling when dealing with the request of the buyer. Whether or not there is an inconvenient closing date, repair requests, or requests that the furniture and appliances be included in the sale. The process should be viewed as a give-or-take situation. Be flexible, and it might just help you to close the deal.
10. Turn Your Focus on the Next Exciting Chapter
The best advice anyone can get when moving on from any type of relationship is to focus on what the future holds in store for you. You are more than likely moving on to bigger and better things, and we recommend dreaming big. Visualize yourself living in the new home of your dreams. Plan where you would like the furniture to go and what paint colors and types of fabrics you want to display. Do all that it takes to fall in love with your new space.
Bottom Line
It might be difficult to believe that now, you will soon be just as attached to a new home as you were to your old one. We hope that by following this article and all the tips within it, you will find it all the easier to part with your old home to move into bigger and better things for your future, whether it is downsizing or upgrading your living space.