Want to minimize the emotional stress you may feel when you decide to sell your home? This video will give you an overview of how to keep the emotions at bay!
Selling your home in Richmond Virginia (or anywhere) can be a very emotional time for many of the sellers I have worked with over the years! According to the National Association of Realtors, since 1985, the average time a homeowner has owned their home has increased from an average of 5 years to an average of 10 years!
What this means is that when homeowners stay in one place for so long, you get even more emotionally attached to your home! Perhaps it is the first home you bought! Or perhaps you raised your kids here! Every room has memories. Perhaps you see the measurements on the wall as your children grew bigger! So it may be hard to separate the emotional value of your home from the fair market value of your house!
So how can you keep emotions at bay when you decide to sell your home?
PREPARE YOURSELF!
Know the reason why you are selling in the first place! Are you downsizing? Are you upsizing? Are you looking to go from a two story home to a single story home? Are you moving across country to be closer to family? Whatever the reason is, focus on the reasons why you are selling rather than on the loss of your house!
PUT YOUR HOUSE ON THE MARKET WHEN YOU ARE READY!
It may take a little bit of time, but after you have accepted the fact that you are selling your home, that is the time to put it on the market – not just before, or even just after you have accepted that you will be selling your home! If you aren’t ready to put your home on the market, you will find reasons not to accept any offers that you may get!
PRICE YOUR HOME ACCORDINGLY!
Put yourself in the place of the buyers! If you overprice your home because of the memories it holds, buyers will know that and they may not want to make an offer on your home! That may mean your house will sit on the market for a long time! Looking at your home from a buyers perspective and getting good advice from your Realtor will go a long way towards making sure your home is priced according to the market!
DON’T PERSONALIZE THE STAGING!
It may be hard to go around and remove all the kids artwork from the walls, and take down all the pictures on the refrigerator. But remember, buyers need to see themselves in your house. It is very hard for a buyer to picture themselves in your home if all they see is your family in it! And the best investment you can sometimes make is to have a professional stager come in to assist you with depersonalizing the look of your home!
DON’T BE THERE WHEN BUYERS COME TO VISIT!
If you are present when buyers come to see the home, even if you are sitting in the back yard while they look at the inside of your home, many buyers may feel less at ease and they may not be honest in their feedback. Feedback from your agent can provide the information you need to make your home more sellable!
DON’T TAKE NEGATIVE COMMENTS PERSONALLY!
Not all comments about your house will be positive – so if you get negative comments on your house, take those comments objectively and see if you can make the changes needed to turn those negative comments around. You never know if the negative comment you received is one that other buyers had but never verbalized it. Remember, comments that potential buyers make are about the house, not you!
THERE IS NO ROOM FOR EMOTIONS IN NEGOTIATIONS!
Many times, buyers may point out a lot of negatives about your house in order to try to get the price down. Rather than being insulted and getting upset about the comments, concede that they may have a point, but then also point out the positive features and attributes about your house that can help validate the sales price!
CONCENTRATE ON YOUR NEW HOME!
Instead of being sad about selling your current home, it can help to begin to think about the new home you will be moving to. If the new home you are buying is in the same city, take the kids to the neighborhood playground and visit the neighborhood to get to know it. If you are moving across the country or state, perhaps you can find some tourist attractions to visit once you get to your new home!
REMEMBER YOUR HOUSE IS AN INVESTMENT!
Each month when you make your mortgage payment, you are building equity in the house! This is kind of like having a built in piggy bank so that when the time comes to sell, you are able to take the equity to move on to another house! Remember your house isn’t your family!
LEAN ON FRIENDS & FAMILY FOR SUPPORT!
The chances are that you have friends and family who have gone through exactly the same sort of emotions you are going through now. Talk to them – they can understand and offer support! If you are moving far away, why not collect photos and make a scrapbook of the fun things you did together? Remembering the good times you had can minimize the sadness of leaving!
Selling a home, especially one that you have been in for a long time and you have great memories in, can be an emotional roller coaster. But these things can help you keep those emotions at bay and help you look forward to the next chapter in your homeownership journey!
If you are thinking of selling your home and want to talk to a Realtor, feel free to call or text me at 804-566-0781 or email me at Barbara.Reagan@LongandFoster.com. I am happy to answer any questions you may have – no obligation, no pressure!
