Selling your home is an emotional journey. You’re not just leaving a home that you loved—you’re ending a “love affair” with a place you’ve had for a long time and have lots of memories tied to it.
Your home is where you’ve raised your family; held countless Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) dinners and parties, so it’s completely normal to be sad about moving. Not being able to deal with the emotional stress of selling your property can hinder you and your realtor from achieving your goals and creating your ideal financial result. This is why it’s also worthwhile to take into account the emotional attachment you have with your home.
Here are some tips to get you through what can be a taxing sales process, especially if you fail to deal with it early.
1. Shift your perspective from being a “homeowner” to a “home seller”
If you’re having apprehensions about selling your property, try to reframe your mindset and start thinking that you’re no longer a “homeowner” but a “home seller.” This will help you adopt a more objective attitude towards the process, and gradually accept that your home is now a product that you have to sell and that others will hopefully want to buy.
Changing your perspective might take some time, so don’t be afraid to give yourself a few weeks or months to separate your emotions and set your expectations right, especially if you have the luxury of time to do so. It might be helpful to do some research. Talk to friends who have sold their homes or read about other people’s home-selling journey, so you’ll have a clearer idea of what you are getting into. Doing your due diligence will help make the transition easier.
2. Depersonalize as early as possible
When preparing to list your home for sale, one of the crucial things to do is to make it less personal. This means removing framed family portraits, mementos, travel souvenirs, diplomas — anything else that is personalized and screams that you own the home. The main goal of this process is to make it easier for potential buyers to envision themselves in the house, especially during showings.
However, packing up your photos and mementos earlier rather than later will also help you as a seller to let go. Likewise, try to change the little parts of the home that you’ve come to love so much, like your favorite wall color in the bedroom or dining room.
Once you’re used to not seeing them, it will make it easier for you to detach yourself and see the home as merchandise waiting to be sold. Take the time to reflect on how the house has served its purpose for however long you lived there, and that you’re letting it go to move on to your next.
3. Redefine your concept of home
Keep in mind that “home is where the heart is”. This will help you think of home in terms of the people you love rather than in terms of a place. May it be your spouse, children, parents, or even friends whom you treat as family members, remember that your real home is wherever the people you love are. Take photos of the property, revisit old memories with them, and reminisce about how you all loved living there. The process will hopefully aid in accepting your emotions throughout the home sale.
4. Focus on your why and what you will gain
It’s natural to be anxious and stressed about moving. It’s even natural to grieve when thinking about the old memories you’ve had at your home. After all, you won’t just be letting go of the house per se, but you’ll also be leaving a community you’ve grown with.
But no matter how hard it seems, remember the reason why you’re selling in the first place and what you’ll gain afterward. List these things out, then look at that list whenever you’re feeling down about relocating. If you’re selling so you can downsize, think about the extra money you’ll be able to save. Same thing if you need money from the home sale to pay off other debts. Whatever reason you have, try to focus on that instead of entertaining the feelings of losing your beloved home.
5. Find a top real estate agent you can trust
When you figure out your “why” and establish your goals for selling, it’s crucial to find and choose a partner who will be your guide as you go through one of the most important decisions you will make.
Hiring a top realtor to help you sell your home is beneficial to your emotional and financial well-being. You will share your goals with them and then work together to create a game plan to achieve those goals. Your agent will be responsible for marketing your home for sale, negotiating your deals, helping you review purchase offers, guarding your interests, and guiding you in making informed decisions by providing adequate knowledge.
Your agent will help you navigate the complex home selling process while being compassionate about your feelings. This is why it’s imperative to partner up with an expert realtor who has worked with many sellers in the past who have gone through the same things. Your agent will be the one to maintain an emotional detachment and treat the sale solely as a business transaction. If you trust your realtor and their strategy, you can focus your emotional energy on finding your next home, making the entire process less stressful and hopefully more enjoyable.
Selling your home, most especially one you’re emotionally attached to can be difficult to do at first, but once you think positively about these changes and what you will gain, you will look forward to moving on to a new home like it’s another adventure that’s bound to happen.
