Take The Emotion Out Of Selling Your Home

Selling your home can be an emotional journey.

Published on: Jan 7, 2020 at 11:48

If you’ve lived in the property for a long time, or invested a lot of blood sweat and tears in buying it and getting it just right for your family, it can be hard to let go and see your property as a commodity, or even see it through someone else’s eyes.

Selling a property and moving on can also mean leaving precious memories behind, which can leave you feeling overly emotional about the process.

But there are some simple and practical steps you can take to help you stay focused on the sale.

1. Know the process

Speak to your agent about the process around the sale. The more you prepare and know what to expect, the easier it will be.

You may want to consider:

• Talking to your agent about negotiation tactics and the sales methods they suggest for your property
• Making sure you are familiar with the terminology and process around the sale: from offers to settlement periods, how auctions work, and what your obligations as a seller are.
• Creating to do lists to prepare your home for open inspection and a calendar with open home times and important dates.

2. Understand the data

Many homeowners are not aware of the value of their homes, so take the time to understand and discuss the appraisal you are given by your agent.

Have a look at comparable data for similar properties in your local area. If you can see how your home compares to others, you’ll quickly be able to determine whether the price you have asked for is reasonable. You’ll also have a good idea of how your property compares to other recent sales and what it would be competing with on the market.

3. Have a plan

Regardless of whether you own alone or with other people, having a plan can make it easier to deal with situations as they arise in any sales campaign.

For instance, while you will be aiming for the best price, what is the lowest price that you would consider accepting?

You will also want to make decisions around your desired settlement periods and how quickly you need to sell. Consider scenarios such as what you would do if someone offered you your asking price on the first listing day.

Talk various possibilities through with your agent.

4. Take a step back

Before you actually sell your home it helps to take a step back and see the sales process as part of letting go. If you’re listing your property for sale, it’s not your home any more. So try and see it objectively, as if you were a potential buyer.

Small things like removing personal effects and putting them in storage can help remove your emotions from the sale. Styling or staging your home can be helpful to not only increase your home’s potential sale price but also shift your perspective away from considering it your own personal space.

5. Search for your next home

If you’re selling your home you probably need somewhere else to live. Starting the search for your future home can be one way to help you detach and move on with something to look forward to. Perhaps it will be a rental, or a new purchase. Either way, speaking to your agent and starting to browse for your next home can be a step in the right direction.