Ready to Sell Your House? Time to Tell Your Emotions to ?Move Out.?
Selling a home you've been in for years is one of the most difficult things do. After all, you've put so much of your time and energy into creating a place of comfort and safety. Your home is a reflection of your hard work and success. It is also a place where you have spent years creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Having your emotions influence a pricing decision can cause delays or even sabotage the sale of your house.
Here are some tips to keep in mind in order to avoid making decisions using your emotions when selling your house:
- Think of it as a “house”, not your “home.”
You might still be living in your house, but it’s time to tell your emotions to “move out.” The process will be smoother once you separate yourself from any personal attachment you may have had with your house up until that point. If you’re finding it too difficult to take the emotions out of your decision, maybe you’re not ready for a move. Give yourself the time you need, and revisit the idea when you’re ready.
When the time is right for you to sell your home, whatever the reason, it’s beneficial for you to work with a knowledgeable real estate agent that you trust. If you need to, interview a few before you choose one with which you’re most comfortable.
- When pricing your house to sell, listen to the expert you have chosen.
You might want to price your house based on your emotional value to the house. That is understandable. However, buyers do not have this emotional connection and can only value your house based on other houses they have seen and by what they feel your house has to offer them.
Now it’s time to listen to the expert you have chosen. When you meet with your agent, they will have already performed an evaluation of recently sold houses in your area that are similar to yours. This report is called a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), and it is the best indicator of your house’s estimated value.
There are websites out the there that claim to have an estimate of your house’s value, but even one popular site, in particular, states, “Our data sources may be incomplete or incorrect; also, we have not physically inspected a specific home. Remember, the [estimate] is a starting point and does not consider all the market intricacies that can determine the actual price a house will sell for.”
3. Don’t take it personally when you get negative feedback from buyers.
Be prepared for any kind of feedback—good and bad. No home is “perfect”. (Even people who move into newly constructed homes can find flaws.) Constructive feedback is not meant to be a personal attack on how you have maintained your home. There are cases when sellers have declined reasonable offers because they felt personally insulted by seemingly harsh comments that the buyers made.
Your agent will be able to filter out the helpful feedback and use it to help you achieve your end result—getting the top dollar value you are seeking for your house, or close to it.
While it is disheartening to hear negative comments about your greatest asset, many times it means that a buyer is serious about your property and they are trying to use the observations as a negotiating tool. It’s natural to take the comments personally, but try to avoid that reaction in order to prevent yourself from walking away from a potential sale.
Keep in mind, your agent is probably a home owner, too, and can understand the emotional challenges you will face. It is your agent’s job to mediate the entire process to make it as seamless and comfortable for you as possible.