Saturday, February 16, 2013

A Seller's Emotional Roller Coaster

Selling a home is tied to a lot of emotion.  
It's always tied to a life change and change can be extraordinarily stressful for some people and exhilarating for others so it's only natural to go through a range of emotion when preparing to sell a home and having your home on the market.

How do you keep your emotions at bay?  The best answer is have a plan and be prepared and organized.

Think about your goals and motivation for the move. Why are you moving and where are you going?

Know how much you owe on the house and how much you need to make your move. Ask a real estate agent to help you make a list of selling and moving expenses. Talk to a mortgage professional about your financing options.

Decide on your time frame.  When do you want things to happen?  What if your house doesn't sell? What if your house sells too fast? Moving can take months of planning!

Get your house prepared.  Don't act like you haven't seen the shows on TV where they do home makeovers. Anything you don't NEED to live should be sold, donated or stored off-site.  Less is more when selling.  Need help? A good agent will know a good home stager.  *Do NOT pack away your tax records and financial information.  If you are buying another home, you will likely need this info!

Get your maintenance and repairs done and have a thorough cleaning.  Hit the internet, scour the phone book, ask your family and friends or check with your agent; however you choose to do it, get help. Inspectors, handymen, cleaning companies may be an added expense but they will help your home sell faster and for more money... and it's always less stressful when a professional does it than trying to get everything done yourself.

Understand the challenges of selling a home in the current market.  It's easy to be let down when you house doesn't sell for as much as you would like or in the time frame you would like.  There will always be hiccups along the road but if you have spent time weighing your options and preparing, you can tackle them!

Need help getting through this? Call me!

Moral of the story? Don't go it alone! You need to lean on friends, family and probably most importantly a few good professional. :)


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