No matter how much you love your house, there may come a time when it’s no longer the right home for your family. Maybe you’re earning more and need more space for growing kids or aging parents. Perhaps you’ve purchased another home that better suits your needs. Or you want to eliminate those boxes from Ikea that have been sitting in the dining room since Christmas! But, for many, selling a home is stressful.
Although selling a home can be stressful — it doesn’t have to be! That’s why we created this guide to help ease some of that stress by outlining helpful tips to make the process as painless as possible.
1. Make Sure You Prepare
Before you begin the process of selling your house, it’s essential to make sure that you are ready. Start by asking yourself these questions:
- Are you ready to sell?
- How prepared are you for a move?
- Are you ready for the stress of the unknown?
A home selling checklist can help you stay organized and on top of all of the aspects of home selling, from preparation to closing.
2. Consider the Financial Aspects
While it’s easy for us to recommend that you take your time and enjoy the process of selling your home, sometimes that isn’t possible. You may be under pressure if you have a short timeline or specific financial goals.
In this case, there are some things to consider. For starters, you must ensure you’re prepared for the extra costs of selling your house (for example, if you need an appraisal). You’ll also want to have enough savings to cover any unexpected expenses that might come up during the process — such as small renovations or improvements.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Selling a home can be stressful, and having someone help you through the process will make it much more manageable. It might be your spouse or partner who can keep you motivated during long days of packing and cleaning or your best friend who’ll grab a ladder and help with hanging pictures on the wall. Perhaps you’ll reach out to your parents for assistance with yard work or even hire a professional stager to get things in order before putting them up for sale.
Also, make sure you have a backup plan in case the worst happens. For example, if you’re buying a house and selling one simultaneously, you should have a plan in case the timeline to transition from one place to another doesn’t line up — or a sale falls through. Ideally, this would be an apartment or condo close by so that there’s somewhere nearby where you could stay until you work out the snags in your relocation plan.
4. Work Within Your Control
You can’t control the buyer, but you can control your house. When you put your best foot forward, you give yourself the best chance of getting the highest price. Try your best to decorate your home tastefully. Nothing turns off potential buyers more than seeing a poorly decorated home — so make sure yours looks professional with tasteful decorations throughout (think artwork instead of family photos) and fresh, neutral paint colours on walls, ceilings and floors — where applicable.
Before you can sell your house, you’ll need to clean it. You want all surfaces to be spotless and the floors to shine. Suppose any odours are present (from pets or cooking), open windows, and air out the rooms. Make sure nothing is out of place — the dining room table has no crumbs on it, and all dishes are washed and put away in their proper cabinets or drawers.
When people shop for homes, they’re usually accompanied by a real estate agent who will guide them through each room and answer any questions about what makes a home great — or not so great. The last thing you want is for someone else’s feedback about how messy your home is going into their report!
5. Take Care of Yourself
Remember that selling a house is part of your life, not your whole life. It’s probably not even the most significant thing going on in your life at the moment. Other aspects of life can be stressful or challenging — relationships, work tasks and responsibilities, family matters (such as children), financial planning and budgeting, etc. These events may be more important than how quickly your home sells and how much.
Take some time for reflection on all aspects of this decision before making any significant moves forward with sales plans; this will help ensure that fear does not take over reason when making effective decisions about your home sale process.
If you’ve been at your home every spare minute for weeks or even months, it’s time to go elsewhere for a while. You can take a vacation or move in with friends and family on the other side of town. While you’re gone, have your real estate agent organize an open house or cluster as many showings as possible while the home is clean and empty.
Ways to Make Selling a Home Less Stressful
The best way to manage stress is by being as prepared as possible. If you’ve already done all your home improvement projects and decluttered, the only thing left is waiting until the right buyer comes along.
While the last several years have been a seller’s market, finding the right buyer might take a little longer. That’s ok! As long as you’re ready to show the home on short notice and clear on your expectations regarding the sale price and conditions, the right buyer for your home will come along.
