Like lots of people, you most likely possess a deep emotional connection to your BVI VACATION home. Your children were raised in your home, you may still be able to see the pencil marks you made on the door frame marking their growth. You have enjoyed many hours on the patio. The dining has seen lots of great dinner parties. You may have even been raised in the home yourself, and it has been the family home for many years.
You are very fortunate to have so many good memories. But beware: When the time comes to sell, a “love affair” with your home can work against you. Very often, people make decisions about selling their house according to emotion rather than reason.
What they’re really doing is subconsciously damaging their chances for success – which may ultimately cost them money. Listed here are 3 strategies for detaching from your home and moving forward to get the best offer.
1. Acknowledge that selling your house may be stressful
Many people get attached to their cars and find it difficult to sell them. To understand what it may be like to sell your home, magnify that reaction 100 times.
People who have only been in their home for a few years will most likely have an easier time letting go than those who have lived in their home for many years. Either way, it’s usually stressful and emotional. Accepting that in advance can help you make better decisions in the future.
2. Ensure you’re truly prepared to sell.
Take some time to make sure you are ready for the sale. Speak to your realtor and listen carefully to their suggestions. If you have hired a reliable agent but are still resisting their suggestions, this suggests that you might not be ready to let go yet. If this is the case, do not sell yet. Wait until you are completely sure.
Perhaps you have no choice but to sell – which can be even more difficult emotionally. Get just as much support as possible from friends and family. Speak to your real estate agent and explain how difficult this process is for you. The more information you provide your agent the better they can work with you.
Ultimately, your realtor is there to look out for your best interests and will work on the assumption you want to sell. However when you resist their suggestions because you are not completely ready to sell you are setting your relationship up to fail. This is a common cause of strain in the agent-client relationship.
3. Start thinking of your home as product to be marketed.
Whenever you haven’t detatched emotionally from your home, it’s hard to see it as a product. But that is what it is – something you need to sell which, with luck, others may wish to buy.
Frequently, a seller who is not emotionally ready to sell will insist on marketing the home at a higher value than the market will bear. This is why it is so important that sellers should be emotionally ready to sell, when they aren’t they can easily sabotage the process. There have been instances where homes have been put on and taken off the market for more than a year with several agents. What started off as an overpriced home that didn’t show well ended as a bargain for a buyer who capitalized on the sellers mistakes.
Sellers frequently need to remove personal items from the home for the purpose of its staging. This can be a simple as taking down photos, certificates, knick-knacks from your recent holidays and other items that are personal to you.
Aside from helping to show your home in the best light, this process can also help to make your home feel much less like your home and more like a product available for sale. It’s a subtle but important step towards detachment. Also, by getting rid of personal products, you’re getting a head start on the moving process.
Your agent will probably suggest some changes to help your house become more appealing to buyers such as changing wall colorings to something more neutral. You should listen to your agent’s recommendations as they have experience in this so know what they are talking about. However, should you disagree with such suggestions, it’s another sign you may not be 100 % ready to sell.
Go ahead and, cherish the memories you have from living in your home. But concentrate on the future, and think of the wonderful memories you will be making in your new home. Consider the excitement that change can bring. Pay attention to your real estate agents advice, after all that’s why you hired them.
