How To Emotionally Detach From Your Home When Selling

Let’s face it, selling your Charleston home can be an emotionally difficult process – especially if you have lived there for a long time. When you make a house your home, it holds many of your memories and it becomes a part of your identity. 

Howcan you sell the house in which your child took their first steps, where you held many dinner parties and where your family celebrated so many birthdays and holidays together? You will go through a period of transition when moving house, which can be mentally and emotionally tiring.

It might be hard to sell your home, but time marches on and eventually it is time to move to a different location or simply downsize or upsize to suit your changing family situation. 

The problem with being too emotionally attached to your home is that it makes it difficult to sell. When you have a sentimental attachment to your home you will estimate its value as higher than it really is and you will have trouble accepting counter offers… which could mean that your home is on the market for a long time when it could possibly have been sold for a reasonable price. 

Here are some tips for emotionally detaching from your home so that it is easier to sell:

Remove Your Personal Items

Taking any of your personal items out of the house will make it a lot easier to sell, because the buyer will be able to imagine a blank slate filled with their items instead. Also, it will make the process easier on you if you can remove your family photos, keepsakes and personal items – because it will make the house feel less like yours. 

Think About Your New Home

Whether or not you have already bought your next property, it’s time to start thinking about it as your new home. It will take some time, but you can transfer that emotional connection to the new place where you will live. Start to focus on all of the things that you are looking forward to about living in your new home. 

Preserve A Record Of Your Old Home

Take photos and even make a video tour of your old home before you move- so that you can always remember where you used to live. 

Get An Outside Opinion

Ask your real estate agent or a professional home stager to take a look at your home with unbiased eyes to let you know what you should change to help it sell faster. They might tell you to eliminate the jungle wallpaper in your son’s bedroom that you love – but they are probably correct in a way that you can’t see because your emotions cloud your judgement. 

With these tips, you should be able to emotionally detach from your old Charleston home, so that it is easier to sell.

Interested in selling your Charleston area home? Visit: www.jeffcookrealestate.com

Interested in buying a Charleston area home? Visit: www.discovercharlestonareahomes.com

-Jeff Cook

Jeff Cook Real Estate

Charleston, SC