Selling a house is not always a celebration. There are a lot of reasons why someone might sell a home, and while some them may be happy reasons, not all of them are. 

Maybe someone is selling because of a divorce. Maybe there has been a death. Maybe they have to because their financial situation has changed and they can no longer afford the house they love. Or, maybe they have a medical issue that has led to them needing different living arrangements. 

I have especially seen a lot of estate sale situations where you end up with multiple people that are now responsible for the sale of a home. Often the decisions surrounding the sale lead to disagreements and hurt feelings between family members.

Even with situations where sellers may be happy to sell their home, such as because they’ve outgrown the home and need a bigger one, the actual selling and leaving the property behind can stir up a ton of different emotions. It’s bittersweet. There are so many memories that people associate with their home, so it’s not unexpected that it can be equal parts exciting to move on, and yet very sad at the same time. 

These transactions can be very emotionally charged. If you’re going to be selling a home due to reasons that are less than joyful, here are a few tips that could help alleviate some of the extra stress.

Acknowledge your feelings

Selling a house is stressful as it is, but when it is being done with additional stressful circumstances, it can be extremely hard to navigate. Rely on your support system for the emotional support you need & rely on your Realtor to help take as much off of your plate during the sale as possible. You don’t have to pretend to have it all together! Let people help you.

Look at the sale as a business decision, not an emotional one

Admittedly this can be a lot easier said than done, but you will need to try to keep your emotions out of your decision making during the sale. Recognize what your goal is for selling the home, share that with your real estate agent, and then make business decisions to get you to that goal. When emotions are left as the driving force, transactions can become more stressful than they need to be. Take a deep breath and look at your decision with your end goal in mind.

Create a keepsake

Leaving behind a home that held a lot of happy memories for you might be extremely sad and hard to do. You’ll always have the memories, but sometimes it is helpful to create some sort of keepsake that you can reflect back on. This can be as simple as taking lots of pictures and creating a picture book that you’re able to open and reflect back on whenever you want, or having a print made of the home.

I believe that this side of real estate is where my past career of working in behavioral health has really given me an advantage. I’ve always been an empathetic person by nature, but that skill has only grown more through my years of working in my previous field. There is a need for a deeper level of connection and understanding when helping to sell a home with someone who is struggling with that situation or decision. This is why it’s important that you work with an agent who is going to take their time getting to know your goals so they can best help you through this tough time.

---

If you’re going to be selling a home, check out my free resources available to you on my website HERE.

Follow me on Instagram for more home selling tips by clicking HERE.