6 Tips for Managing Stress When Selling Your Home

While selling a home with the promise of moving into a new space is an exciting time, getting from point A to point B can be rather stressful. While it's unrealistic to eliminate tension entirely from the selling process, here are six tips to help sellers manage the stress of selling their homes.

Sell Now, Move Later: You Don't Have to Do Both at Once

Part of the reason selling a home is so stressful is that sellers often find themselves trying to sell their current home, buy a new home, and pack their belongings for the move from A to B. With a sell now, move later program, you don't have to spread yourself so thin. You can get the best price for your current home first, then focus on securing your next home.

Secure a Top-Rated Real Estate Agent

Start the home selling experience backed by a reputable real estate agent. Having their knowledge and support from the get-go is one of the best ways to ease stress throughout the process. To find a good real estate agent, ask for recommendations from friends and family, search online for reputable agents in your area, and conduct interviews with multiple potential agents to find the right fit. Doing so will pay off by helping to encourage a stress-free transaction.

Consider Accepting Cash Offers

Cash offers can be game-changers in a home selling situation, and accepting them is one way to avoid the stress associated with a potentially lengthy selling process. Many steps are skipped in a cash sale, whereas more safeguards are used when a mortgage lender is involved, which can slow the process down. These may include:

• Making repairs and upgrades
• Showing the home to strangers
• Waiting for buyers' loans to go through
• Avoiding contractual delays to finalize the sale

Sellers who can land a solid cash offer will be well-positioned to avoid a lot of pressure common in home transactions.

Declutter Your Home Before Listing

No one likes to think of their items as junk, but the truth is that a lot of that "stuff" could arguably disappear tomorrow and hardly—if ever—be missed. Go through rooms individually and put aside items to be donated, trashed, or sold. Be sure to hit the garage, attic, and basement, and take time to go through already packed storage boxes, too.

Believe it or not, there is evidence that stress relief is one of the many benefits of cleaning and organizing, not to mention the impact of lessening the load when the time comes to pack and move after selling the home.

Should sellers want to get rid of the majority of the belongings in the home before moving, an estate sale is an easy way to accomplish the task with minimal hassle. This could be a great solution for those moving overseas or downsizing for personal reasons.

Refresh, Don't Renovate

Think of refreshing rather than renovating. Refreshing the home is much easier and far more affordable than taking on pre-sale renovations. Beyond the added time, money, and stress involved in renovations and upgrades, they may not make financial sense.

Before taking on a significant project, look at current trends in home renovation to see what improvements offer high ROI when selling. Consider a fresh coat of paint inside and out, sprucing up the landscaping, and making minor repairs. Taking major projects off the to-do list can alleviate stress, while small curb appeal projects can help ensure faster sales success.

Set Guidelines and Boundaries for Showing Schedules

There's no denying that strangers walking through your home and looking around at every detail can be unnerving. Home sellers can occasionally avoid this stressor, but realistically, this is part of the routine process. One of the best ways to reduce these jitters is to set a schedule for showings with the listing real estate agent. This allows sellers to tidy up before the showing begins and possibly go elsewhere during that time to avoid coming face-to-face with would-be buyers.

Yes, It's Possible to Move with Less Stress

These six easy tips can help you make a smooth transaction without pulling hair or biting nails. Find a groove, stick with the schedule, don't be afraid to get rid of items, and never hesitate to reach out to your real estate agent for guidance should the process feel overwhelming.

Interested in Selling Your Home?
Let Us Help You With These Great Resources

• How Much Equity Should I Have in My House Before Selling?
• When Are the Best Times to Sell a House in Florida?
• Why You Should (Almost) Always Sell Your Home Before Buying a New One
• Hot Market Selling Tips: Pros & Cons of Selling When Inventory Is Low
• Red Flags to Watch Out For When Selling Your Home
• Top 5 Fatal Home Selling Mistakes — And How to Avoid Them
• How to Pick the Right Agent to Sell Your Home
• How to Manage the Stress of Selling Your Home
• How to Effectively Stage Your Home to Get Top Dollar on the Sale
• How to Show Your House While Living In It
• How to Sell Your House: Your Complete Home Sellers Guide
• Sell Now, Move Later: What You Need to Know