As she looks around her living room, Linda Estes can’t help but think of the time she spent caring for her ailing parents in that very room. There were difficult times, to be sure, but also memories she treasures now that her parents are gone.
So Estes, a broker at RealEstate.com’s Portland, Ore., office, understands the emotional internal conflict some clients feel as they prepare to sell their home.
“Buying and selling real estate is such an emotional thing” to begin with, she says. Add memories of bringing your first baby home to the nursery you painted yourself, family picnics in the backyard and cozy evenings playing cards in the paneled den and it gets even harder to see your home the way a potential buyer might.
If you’re ready to move on, but not quite ready to leave everything behind, it may help to take a step back.
“One of the first things I do is suggest (sellers) go across the street and look at the house,” Estes says. She asks them what they would do to make the house more appealing. By looking at the home through a buyer’s eyes, they can begin to start thinking about the home sale for what it is – a business deal in which you need to fetch the best price possible.
You can do the same.
“If it’s outdated and doesn’t look good to anybody but you, it’s time to let go,” advises Estes. “And when it’s time to list the house, take down those pictures of family. It’s clutter.”
In fact, packing away family photos can be an important step in taking the emotion out of the selling process. They have to be packed before the move anyway, and when you can’t see them every day you might start to see the other half of the equation: You’re moving to a new place where you’ll create new memories.
Then take the next step by removing other things potential buyers will see as clutter, up to and including furniture.
“Really scale down. You want to show off your house, not your furniture,” Estes says. “Nobody wants to hear, ‘Rent a storage shed and put some of your prize possessions in it,’ but that may be what you need to do.”
The good news is that temporarily letting go of your things can help you let go of the emotions that might be holding you back. Plus, you’re setting the stage for a home that shows better and is likelier to fetch a higher price.
“In this market you have to have everything going for you that you can,” Estes says. “We used to be able to stick a sign in the lawn and have multiple offers. Now you’ve got to go the second mile to make the home appealing.”
Published on January 19, 2007