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Selling your home and moving on to bigger and better things can be exciting, especially in a seller’s market. However, some unexpected stress might come along with the home-selling process. Here are four ways selling your home may be more disruptive than you thought—and how to get through the process in one piece.
1. Taking the “Home” out of Your House
Your real estate agent will give you advice, and potential buyers will have their own personal tastes and criticisms, but try not to take all of it too hard. Even overhearing what potential buyers might want to change in your home can set off an emotional response. If you have made some personal decor choices over the years that your real estate agent suggests undoing, such as taking down artwork or painting over bold-colored walls, remember that this advice is just to help you reach a larger potential-buyer audience.
2. Being Available at All Times
While your real estate agent will do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to selling your home, there will be things you’ll need to be available for. Potential homeowners may want to view your home at unscheduled times. Once an offer is accepted, buyers might want to schedule additional inspections or have questions about who will be covering what in the closing costs. Remember, as owner of your home, you will need to be available for selling-related issues.
3. Working Through Negotiations
Unexpected issues might come up when closing on your home, from additional inspections to new damages found that weren’t in initial disclosures. Your buyers may come back asking to work with you to split repair costs or negotiate fixing problems before move-in. Try your best not to let curve balls get to you. They are normal and aren’t things that will necessarily undo the closing process on your home.
4. A Quick Move-Out
Buyers may be quick to close on a home due to their own living situation or parameters of preapproved mortgages. Mentally and logistically preparing yourself for the possibility of moving quickly is a good idea. If closing happens swiftly, you might even be able to put together a deal with the homebuyers, such as negotiating more time to move out or even “renting” your home for a period of time after closing to buy some time to pack up and move.
Having a solid real estate agent in your corner really helps relieve stress. They do the behind-the-scenes work so you don’t have to deal with every detail. If you’re thinking about selling or have questions, contact me today!
