(photos courtesy of The Daily Telegraph)
This weekend has seen the farewells of two golfing legends – Sir Nick Faldo and Tom Watson, saying goodbye at The Open Championship. It brought back a few memories for me, having attended my first Open at St Andrews in 1984 and witnessed Sir Nick’s victory at Muirfield in 1987, but what must it have been like for the two players as they each posed for photos on the Swilcan Bridge? I imagine they experienced a roller coaster of emotions – joy and pride at the memory of all their achievements, sadness at the fact that that period of their life is over and perhaps at opportunities missed and hopefully excitement at what lies ahead.
It’s very much like that when we sell our home. We all know that moving home is a stressful process and that we will have a mixture of emotions – frustration, anxiety, uncertainty, hope, excitement and, when contracts are exchanged, no doubt relief . Our homes are often associated with memories which can be either good or bad. We may have brought up a family or lost a loved one while living there, we have have created our dream home but be forced to leave it owing to divorce or separation. On the other hand moving can represent a positive event such as a wedding or work promotion or simply the next rung up the property ladder.
Whatever your situation it is important to try not to let these feelings and emotions overwhelm you. When speaking to sellers the first piece of advice I would always give is to put your business hat on, change from home owner to home seller. Whatever your reason for selling you need to focus on that goal and not let emotion get in the way. Here are three simple tips.
When watching property selling programmes such as Secret Agent or Selling Houses I am struck by how frequently the presenter will give advice on an aspect of decoration only for the participation to respond ” …but I don’t like ….” Remember the object is to sell your home, it doesn’t matter what you like because you are not going to be living there. Your personal taste isn’t the issue, it’s what buyers want that counts.
Approach your house from the perspective of a buyer. Assuming you are buying your next property, do a couple of viewings to help get in the right mindset (never view a property for the fun of it, it isn’t fair on the seller). You may be surprised how different you feel compared to how you feel about your own property. Be hyper critical, buyers will be!
Take time to think through and perhaps talk through your feelings of saying goodbye to your home. It might sound strange but particularly if you have lived in a property for a long time and/ or have a very strong attachment to it, this can help loosen those ties.
Employing a professional home stager can help take the emotion out of getting your house ready for sale and ensure that you are maximising your property’s potential. Finally, I’m sure that amongst all the memories, Sir Nick and Tom are both looking forward to the future.
For further advice contact us by e mail at info@homestyle4u.com call us on 07745 876182 or send an enquiry via our contact us page. We cover Cheshire and the North West.
