Shake It Off: How to Accept that Your Home is Just a House

When you prepare your house for a sale, you must come to terms with the idea that strangers will be judging your home. Allowing others into your home as potential buyers is often an unexpectedly emotional process. It can be hard to hear negative opinions. And, unfortunately, not all comments are very easy to shake off, which tends to leave you feeling wounded and annoyed at the process.

However, as you prepare for a home showing, there are certain steps you can take to help ease some of these emotional side effects. Below we share some of our simplest tips on how to ready you house and protect your emotions during open house showings.

#1: Leave Your House During the Showing

A big mistake a lot of beginning home sellers make is staying in the home during the showing. The truth is, by staying home during the showing, you add a level of tension to the showing itself. People cannot feel free to imagine this house as their home with the current owners there. Also, by leaving during the showing, you won’t be able to hear the negative feedback from your house. So by simply removing yourself from the equation, your feelings are spared and you actually help the sale, as well!

#2: Put Away Precious Family Heirlooms

People will comment on more than the structure of your home as they visit. You will often hear more feedback about your decor and style than you will about the new countertops you installed. To take away from this distraction and potential insult, do yourself a favor and store away any special or precious mementos in your home. By not having these items in plain view, it eliminates the opportunity for people to slander them. Plus, it allows potential buyers a great opportunity to imagine their belongings in your space. It’s a win-win: your feelings won’t get hurt and they can better visualize your house as their own.

#3: Clear Off Your Countertops

As a rule of thumb, we always encourage people to put away as many things as they can from their countertops. When potential buyers come into your space, they are immediately affected by the level of clutter in your home. Often, homes with too many things on their countertops are subjected to more negative comments. And so, the fewer things you have displayed on your countertops, the fewer negative comments you will hear from potential buyers.

#4: Come to Terms with a Temporary Lifestyle

It’s difficult for a lot of people to handle the in-between time of selling your home and moving in to your new space. You want your house to feel like your home, even though you are trying to sell it. But the reality is: when you are selling your home, you need to take yourself out of it. This isn’t easy, we know. But by trying to adjust your mindset and recognizing that this living arrangement is only temporary, you will be able to find more happiness in this difficult situation. Remember, this place has been your home for years, but now, you are ready to move on. By beginning to remove yourself mentally from this process, you lessen the likelihood to be offended by strangers off-handed comments.

Have you recently had a showing that affected you emotionally? What tricks have you used to help yourself cope with this whirlwind period? Let us know in the comments below.