SELLING YOUR HOME: THE JOURNEY TO ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE PRICE - Part 1

In my time as a realtor I have had the pleasure of helping many families and individuals with selling and buying their dream home and property. But during this same time, I have seen many people make some drastic mistakes when being on the selling end of the transaction.

Recently there has been talk of the Toronto real estate market cooling, but the residual homes still on the market and those that continue to be put on the market – show that this could be far from true.

If you’re on the selling end of a home this summer I would strongly suggest following this four-part series that I am putting together called:

SELLING YOUR HOME: THE JOURNEY TO ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE PRICE

PART 1: Becoming emotional over your property

The sale of your home can be very time consuming, and emotionally draining. – especially if this is your first home sale. Strangers will come into your home and poke around, and dissect your lifestyle, decoration choices and history. They will criticize and forget that the four walls and roof are so much more to you and then place the final blow when offering to pay you a lower than expected amount for the home you love.

This emotional rollercoaster causes many home sellers to fall into pit falls of errors when dealing with potential buyers, real estate agents and even cause turmoil amongst family members that are involved in the sale.

As a realtor, I understand the emotion that goes behind letting something you love go but once you start the process of selling your home, you have to convert yourself from a property owner to a business person. Remember to look at the entire sale as a transaction based on finances and distance yourself from the emotional aspects of the transaction. This may come off as easier said than done but remember what your end goal is behind the sale always helps to get you back on track.

Letting go of the way your home looks is crucial as home staging, minor fixes or renovations can help to further build the image and prestige of your home.  That kitchen you watched your kids grow up in means a lot to you, but could look like a disaster to a potential buyer. Try to remember the emotion behind your original home purchase and think of the buyer and their journey behind home ownership when selling your home.

Only, the seller, hold the keys to the transaction when it comes to how smooth and fast it goes. A realtor can make intelligent and industry based suggestions to try to help you sell faster but in the end – the decision to let go is up to you.