Selling Your Baltimore Home...How Do You Stay Calm?

Selling Your Baltimore Home..How Do You Stay Calm?

 

There is stress selling a home at any time. When you couple the sale with an illness, an out of town move, uprooting children, a death, a job loss, a divorce, a foreclosure, an age related move or any other life altering situation...well no wonder there is increased anxiety.

Take a deep breath, take a few steps back and say..."This is the stress Margaret Rome  told us about"

Selling a house is stressful!      

                                                             

There are very few transactions that someone ( the buyer, the seller or even the agent) doesn't have a  mini breakdown, minor temper tantrum, crying spell or an emotional outburst.

We, as professionals, need to be aware, to recognize these situations and stay calm.

Sometimes these are quite minor and other times can have  significant monetary effect. Maybe an unexpected situation with a home inspection, termites, radon elevation, a failed well or an under appraisal.

It could even be a misunderstanding over a light fixture that was or was not included. The key is to be prepared for any outbreak. My nursing background  has come in handy for many of these emotional encounters.

When working with sellers I have several counseling sessions during the transaction. Then when a situation arises, I can remind them of our earlier discussions.

Tip: Remind the sellers to put closure to this move by saying good bye to the house. 

Sometimes it is smooth sailing until moving day when the truck is late. That is enough to have anyone come unglued. Be available for your clients, be there to assure them. Letting them know that stress is normal... can make the difference.

Tip: Make sure your buyers and sellers have eaten prior to  settlement. Low blood sugar is another cause of emotional stress.

More articles on stress and real estate:

There Are No Emergencies in Real Estate.

There is Stress Selling a Home.

High Stress When Selling a House! 

Moving with Children

I Don't Do Upset!

 

Selling Your Baltimore Home..How Do You Stay Calm?

High Stress When Selling a House!

My friend  Karen' Bernetti wrote a post recently about the stress of selling. When you couple the sale of a home with another life altering change such as divorce, you increase that stress even more. I do a counseling session with all my sellers giving them a heads up of this potential emotional roller coaster.



In the past these are few articles about this same subject.
There is Stress Selling a Home...How Do You Handle This Stress?
Moving with Children

Triumphant Survivors 

In most cases the situation goes well. Only once did we have to separate the couple at settlement. As an agent, you have to keep the transaction on a  business level.

We have been living in the same home since 1976. Maybe harder to believe ...still married to husband number one!  My reasoning as I explain to clients:  'I am not about to put myself through the stress you will be experiencing during this listing and selling process.'

That is where my counseling sessions come in...starting at the beginning of a  listing...explaining the stress of selling. When bumps come up, there is a need for more counseling.  As a former Registered Nurse, I am aware that stress can manifest many different emotions. Moving is one of the top stress producers, along with death, illness, divorce, job loss and other life changing situations.

I go on to explain....If you normally  get along well, you may experience some slight bickering. If you are a bickering couple...there might be some arguments...and if you are family that is somewhat dysfunctional (no I don't say that) or in a divorce situation, there can be knock down out of control situations! It is rare to get through a transaction without someone having a mini breakdown. This happens in almost all cases...not just divorce.

I have seen mini tantrums over what seems like trivia..the socks were not picked up, the dishes were left in the sink, the agent did not call to cancel the appointment, the showing was  last minute, there was a spelling error in the description.  Just keep in mind ...

There is high stress when selling a house!