PROPERTY NEWS - The paint flakes as you run your fingers over the markings on the wall that tracked your growth over the years. From where you're standing, you can faintly make out the shadow of the beer stain on the living room carpet from the day you threw your first unsupervised house party.
As you make your way deeper into the home, more and more memories come flooding back to you, overwhelming you with emotion and leaving you with one pertinent question: How am I supposed to sell this place?
"Selling your childhood home is often an incredibly emotional experience. But, there comes a time when a property simply no longer serves to be kept in the family - most often owing to financial reasons. Homeowners should remind themselves of this fact when grappling with the very difficult process of selling a home that's been in the family for as far back as they can remember," suggests Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
Apart from reminding themselves of the very practical reasons why they're selling the home in the first place, homeowners also need to allow themselves time to deal with their emotions. In the words of Dr Arthur Kovacs, founding dean of the California School of Professional Psychology, "You're dismantling something that was once precious, and you have to go through grief and mourning when this happens". Even if your parents are still alive, your childhood home acted as a repository for your memories (both good and bad) and you need to allow yourself time to grieve the loss of the thing that once kept those memories safe.
"The key is to remember that we take our memories with us. When selling a home, we do not sell the memories that go with them. The only thing that gets left behind is the brick and mortar that once housed those memories," Goslett explains.
He suggests that homeowners who are still attached to their childhood homes allow themselves a day to go through the property and immerse themselves in the flashbacks linked to each room. "Spend just one day or one afternoon fully enjoying the home one last time. Bring old photo albums and invite the family over for a meal where you share stories and reconnect over old times. Afterwards, when you close the front door as you leave, disassociate yourself from the property and allow a property professional to take over."
In his opinion, these kinds of transactions are best dealt with through an estate agent you know you can trust and who you can allow to do as much of the leg work as possible for you. "Homeowners are often far too subjectively attached to these sorts of properties to do a good job of selling them. There might be things that need to be updated or remodelled in order to make the house more sellable. Homeowners need to trust their agent enough to make these calls on their behalf."
Goslett suggests that, if homeowners receive feedback from their agent of low-ball offers and unimpressed viewers, they need to remind themselves of the business nature of the transaction, difficult as it might be. "At the end of the day, the property is just like any other home to potential buyers. It simply does not hold the same sentimental value for them as it does for you. Rather than be offended by this, try and put yourself in their shoes and understand that they are simply trying to find the best possible deal for themselves," explains Goslett.
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