How to Reduce the Stress of Selling a House
The stress of selling a house can affect the most competent individuals even if the market is doing well. So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, we have some great information & actual case studies of real people on how you can manage the stress of moving house effectively & efficiently.
Before we get started on that, we will cover some vital information related to the coronavirus (covid-19) and the property market.
1) Coronavirus & the Property Market
The UK went back into a complete national lockdown on the 4th of January 2021. All none essential businesses were told again to close until further notice, including property-related businesses like estate agents.
This caused immense problems for those homeowners who were in the process of selling their homes, effectively putting a halt to it all together! You wouldn’t be out of place here if you felt overwhelmed and unsure how to react or what to do next.
Below, we’ve put together a list of questions we get most asked. We’ll do our best to provide advice and solutions for each one.
i) Is the housing market still open?
The latest official government advice says that the property market can remain open, and people are still allowed to move home provided they follow social distancing and safety guidelines.
ii) I’m in the middle of a house sale; what can I do?
If you’re in this situation, we’ve listed what you can do below. Be sure to keep in mind government guidelines before beginning anything!
- Firstly, it’s advised that if you can delay the sale of your home or move into a new one, you should.
- If there is no possible way to delay the move/sale, you’re allowed to proceed, providing you follow social distancing rules to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
- However, if someone in either party is self-isolating, the move cannot be completed for the time being.
iii) Should I keep my house on the market?
It’s important to remember that even though estate agents have had to close their physical offices, many can still operate remotely and use their online services.
It might be a good idea to keep your house listed now simply because most people are bored at home with little to do. In addition, online house hunting is a thing, so you’ll have more eyes on it if you keep it listed on the market, which could result in a sale when lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
Also, remember that it’s not like the government has blocked all property transactions. Right now, they advise against buying/selling/moving into homes with occupants. There is little restriction if the house is empty.
iv) What is the government’s advice on house viewings?
In a nutshell, if you’re looking to move into a new home, you can still go to house viewings.
However, it is recommended that viewings be done virtually first, if possible.
If you’re not able to conduct virtual viewings, you must follow all safety guidelines like wearing a mask, not touching surfaces, keeping 2 meters apart and also using hand sanitiser before entering and when you’re about to leave a house.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/
If you, yourself or anyone else involved has coronavirus-related symptoms, it is advised to stop everything and self-isolate for the required time.
Now that we’ve covered covid-19 and the property market let’s dive into the article and look at some interesting facts about house selling that can result in increased stress.
2) Interesting Facts about House Selling that could Increase Stress
Now let’s take a look at ways to reduce the stress of selling a home
3) How to Reduce the Stress When Selling a House
There are many ways to reduce stress during the sell house fast process. In our article, we’ll explain the 4 parts of a sale that usually cause people the most stress and then offer ways to deal with them.
In addition, we’ll offer practical ‘de-stressing’ tips on how to deal with the stress if it becomes too much.
Using these de-stressing tips will help you remain proactive and vigilant throughout the whole sales process and help you cope with the stress of moving house.
Related: The Psychological Benefits of Selling Your Home for Cash
i) Dealing with the Agent
The estate agent is the primary interface between you and the sale of your property. Choosing a reputable agent who’s easy to communicate with reduces the stress you can encounter during a sale.
A survey conducted by Which? In 2017 found, 47% of sellers had experienced at least one problem with their agent. Some of these can be things like pressuring you to accept an offer or failing to get the property in front of enough potential buyers.
Claire, 32, from Newcastle, realised she’d chosen the wrong agent to handle her property sale, and as you can imagine, house-selling stress followed soon after.7
I went with the agent who gave me the highest valuation, but they were not the most established or best-known agent in my area. Things started well, and there were 3 viewings in 10 days, but things soon went a bit quiet” she said.Problems then mounted when the agent became more challenging to get hold of. “I felt it took longer to hear back from the agent on my queries, and I started losing some trust in them. It made selling my house more stressful” Claire decided to employ an additional agent that was more well-known and had previous experience selling similar property types in her neighbourhood.
The new agent brought new ideas on how to market the property, had a more realistic valuation and was much more professional and proactive in keeping me up to date. It still took a few months to find a buyer and agree on a sale, but the process and experience felt so much less stressful
De-stress Tip: If you are having problems with your agent, take a step back and take a breathe. Talk it over with a friend or give yourself some me time to figure out if they are the best agency to handle your property sale and if not, take steps to thoroughly research alternative options and put things back in your control.
Related: How to make a complaint about your property agent
ii) Getting Ready for Viewings
So imagine the stress of everyday life. Getting up and ready for work, taking care of the kids, and all life’s general admin. Now add to the fact that you’re trying to sell your home for the highest price possible. You want to present it at its best at all times, with everything in place & spotless, to give it that show home appeal.
Well, there will be times when this becomes very difficult, and if you have young children or pets, you will know it is a constant battle.
Jess and Callum, both 38 and from Cheltenham, found that decluttering their house reduced the stress of preparing it for viewings and made it more appealing to buyers.
The kids had almost unlimited access to toys that would get strewn around the house. So we decided to reduce the access to toys they had at any one time in a toy box and rotate them, keeping the rest in a cupboard.We also took out the excess personal items we had around several rooms and removed unnecessary furniture that made the place look cluttered. Overall, it gave more light, space, and a more neutral appeal to the house.
The result is that you no longer have to worry about rushing back from work to tidy up or spend time on your weekend cleaning up for hours.
There is less pressure because you know the house looks good and has a better chance of attracting a buyer. This ends in a less stressful and more zen-selling experience.
De-stress Tip: Before you have photos of your property taken for the estate agent listing, do one big spring clean and set up the house the way you want to present it during viewings. That way, there’s much less stress throughout!
iii) When Things go Slow During the Selling Process
Selling a house can be stressful when unexpected issues crop up and slow things down.
There are many people involved in completing the sale, including the bank or mortgage lender and solicitors on both sides.
House chain stress is also something you need to be prepared for if you’re in a property chain and need to wait for a potential buyer’s previous property to be sold first before they can purchase yours.
Malcolm and Pip were selling their home in Richmond, North Yorkshire when a major issue meant the whole process needed to start again.
We were selling and accepting a part exchange towards the cost of the property. However, once the paperwork was submitted, the part exchange property was not included. So the whole process had to start again from the beginning pushing things back by at least a couple of months.
The above scenario is extreme, but even still, delays with paperwork, surveys and lending can all be part of the process that experience delays.
Related: Legal documents you need to sell a house
The way to look at this if it happens to you is that you are already a long way down the road to selling your property, and minor delays are just part of the process. You only have a little longer to go, and reminding yourself of this makes patience easier and less stressful.
Delays with paperwork, surveys, and lending can all be part of the process. These unexpected costs can add stress to the selling experience. Knowing what to expect financially can help mitigate this stress. For a detailed exploration of all potential costs involved in selling your home and tips on managing these expenses effectively, check out our article on the true cost of selling a house.
De-stress Tip: If you find yourself stressing about delays, a good tip is to think of the time you are waiting as valuable and do something you enjoy for a couple of hours to regain perspective. Watch a TV show you like, do some sports or even pick up gym class where you can vent some of your frustration while keeping healthy simultaneously!
iv) Moving Day
We often get asked how to move house without stress or how to reduce the stress levels of moving house – below; we’ll share some ways to make moving day easier.
As if the stress of a house sale wasn’t enough, you must finalise everything in your old property, including informing utility suppliers and packing your belongings. The best way to reduce the stress involved in moving home is to be well-prepared and start to pack ahead of time.
Below we’ve put together a list of 7 steps you can take to help you move out of your house quickly & efficiently.
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Movers in their 40s and 50s who are moving into their 3rd or 4th property are best placed to talk about this after learning lessons earlier on in life!
55-year-old John Murray from York first moved in his late 20s and had been out at a friend’s birthday meal and drinks the day before the removals were set to turn up, and below is his story on the stress of moving homes.
Unfortunately, I was young and was more than happy to roll along and think it would all be ok on the day. I really hadn’t thought it through and prepared enough to get my possessions ready to load onto the van.It was an exhausting and stressful day with me trying to pack up and protect items – the removal company were not too happy. There was a real chance that we wouldn’t have enough time to complete the 3 trips needed to move everything in the house that day. That would result in huge issues and the expense of booking another day with the van. In the end, we just made it, but I wouldn’t recommend it, says John.
It is also worth doing your homework on the removal company you use. Experienced removal personnel, good customer service, and modern, clean and reliable vans are all important if you want to minimise stress on the day.
De-stress Tip:
There’s a lot involved in moving house, and it’s easy to forget things. A good tip here to minimise stress is to print out a checklist 3-4 weeks before you are due to move and add things such as informing utility companies, getting packing supplies and also getting the labels for your boxes, so you know the contents and rooms they need to go in.
4) How to Stay Positive When Selling a House
It can be tough to deal with the stress of selling a home for some homeowners, so it becomes hard to remain positive. It’s not uncommon for some people to get anxious waiting for a house to sell.
Related: Why your home isn’t selling & how to fix it step by step
The tips above show you a few ways to tame the stress of selling a house. The most important thing is to prepare as much as possible ahead of time and be aware that frustrating delays are part of the process.
Although it can be tough, try not to be one of those who always say things like ‘selling the house is stressing me out. Instead, try to embrace it and use the experience to improve yourself as a person!
Once the sale is completed and you have moved into your new home, it might be time to go for a spa day and fully unwind from what is generally believed to be one of the most stressful things you can do. You’ve definitely earned it!
From everyone here at Housebuyers4u – we wish you a safe & stress-free house-selling experience!
