Bill Martens

Easing seller’s stress

Death, taxes and moving - the three facts of life. When you are selling your home and planning a move, it is a stressful time in life. Moving is more than packing and paperwork. It is an emotional process. You are saying goodbye to memories, a neighbourhood and friends. You are thinking about the adjustments you will have to make in your new home and community. You are trying to calm yourself down. You are trying to calm down your nervous children.

You tell yourself you will meet nice people in your new neighbourhood, you bought the best home within your budget and your kids will do well in their new school. Despite all these jitters, moving is an exciting adventure with many prospects of new beginnings. Here are a few ideas on how you can make the selling of your home less stressful for you and your family.

Take time.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself and your family. This means taking a break for a movie, a meal or any other activity the family would like. Taking care of yourself is not a waste of time. Rather, it is essential. When you are stressed out yourself, you can not properly care for others or handle the numerous details involved with a move. Stress is sneaky. It eats at us during the happiest of times. Any major life change is stressful, whether positive or negative. For your family’s sake, be sure to deal with the stress as it happens. If stress is suppressed, it can wreck havoc both emotionally and physically and spread throughout your family. It is not a pleasant experience, moving a grumpy family across town or across the country.

Respect your feelings.

It is your chance to meet new people, begin life in a new environment and create a network of new friends and associates.

Conduct research.

Prior to your move, you should research your new community. Round up as much information as you can about your new community or city. What kinds of cultural offerings does the community have? Are there any landmarks that you and your family would like to visit. Are all the services you require close by?

Envision your new home.

Where will you place the furniture? What pictures will look best in what room? What about closet space? A large backyard and/or swimming pool? Try to picture you and your family spending quality time together and enjoying your new home.

Have fun.

Like the many challenges that you have previously handled, you will handle this move, just fine. And while you are at it, have some fun. Even if you are broke, take some time to go to a movie, go out for dinner or even a picnic. Engage in a fun activity that gets you and your family out of the house and away from boxes, paperwork, emotions and the pre-move concerns. Remember: the stress will not last forever. Regardless of the way you are feeling right now, you will get moved, settled into your new home and you will be just fine. Everything will fall into place. While journeying into the unknown can be difficult, it is also very rewarding.