Kathy, It's excellent advice and sometimes very difficult to follow.  I worked once with a homeowner and her realtor and she just couldn't "let go."  If you hold onto a home emotionally it just won't sell....

Kathy - I sometimes think this is the most difficult part of selling a house and why sometimes preparations take so much longer (without a stager to guide for SURE) and why so many negotiations break down.  Excellent post.

Jackie

Great advice Kathy. We moved on average every three years with the military. It helps to focus on the positive and the new things ahead.

Sandy

Carole ~ I know - easier said then done!  It's going to be a difficult process when I'm ready to sell, but I am already looking toward the positives.

Jackie ~ I'm sure - especially when you've raised children in a home. 

Sandy ~ Wow, that's a lot of moving! That's how I'm looking at it - look ahead to the positive (smaller house, less to clean; less maintenance; less in the heat and electric bill).  More time and money to enjoy our middle-age!

Kathy, we delve so much into the financial and logistical. Your blog focuses on the emotional, which is just as important. Great advice. Thanks.

Hi Andrew ~ I'm actually looking at this from what I know I am going to be going through personally.  Is it because I'm a Mom or a woman or just an emotional type person to begin with, I don't know, but I figure if I try and deal with it now I will not be a hindrance to my own sale.

Kathy, I have no emotions when I move.  I grew up a Navy Brat and moving for me is a way of life.  I can pack up, close and lock the door and never look back.

Terry ~ That's great! I have moved 5 times in my life (including the year we lived in the upstairs of my in-laws house after getting married so we could save for our own house).  That was not an emotional move except for extreme happiness!

Ha ha Kathy, I'll bet you were relieved to get outta there!

Terry ~ You got that right!

Hi Kathy-

Add the emotions of children into the moving process and the stress level goes off the charts! Because my husband was on the corporate trail,we lived in 4 different states when my daughters were in school. Convincing them of the positives of moving was the hardest part of the whole process!

Kathy  

Kathy,

Your tips are priceless - thank you for sharing them with us!  I agree with you that it is the 'people' in the home who make the memories and not the 'house' itself.  As they say, 'home is where the heart is' and when love is present, a 'home' can be made just about anywhere!

VAL

Kathy ~ I know the feeling well!  I was 12 going on 13 when I first moved (from Brooklyn to Long Island).  I remember it being a very difficult time for me, being at that awkward age and moving to a new place. 

Val ~ Exactly - there's a difference between a "house" and a "home".

Moving is not easy.  I like to say that real estate agents should move every 4-5 years just to remind ourselves of what our clients are going through. :)

I find that most people have difficulty letting go of a home if they do not know where they will be moving to.  If they have chosen a home, they can begin to focus on the new home and what belongings will fit in with the new lifestyle.  It would be ideal if we could always know where we are going to move before we have to sell.  Uncertainty is difficult for most people. 

As a matter of fact i'm helping a client move tom morn. She's been ready to move for quite some time. her focus is on her new place.

Kathy, I had to stop back and congratulate you on a very well deserved feature, I know what a wonderful feeling it is!  Congratulations and keep on blogging.

Lola ~ I don't know if you have to go that far!  Thanks for commenting!

Marjorie & Doug ~ I hope that I will have a new home chosen when it's my turn.  I agree the uncertainty of where you are going to be living can just add to the stress.

Robert ~ You are a good person, as I know from your blogs.   I hope she is excited!

Carole ~ Thank you!  I only just realized it a little while ago!  Wow - my first feature!

Thank you AR for the feature!  

Kathy, I think that people that owns pets sometimes forgets that it is just as stressful on them as it is on you.

Good words to live...er...move by.  I do get very attached to my home, personally.        

Kathy,

I agree with the entertaining point especially.  This helps everyone get support and excited about the new adventure! I love the positive spin!!

I have a buyer who had to sell his home because it was just too expensive and this message is a great one for him. 

Danny ~ Absolutely, I agree!  When I got married and moved out of my parents house I had a little pocket poodle (a nervous dog to begin with).  I originally debated taking her with me but her age, among other things, made me decide it would be selfish of me to do that to her.   I don't think she would have done well if I had taken her with me.

Karen ~ Thanks for coming by! Yes, I am too.  Especially when you look at it as a refuge at the end of your day, some place you look forward to being (besides the family ties).

Nora ~ I'm thinking I might actually do that part when the time comes for us.  It may also help me get rid of some stuff that really needs to go and that someone else can use.

Karen ~ I'm sorry to hear about your client, but I hope he has gone on to start new memories in his new home.  Thanks for commenting!

"Home is where the heart is . . . "

"Home sweet home" . . .

"If only these walls could talk . . . "

great post, Kathy -- it is sooo emotional  -- thx for sharing

All good advice. Thanks for sharing.

Kathy,

Great Post.  It is so hard for some people.  Sometimes we wear many hats, and not all have to do w/making a home market ready.  Sometimes it's making the homeowner emotional move.

Karen ~ My favorite is "Home is where the Heart is".  Thanks for those!

Bob & Carolin ~ Thanks for commenting!

Julea ~ I think it helps if we (realtors and stagers both) can acknowledge that they are having an emotional time, along with giving them the information to help them sell their homes.  I think that little bit of empathy also makes it easier for them to take in what needs to be done.

Kathy,

My last moving was the one I'd been waiting for...a smaller house in which I'd brought only the items needed ( and still need to declutter !)  I'd gave away stuff to people I love, I sold AND I replaced for new and beautiful furniture.

Memories are kept on the  deepest side of my heart and will not be erased even thoug I'd already sold the house my son and I loved.

Hope you have a great moving

Kathy:  Great Tips!  Easier said than done, but still great advice!

I would say that I have moved over two dozen times in my life (I am 33 years old).  Someone who is moving needs to focus on what makes a house a home.  Most moves are emotional, but focusing on what you can do to make your new house your home can help any negative emotions.

KATHY:  Congratulations on getting featured!  These are very good points.  In fact, I try to use certain terms to make things easier on the seller by talking about selling their house, not their home.  Home is what you make of it, no matter where you are.  When talking to buyers, I always refer to it as a home because you want to make it personal.  You want them to picture themselves living there.  Calling it a house just doesn't create the right state-of-mind for buying the biggest investment of their lives.  As a stager, I'm sure that you know the struggles that we go with trying to make a home into a showroom house so that buyers can picture it as their home.  Nice job on this one, Kathy!

Kathy,

When I get calls from people wanting to get into the biz, the 1st two college classes I tell them to take prior to taking the leap -  is a basic business class, and a psychology 101 class. My degree in psychology comes in handy every day, & is an essential element of my business model.

Kathy,

Good luck with your upcoming move.  It certainly isn't easy leaving somewhere that you've had good memories.  You make some good suggestions.  I like the idea of entertaining... maybe circulate some pictures of the new house at that time and keep friends and family around.

Personally, the only tough time I've had was when my parents sold my house that I grew up in.  I've only had to sell my starter home.  My first child was born in that house and it was a little tough, but we were moving into our 'real' house.  Selling this one will be tougher.

Maria ~ Each time I moved it was for a specific time in my life.  This next one (down-sizing) will be a new chapter in my husband and my lives, so I'm hoping to keep that positive aspect in my mind when the time comes.

Sue & Terry ~ Thanks for commenting! I'm sure it is! I will probably have to keep repeating those positive thoughts over and over (like a chant) to myself at that point.

Rebecca ~ Wow - that's a lot of moving!  I agree, I think keeping the focus on something other than the house you are moving from probably helps.

Adam ~ Thanks for commenting! It's funny how those two words can make such a difference, isn't it? 

Julea ~ I can see your point about psychology with what Adam says.  Just changing those two words ("house" and "home") probably makes a psychological impact on sellers and buyers.

Martin ~ That's why I think this move can be difficult for me as well.  This is the only house my kids really know, so I'm sure they will be affected by it too. 

Hi Kathy!
What great tips! Just today I met with a "70 something" couple that are moving after 26 years in the house. She wants to stay...he wanted the move and they have bought a new home in another city. What an emotional roller coaster they are on...bless their hearts!  I think I'll share your tips with them..thank you!

Your point on entertaining is perfect ... I have coached many a client and agent to elect to have a "Going Away Party" for those that are leaving town.

Kathy,

Yes indeed, moving day can be tough on everybody. Not only physically, but emotionally, too. You make a good point in saying that it's the people who make the house special, not the house itself. We have to remember that.

Teresa ~ Wow, that's got to be hard - 26 years is a long time.  It probably doesn't help when one person doesn't want to move and the other does.  Best wishes to them moving at this stage in their lives.

Allen ~ Why not, right?  People have house warming parties for the new house!

Esko ~ I haven't even thought about the physical part yet! Thanks for commenting!