In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about the difference between a home, a house and a product and how the difference is the emotional attachment of the seller.  It is quite often the case that the emotional attachment cannot be overcome ends up costing the seller much more than they bargained for.

You see, an emotional investment can be the mostly costly investment you make in your home, even beyond what you invest in time and money.  It can also be the investment that will actually put you into the most debt.

It can cost you TIME.

When an emotional attachment is so great that you refuse to make changes to the property because you ‘love it', you are narrowing your pool of buyers to those who share your specific taste.  You may be waiting a long time. 

If you refuse to make changes or pack away personal belongings because ‘it is your house until you move out of it' you are preventing a buyer from forming the emotional attachment THEY need to WANT to buy it.  You may never move out of it.

If you refuse to settle for the list price your Realtor suggested due to comps in you area because ‘they have no idea how much work we have put into this house'.  You may have emotionally inflated your price to one only you would pay.

It can cost you MONEY.

If a buyer does not like your specific taste in décor, they automatically start thinking of how much it will cost to change it.  Buyers tend to overestimate that cost and then deduct that from your asking price for their own compensation.  If you refuse to make changes to your décor because you spent thousands of dollars to have it done in the first place (however long ago that was, even recently) you are allowing that expense to cost you over and over again. 

Even if you agree to your agent's listing price, yet refuse to make changes, your home could sit on the market for a long time.  That leaves your agent only one option: reduce the asking price.  It gives a buyer an option you don't want them to have: a low ball offer.

 It can keep you from MOVING ON.

It is totally understandable that when you live in a house and make it your home, you will be emotionally attached to it.  Every home should be loved and cared for by the people who occupy it.  However, if you allow those emotional ties to tie you so tightly to a house, you may never be able to let go.  That can also prevent you from moving out and moving on.

If you, or one of your sellers, have come to the realization that emotional attachment is keeping your property from selling, contact your local professional home stager.  A home stager can help you get through this trying time by offering you a neutral third party view of what is holding back that sale.

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If you are located in the Northwest Indiana area, contact Kimberly Wester of Details Staging and Redesign at 219-241-7252.