Ways to Reduce Stress When Selling a Home

brown stone and concrete home

You can bet that just about every one selling a home wishes for a rapid sale to a buyer who will be delighted that their offer was accepted. For this happy tableau to play out, it’s necessary that the home for sale has been described fully and accurately. It also requires that the prospective buyer has thoughtfully assessed that information and that the sale price is satisfactory to both parties.

Instant Gratification Isn’t Realistic

Instantaneous success when selling a home is rarely expected by sophisticated buyers or sellers. Most successful closings are usually the product of a certain amount of give-and-take. This is something knowledgeable adults naturally expect for a transaction with such momentous consequences in so many areas of both parties’ futures. Since that’s the case, it’s no wonder that buying a home can be such a stressful experience. How to deal with that was touched upon in an article offered by Zillow last week.

Tips for Selling a Home

The author first noted a caveat for individuals with specific clinical concerns (who are “struggling or need help”): contact a licensed mental health professional. But for the rest of the home buying and selling populace, there was thoughtful advice offered by a family mental health counselor. Paraphrasing some of the main ideas for depressurizing the homebuying experience:


• Sellers and buyers should know their “non-negotiables” as clearly as possible—while keeping their other requirements as “general” (flexible) as possible.
• Buyers should be both “willing to attach emotionally” to a new place to live—yet “hold it loosely enough that it won’t be devastating” in case it can’t be secured.
• Overall, all parties will benefit by being aware that today’s environment is likely to produce more stress and anxiety than usual—which makes it a good time to give yourself a break. “Extend kindness to yourself” is the author’s phrase—along with the advice that, in practice, this can be more challenging than it sounds.


To that point, it’s worth adding that extending kindness to the other guy has no downside. A good agent will aim to eliminate as much stress as possible from beginning to end in the homebuying and selling process.