How to Emotionally Detach When Selling Your Home

Selling your home is something to look forward to. When you do it, you will be able to move on and start a new life in some new home that suits you better. However, not feeling excited and happy about this big life event is also normal. So, don't feel like you are overreacting — you are not. Selling your home means saying goodbye to a place you have been nesting in for years, to a place your family made lovely memories in, and to a place you are familiar with. Thus, allow yourself to feel sad. But don't allow this sadness to stop you from moving on. We know that this seems impossible, but it is far from that. All you have to do is emotionally detach when selling your home. And we are here to help you out with that. So, keep on reading for some advice

Think of It This Way–Selling Is Not Forgetting

Just because you have to sell your current home—whether that be a home you were born in or a home you just recently bought—it doesn't mean that you have to forget everything that took place there. Yes, you will be leaving. And, yes, you will be moving to a new home. But, all your dear memories won't leave and won't move on—they will still be with you, in your heart. And, you know how they say—home is where the heart is. That is the only thing you should focus on. Thus, think of it that way and it will be easier to emotionally detach when selling your home. The home you are selling will always be with you, even if you don't own it.

A home is made of memories, not of bricks.

Stage Your Home

Another great way to emotionally detach when selling your home is to stage it. And, why?
Because staging means cleaning, decluttering, and above everything else, depersonalizing your home. When you depersonalize your home, you remove all your personal items from it. You remove your family photos, travel souvenirs, memorabilia, and heirlooms that made your house (or your apartment) a home. Moreover, depersonalizing means fixing all those broken things, repainting the walls, changing the upholstery on your furniture, etc. And, when you are done depersonalizing, your home will look completely different. Thus, it will be easier to detach yourself from it.

So, don't wait for the open house to start staging! If you want to detach as soon as possible, you should stage as soon as possible. And, don't worry about your personal items - you will not have to get rid of them; you will just have to find them a new home soon. But, if that is not possible, consider finding storage and putting them there until you finally sell your home and move out. Hire movers to help you with all this heavy-lifting and long-distance moving. Good pros can make it stress-free, so be sure to give them a call as soon as possible too!

Focus on the Future to Emotionally Detach When Selling Your Home

We already told you that in order to detach emotionally from your home, you need to think of it as an object. And, we already told you that if you can't do that, you should start thinking about your family. Your family is your future, and that is the thing that you should focus on. 

The reason you have to sell your home and move it is probably for the benefit of your family. Maybe you landed a new job, maybe you found a better school for your little ones, or maybe you just found a new home that suits all of your better. All these things contribute to your future. So, don't be sad you are leaving your old home and your old life; instead, be happy you are starting a better one soon. Focus on that, and you will be able to emotionally detach when selling your home.

A family standing in front of a fireplace.

Take a Lot of Photos

Before you start decluttering and personalizing your home, we strongly advise you to take a lot of pictures. Take pictures of every corner of your home. Take pictures of your yard, your couch, and even of your windows. And, to make things interesting, take pictures of your family doing random things inside the home. That can be anything from watching TV, baking cookies, washing dishes, or playing with the dog.

Moreover, encourage the rest of your family members to do the same. Then, once you have taken a lot of pictures, print out the most interesting ones. Buy a big album or a big notebook, and glue the pictures there (you can even write some descriptions). This will be a great memory and something that will cheer you up whenever you start missing your old home.

A mother taking a picture of her daughter playing with a toy.

Give Yourself Time to Say Goodbye

One of the last but certainly not the least things that will help you emotionally detach when selling your home is actually and properly saying goodbye to your home. That usually requires some time - so be sure to have it. Give yourself a couple of weeks or even months to get used to the idea that you are leaving. Then, when you feel ready, throw a party in honor of that home and in honor of all the days, months, and years you have been living in it. Prepare your favorite food, invite some of your favorite people, and just have fun. Doing that will be one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your home.

As you have seen, you can do many things to emotionally detach when selling your home. Of course, you don't have to do all of them, but we advise you to at least try some of them. We are sure you will not regret it. Just make sure to stay calm and focus on the positive.