By Mark Hite, President
Greater Chattanooga REALTORS®
A part of you knows you need to sell your house and move (upsize, downsize, etc.) but right now you are in total denial.
Your spouse, family and friends are telling you, it’s time to move but you resist and begin to accumulate “reasons” why now is not the right time. You may need to declutter and physically can’t, the house needs work but you do not have the resources or relationships to get the work done, you have a mortgage and are not sure you would net enough to buy another house or perhaps your credit has been dinged and you may not be able to get a loan with favorable terms. Denial and building of reasons/excuses are the first two steps to embracing change…. we are making progress.
While you do understand that you need to move, as a result of all these “reasons” you have amassed, you have become indifferent to the move/change. You begin to ask yourself, where would I move to, IF I sold my house? We are now onto the 3rd phase of change, indifference/acceptance. Now is where you need an experienced member of the Greater Chattanooga Realtors to step in and start solving problems and helping you overcome these “reasons/objections” you have raised.
If your reason is “the house needs work” but you don’t know where to start or you don’t have a lot of available cash on hand or know qualified workers, here is where a Realtor can step in. An experienced Realtor can research your neighborhood and help prioritize the work that needs to be done on your house. From there they can connect you with qualified contractors to perform the tasks needed for your house. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate having the monies taken out of your closing proceeds, in others a short-term loan may be required. Here again a Realtor can guide you.
Perhaps the house needs decluttering to make it more appealing to perspective buyers. Here again a Realtor can provide professional staging suggestions and even workers to complete the tasks. You may find that rather than having a huge yard sale, you are better off to contact a local thrift store that will pick up your belongings, free of charge and give you a donation letter. In this case the tax deduction may be more valuable than the work of preparing and selling your belongings for pennies on the dollar. Here again, an experienced Realtor can guide you.
If you are unsure where you are going and what you can afford, then a Realtor is your life line. They will connect you with a local lender to clarify what you are comfortable paying in the future and take a preview tour of homes that fit this budget.
You have now entered the 4th phase of change, acceptance of the idea and with all the “reasons” resolved, you decide moving is a great idea and you are so proud you thought of all these steps yourself! Now, what are you waiting for? Skip to step 4, call a Realtor today and get moving to the next home that fits your life!