Hire a Realtor Because Emotions Happen
Of all the reasons to hire a real estate agent, the emotional value they bring to the table may be most compelling.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#dd1f1f” class=”” size=””]Nostalgia makes my home priceless to me, but does nothing for new buyers.[/perfectpullquote]
When I discovered my parents were selling my childhood home, I wilted inside. The tin barn had sheltered several hundred hay bales thrown by hand over seventeen years. The diving board above our pool launched my siblings and I to many a happy summer day, and how can I describe the walls that gave shape and solidity to my childhood?
If you’ve ever lived in a place for some length of time, you know what I mean. Our memories put roots in the soil where we live, but the trees we find so meaningful don’t exist for new home buyers. To them, our barn is rusted, not magical. The diving board is dry-rotted, the house old, and the walls might even lean. The memories that knot in our throat can swell our price. Nostalgia makes my home priceless to me, but does nothing for new buyers.
Objectivity for the Objective
Realtors provide an objective point of view during this incredibly emotional process so you can accomplish the objective: selling your home. They provide a balanced estimate of value based on comparable sales in your neighborhood and hold your hand as you enter a new stage of life. The list of duties involved in the title “real estate agent,” goes on for many miles, but it should include “counselor” as you say goodbye to the place you raised your kids, or buried your dog, or hosted Christmas each year.
And as you turn from the past, eyes brimming with tears and hopes for the future, an agent will help you create reasonable expectations. It’s been written that “hope deferred makes the heart sick,” and finding your beloved dwelling worth less than you thought proves it.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”#dd1f1f” class=”” size=””]Realtors help you dream in tandem with your financial reality.[/perfectpullquote]
Agents can help you see endearing faults tied to fond memories for what they truly are: obstacles to selling your home. What should you repair? Where will your dollar work hardest? A Realtor will know.
Looking to the future may help you move on, but doing so without being informed can lead to further disappointment. Discovering your dream home is $50,000 beyond your buying ability can be crushing. Realtors understand house finances, credit, and specific loans to fit your situation, helping you dream in tandem with your financial reality.
Remember: Realtors Understand Emotions
My parents’ barn has new tin on it now. The pool is covered, the walls repainted. I can almost pretend the kitchen isn’t the same place I sat after basketball games to review every play with my dad. But deep down, it will always be, as Miranda Lambert says, “The house that built me.”
My mom cried when she read this post. Letting go of a home stirs emotions in all of us. But her experience as a real estate agent has enabled her to make the changes needed to get the best price. So when it’s time to buy or sell, call an agent. Let us be your objective sounding board so nostalgia doesn’t keep you from selling a home. [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#dd1f1f” class=”” size=””]Let us give you good information won from years of experience so you can plan a dream that’s possible to achieve.[/perfectpullquote]