How to Cope with the Stress of Selling

This content was created in collaboration with Dr. Phil, a spokesperson for Sundae.

Psychosocial researchers have reported for generations that moving, selling your house, is one of the top 10 stressors you will ever face. Dr. Phil teamed up with Sundae to provide some resources to help you cope with the immense stress selling a home can cause.

The stress of selling a home is an emotional time that can be too much to handle for many Americans. We often have emotional ties to our home, and drastic changes can lead to turbulence in our lives. Even though selling your home is a huge milestone, it’s also a growth period. Not to mention, it’s an uncomfortable time, because of the high amount of growth happening within a short period of time. So how do you deal with the stress of selling your home? Sundae recently partnered with Dr. Phil to come up with ways to cope with the process.

Utilize the right selling platforms

When you start to lose control over the burden of selling your home, things start to snowball into larger problems. It doesn’t hurt to take a step back and evaluate your selling strategy to see if it’s effective. Are you spending too much time marketing your home? Are you receiving less offers than expected? Make sure you set yourself up for success and use a quality selling platform. If you’re looking for a fantastic selling platform that takes the stress out of selling, consider using Sundae’s Marketplace. At Sundae you won’t have to spend all of your energy selling because there’s already a competitive network of buyers eager to purchase.

Acknowledge your stress

Don’t run from the negative feelings associated with selling your house, embrace them! Dr. Phil emphasizes the importance of acknowledging your stress and giving yourself an assessment. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. By asking yourself the right questions, you can get to the root of your stress and start putting your problem solving skills to work. Here’s a few questions that you can ask yourself:

• Do you find yourself withdrawing from family, friends, and colleagues?
• Do you feel you are working harder but getting less done?
• Are you afraid to make decisions?
• Are you taking time to restore your mind and body after stress?
• Are you jumpy and unable to relax?

Choose the right real estate agent

Remember that real estate agents have the experience and are meant to take a load off of your shoulders when it comes to real estate. When you sell your home, reach out to your agent when you’re feeling stressed. The right agent should accommodate your needs, provide timelines, and keep you in the loop when you have doubts. It’s all part of the job! The truth is, most of us don’t have the time to sell a home on our own on top of our everyday lives. Make sure you choose the right agent, sit back, and give up control so stress doesn’t arise.

Know your limits

Are you biting off more than you could chew with your home selling process? Some people have so much stress that accumulates that they don’t know how to handle it or make boundaries. For example, it might seem like a great idea to show dedication and schedule home showings with every potential homebuyer.

However, it’s important to not stray too far from your regular routine. Say no to home stages during inconvenient times and prioritize rest. Selling your home should be a celebration, not a dreadful stage of working too hard. Communicate a clear schedule for your agent when they can contact you and when they can’t. Your head won’t be spinning in a bunch of directions because you can prepare for meetings at set times. Take your time off to decompress so you don’t end up all over the place.

Stay organized

When you feel like you’re in control, selling your home feels much more predictable. When we don’t fear the unknown, you are far less likely to feel stress during this special time. Write down everything on the big picture things on your plate and write down your tasks everyday. Maybe your list will look something like this:

• Reduce clutter
• Eliminate piles of junk
• Schedule real estate agent phone calls and meetings for the week
• Tidy up front yard
• Host staging events (don’t forget to set limits!)
• Research your new neighborhood

You can do one better by attaching estimated timelines and time chunking your list. Turn your list into a schedule so you can chip away at new home selling chores every day. At this point, you won’t be feeling so stressed with too much on your plate for one day!

Dr. Phillip C. McGraw is a paid spokesperson for Sundae and made this content in partnership with the company. The views and opinions expressed by Dr. McGraw are solely his own and do not reflect those of CBS Media Ventures.