9 Powerful Feelings You’ll Probably Have When You Sell

Selling a home has its moments of joy and frustration. Here’s your emotional road map.

Stages of emotion when selling your house.
Image: HouseLogic

Even the happiest events have ups and downs. That's true when you’re selling your home. Even though the sale will move you toward a house that better meets your needs, you'll likely experience a range of emotions. Don't worry! Your real estate agent will help you hold steady through the highs and lows. They'll do that by providing their expertise in areas like pricing, negotiating, and accepting an offer. That will offset your anxiety and stress — and give you more time to imagine yourself in that new home!

The 9 Stages of Emotion When Selling Your House

Here are the nine emotions home buyers typically experience:

  1. Excitement — Yay! We’re selling our house and moving to our dream home.
  2. Anxiety — Will anyone want our home? Is it worth our asking price? What if other similar houses have more to offer?
  3. Delight — This is our house? Who knew staging could make it look so great? Our agent said statistics show that staging can help houses sell faster and for more money.
  4. Disappointment — Seriously? This is all someone thinks our house is worth? Will we ever get a decent offer?
  5. Elation — Woo-hoo! We accepted an offer — and it's a good one in terms of money, timing, and contingencies. We’re going to move!
  6. Worry — What if the appraisal is too low or the inspection goes bad? We know the market is a factor, but we can't control that.
  7. Relief — Phew! It’s official! The selling process is finally behind us.
  8. Sadness — Our time in this home is really over. We’re walking away from so many happy memories.
  9. Joy — It’s really done! On to our future!
Image: HouseLogic