Selling the house after divorce can be a deeply emotional process. With a lot of my clients, especially in today’s market, selling the house is not their choice. Due to financial reasons, it is often the only choice, which makes selling their home even harder.
Selling the house can feel like you’re letting go of more than just a physical space. You’re also saying goodbye to a chapter of your life. But it’s important to remember that it’s also the start of a brand new chapter and choosing to look at it as an opportunity for growth can empower you to take control of your future.
Before you can start looking forward, I encourage all of my clients to release their home and open it up to the new buyer who is going to love it as much as they did. I know this sounds pretty woo-woo, but our homes have energy, and they carry the emotions of what has happened in the home, both good and bad.
Especially during divorce, when that energy isn’t cleared, buyers can pick up on it and it can sometimes take longer to sell your home, which no one wants. Taking the time to honor our homes for the wonderful memories it held for us, and releasing the energy not only allows you to move forward, but it creates ease for a new buyer.
There are a lot of different ways to release your home. Here are some ways myself and my clients have done so:
1. Declutter:
All real estate agents will tell you the importance of decluttering a home. It helps the home show better, allows buyers to see themselves in your space when your personal items are not in the home. But there is another reason to declutter when releasing a home. It allows you to honor the memories that are held in physical objects. As you declutter your home take the time to donate or sell items that no longer hold joy for you, keep the ones that you’re not ready to part with, or know that you want to hold on to for good memories.
2. Honor the memory of each room:
When I was selling the house after divorce, when my home was completely empty I went to the home by myself. I went into each room and sat on the floor and thought about the good memories that happened in them. I cried, I laughed, but most of all I sat in gratitude for what those four walls held. When I felt complete I went to the next room and did the same thing. It was powerful.
3. Write a letter to your house:
If you don’t have the time to do the intentional decluttering, or the physical releasing, writing a letter to your home can be just as powerful. A dear friend of mine asked me to help her sell her condo. It was the most adorable condo in a 100 year old Victorian building in the heart of Denver. It was her “single girl” condo, the home she purchased right after her divorce, walking distance to shops and restaurants, and held so many wonderful memories for her. After sitting on the market for about 2 months we realized that she hadn’t truly said goodbye to it. So she spent some time alone in the condo, wrote a letter to it thanking it for the safe space it was for her after a horrible divorce, and asked it to find someone new to love it. I kid you not, within 2 weeks we were under contract.
4. Create a vision for your future space:
Part of releasing your home is creating a vision for where you are going to go next. Go out and tour homes and apartments. Create a vision board for what your life can look like in your new home, the décor you get to pick on your own, the 600 thread count sheets in your comfortable new bed, the views you want to see out your window. Write a letter to your future self and how you will feel once you are in your new space. When you create the vision of what your life will look like, the universe/G-d/your higher power can start to manifest it for you pretty quickly.
These are just a few ways you can release your current home and make space for your new vision. Selling the home after divorce is not easy, especially emotionally. But by releasing your home intentionally, you’re creating space for something new—emotionally and physically. It’s not just about selling the home; it’s about starting the next chapter of your life. And oh how wonderful that next chapter will be!!
I am a Realtor with a passion for helping women with children going through divorce, and a drive to help all types of buyers and sellers minimize their stress and maximize their Real Estate investment. I am here to transform the Real Estate experience for my clients from one typically filled with fear, uncertainty, monumental challenges to one with courage, ease, abundant opportunity and a tool for wealth building. I am here to guide my clients through their Real Estate transaction in Highlands Ranch, Sterling Ranch, Littleton, Centennial, Lone Tree and Castle Rock.
I am aligned with Live.Laugh.Denver. Real Estate Group, a women-owned boutique firm focused on elevating the client experience by empowering their agents with marketing, technology and communication systems. The goal at Live.Laugh.Denver is to support my same mission of maximizing your investment, minimizing your stress, and helping clients build wealth, while offering a couple laughs along the way.
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