My client is selling their vacation home in Colorado and after being on the market for several months, all of a sudden he was confronted with multiple bidders. This is just one arena where emotions are heightened, and while the technical elements matter, it is the ability to manage all the different player's emotions: seller, buyers, their agents, their families, their advisors, etc. Managing the emotions of a seller when they are not getting any offers or showings is tough too.

Selling or buying a home is a highly emotional process as it involves significant life changes, memories, and large financial investments. Homes are far more than simply a structure that provides shelter; they hold personal meaning, reflect our life stages, and are associated with important memories and milestones.

Sentimental emotions are at a peak as homes are places where we've created lasting memories with partners, friends, raised families, celebrated significant life events, etc. Homes are a canvas for our lives where we invest time and effort in making them our own, strengthening the emotional connection. When we sell a home it can trigger feelings of nostalgia and sadness as we reflect on the past and anticipate the future, often fueling fear, uncertainty, and anxiety as this always signifies a significant life transition such as retirement, divorce, empty-nesting, moving to a new town or city, bankruptcy, you name it. This all implies risk-taking which always fuels stress-related emotions, good and bad.

The financial implications of buying or selling a home are substantial, often the biggest single commitment for many, a long term commitment, not unlike marriage. The process of selling or buying a home has a false narrative associated with it about it being quick, simple and easy, but in reality it involves a complex process that can include staging, showings, lots of paperwork and disclosures, inspections, negotiations, deals falling apart, etc. Who loves critical strangers touring your home, possibly exhausted and disillusioned buyers in highly competitive markets?

While much of the home buying and selling process is very practical manageable stuff, most of it involves emotions. Skilled, professional, empathetic, informed, confident professional (human) real estate advisors navigate this stuff best. A Google or A.I. search for answers and/or guidance is almost certainly going to add to your stress