How to Survive Selling Your Home
by Scott Moore, Realtor | June 13, 2025I’m not going to lead you on – selling your home is HARD.
You’ve decided to sell. You spent weeks catching up on maintenance issues, cleaning and decluttering like your life depended on it, and adding as much sparkle as your budget could spare. Everything is perfect, the photographer has been through, and the home is finally listed. You feel like you just ran a marathon.
Except that was the warmup. The marathon is only just starting.
I wish I was joking, but I’m not.
Living in your house while it’s for sale is really hard, especially if you have kids and/or pets.
You must keep the home spotlessly clean to be ready for a showing request whenever it comes in. Leaving your home at dinner time, during the afterschool rush, or 7 or 8 times a day on a weekend is hard.
It’s also expensive. Many people pretty much stop cooking to minimize the clean-up, which adds up. Most people also undertake activities to get the family out of the house which costs money too. When I sold my last house, I think we saw every movie that was in theatres that week. My blood was probably 90% sodium from all the popcorn I ate.
It also takes a toll because it feels like your house isn’t your own anymore. Not having a place to rest and truly relax gets old quickly.
It’s also stressful. Like, off the charts stressful. Most people are overwhelmed with worries. Will the house even sell? Will I get the money I want? Will the possession line up? Having such an influential event in your life completely out of your hands is the definition of stressful.
If you’re in the middle of selling your home and you’re struggling, know this: it’s not you, it’s the process. Hang in there.
Here’s how you survive:
You hire an excellent realtor. It is not easy to sell your home and having an amateur price your home incorrectly or market it ineffectively will not only cost you money, but it will cost you time. You want the max money, but you also want this taken care of as quickly as possible. Do not entrust this process to your cousin’s ex-personal trainer. You need a professional.
Make a game plan for food. You’ll probably need to eat dinner out most days. First because it’s probably the messiest meal to prepare at home, and secondly because it’s an activity to get the family out of the house while showings are going through. If your fridge is loaded up with low-mess options for breakfast and lunch, you’ll save money and maintain some sense of normalcy.
Organize a set of nice towels and a set of real towels. Leave the nice towels hung on the towel racks and warn your family not to touch them under any circumstances. Use the other set of towels for day-to-day and throw them in the washing machine after each use to store them out of sight.
Leave the home ready to go in the morning. There shouldn’t be any barriers to showings coming in through during the day. You may need to arrange to go into work late to have time to get the house into ship-shape once everyone’s left in the morning.
I love animals as much as the next guy (we have two dogs, Benji & Rosie) but pets can be a real problem. Buyers can be turned off by animals, either because they are allergic, scared, or because the animal is distracting during the showing. There’s no way around it — pets must be removed for showings. Make sure you have a plan for someone to get home and get the pets out of the house if there’s a last-minute showing.
Accommodate every showing. Buyers and realtors are fickle. If you decline the showing, there’s a very good chance they’ll just skip your house. Or they’ll rebook the showing for tomorrow, but then fall in love with a house they see tonight, cancel your house, and buy the other one. Every showing is a potential offer. It’s worth it.
It’s always an option to move out. If it’s the first week on the market and you’re getting lots of showings, putting the pets in daycare and renting a hotel for the weekend can be one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Be grateful. If you’re getting lots of showings, it means there is demand for your home, and it’s probably going to sell quickly for a good price. There are people with houses that aren’t selling that would love to be inconvenienced by lots of showings. It is easier if you keep your mindset positive.
Communicate with your realtor. If you’re not coping, let your realtor know. It’s always better to be ahead and not behind these situations. Your realtor has the bird’s eye view of the situation and will help you make the best possible plan for your family.
Be easy on yourself and your family members. This really isn’t easy. I hope that knowing its hard on everyone helps.
If you are thinking of selling your home, please schedule a meeting with one of the knowledgeable and experienced realtors from The Moore Group. Click here to contact us.