Ready to sell your home? How to get Team Family on board.

You've mentally moved on and into your next home. And you have the Pinterest boards to prove it. Perhaps you've had 'the talk' with your partner several times and as soon as you hit an obstacle you both beat a quiet retreat, and throw another log in the ‘too hard’ basket. When selling your home, you may need to flex all your powers of persuasion and cunning to get ‘Team Family’ on board.

But what about the other half?

Getting the (other) head of the household on board can be tough, but you're  smart. You know what questions will arise and have already done your homework and read the 'To sell or not to sell' eBook. You have the answers on hand to combat their objections. 

Tip – for extra cunning points, tailor information to appeal to what makes your partner tick. Is he or she the rational type? Logic and maths will come in handy here. If she or he’s more the emotional type, start by expressing how you feel about the old house and the potential for creating new memories together in a new one. 

But mum, what about school/my friends/our treehouse?

While change can be great, kids do thrive on routine, so a major upheaval like leaving behind all that they are familiar with, can be tough for them. Here are some fun and useful tips to help get your little-ees on board when you sell your home:

1. Involve them in the search for your new home – let them choose something new for their future bedroom – i.e new decals for the wall, glow in the dark stars for their ceiling or a cool piece of art for a teenager.
2. Be honest about the reasons for the move – will it mean better schools, more space, or a shorter commute for you and therefore more time with them?
   
3. Familiarise them with the neighbourhood you're planning to move to ahead of time – this could be visiting the school, popping into the local cafe for a treat, taking your teenager to something that interests them in the new area i.e skate park or 3D cinema.
   
4. When you've made the move, have your kids send a letter to Santa notifying him of your new address.

Flying the nest

Is this a great opportunity to gently usher adult children towards independence? We're not suggesting you buy a home with one less bedroom and get them to play musical beds, but if your adult children are considering moving out, this could be the (gentle) push they need.

Since you're not going this alone, having Team Family behind the big move will take things from tedious to tolerable or who knows, may even have them excited about the process. Understanding objections from the outset will have you prepared to face any challenges ahead and allow you to share the load. 

Everyone has a slightly different reason for thinking about moving. But whatever your reason, the desire to move on is a big deal. Download our free eBook 'To sell or not to sell' for tips and advice to help you decide if 'now' really is the right time to move on.