Tips For Successfully Selling A Home After The Passing Of A Loved One

After an elderly parent or another loved one has passed away, you'll need to take some time to grieve — but you might also be involved with helping to sell the person's home. If your loved one passed away inside the home, share this information with the listing agent that you've hired. In some areas, this information will need to be provided on the real estate listing. If this is the case, you may face an uphill battle to sell the home — after all, some people may feel unsettled about the fact that someone has passed away in the residence, even from natural causes. There are a number of things that you can do, however, to make the home feel appealing despite this fact. Here are some ideas.

Remove Photos Of The Person

It's a good idea to remove personal photos from the house, as they provide a link to the person who has passed away. When a prospective buyer already knows this information, he or she won't be able to help looking at the photos and wondering, "Is this the person who died?" This question can thoroughly distract from the process of evaluating the home impartially.

Take Away Anything That Reminds People Of Death

Given that prospective buyers will already be thinking about the death in the home, you should make sure to remove anything that could have a link with death. For example, make sure that there are no vases or urns on the mantle — these can remind people of urns that hold cremated remains, even if that isn't the case. It's a good idea to get rid of floral arrangements, too. Even though you might want flowers to cheer up the home, some people might wonder if they flowers are left over from the funeral. Illness-related personal affairs should also go. If there is a wheelchair or an oxygen machine in the bedroom, take the time to remove these items.

Do What You Can To Cheer Up The Place

If you're able to make the interior of the home look cheery, it can quickly make people forget about the death of your family member and feel better about the home. Simple things such as a "Welcome" mat, brightly colored drapes and throw pillows, a scent diffuser that smells like home-baked pie, and other such changes can be easy to put into place and can help you sell the home faster. Consult with your real estate agent to learn any other tricks of the trade that will make the home feel more appealing.