My parents have just sold their house. It has been quite a roller coaster ride!
They listed it in October, at a time when property was skyrocketing. By all indications, a fabulous point in time to sell a house.
Despite it being a lovely home, at a competitive price, they didn't receive a single offer over 10 weeks. Their agent was reputable, the photos and video looked lovely, and the house was immaculate. 3 months later, despite positive feedback, they still had no offers.
Their initial optimism waned. Expectations readjusted. Was it that people didn't like the tiles in the hallway? Or the older style furniture? Should they drop the price? Repaint the living room? Add extra roses near the shed!
In the end, they decided to go with a different agent. She took a different approach. My parents liked the fact that she was personally involved, and wanted to share the story of their home. They used most of the same photos. Nothing else really changed - except her.
In less than a week they had 3 contracts out. In 2 weeks they had sold 15% above the target price. My parents are ecstatic and thrilled they are now on their way to their new "downsized" home.
It made me think about how much can change between expectation and experience. Expectations are what we think we want. We make all these plans, but when things don't happen that way, it can be painful to readjust. We can think it's something about us personally, something we didn't do, or could have done. We can even second guess ourselves.
In reality, nothing succeeds as planned. It may not be about you at all. It could be any number of variables beyond you.
It's why experience is much more valuable than expectations. It shows us "reality" will probably not be your plan, but the fluctuations will happen anyway. Enjoy the ride - things will turn out, just not how you predicted.
Are you aligning your expectations with experience? Are you holding lightly to what unfolds, without second-guessing yourself?
Comentarios