When I Was the Home Seller, I Wasn’t Easy
Looking back, I’ll be the first to admit it, I was not an easy seller.
When we sold our home in upstate, New York, I loved that house deeply. It was where our kids were little, where we made countless memories, and where life felt familiar and safe. Letting go of it was emotional long before the first showing ever happened. 
And honestly? I made it hard. I wanted at least 24 hours’ notice before anyone came through the door. I preferred showings only on certain days. I worried about the disruption, the timing, and the stress of it all. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t thinking much about the home buyer’s schedule. I was thinking about what was more convenient for me.
At the time, we had three young kids, a large dog (Teddy) that needed to be removed from the house, and a really angry cat (Kirby) who made his feelings known whenever we had to “stuff’ him in a crate. Keeping a home “show ready” with kids in the middle of daily life felt nearly impossible. Shoes by the door, toys scattered, dishes that seemed to reappear the moment I turned my back. The idea of short-notice showings felt overwhelming.
So I set rules. Boundaries. Limitations. Now, years later, as a Realtor in Harford County, I look back on that experience with a completely different lens.
I understand why access matters. I see how home buyers move quickly, often fitting showings in between work, school pickups, and weekend obligations. I know that when a home is difficult to see, buyers will sometimes move on.
But here’s the thing I want today’s sellers to know: I also understand why flexibility can feel so hard.
Selling a home isn’t just a transaction. It’s your real life on display. It’s nap schedules, pets, messes, and routines being interrupted. It’s emotional. It’s exhausting. And for families especially, it can feel like chaos.
The goal isn’t perfection. And it isn’t pushing yourself beyond what’s realistic.
The goal is balance.
When I work with sellers now, I don’t come in with rigid expectations or one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, we talk honestly. What feels doable? What are the non-negotiables? Where can we stretch a little without making life miserable?
Sometimes that means building in extra prep strategies. Sometimes it means carving out certain windows that work best. And yes, sometimes it means having real conversations about how increasing availability can directly impact interest and results.
There’s room for empathy and strategy to coexist.
If you’re selling a home right now and feeling overwhelmed, I see you. I’ve been there. I was that seller. And that experience has shaped how I guide my clients today.
You don’t have to do this perfectly. You just don’t have to do it alone.