For most homeowners, selling a home feels less like a straightforward transaction and more like taking on a second job. A job that doesn’t just demand your money but also your most precious resource: time. In fact, according to recent data, selling a home can consume over a third of your waking hours, turning your life upside down.
So, if you’re wondering how to sell a home without sacrificing your personal time (or sanity), keep reading.
The “Home Move Tax”
We all know time is valuable. Between work, family, and personal commitments, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Opendoor surveyed 1,000 recent home buyers and sellers to understand the true cost of time—of “Home Move Tax”—lost during the traditional real estate process. Here’s what they found:
71% of Americans say selling a home feels like a second job. This isn’t surprising when you consider everything involved, from cleaning and staging to repairs and showings.
Employed sellers are losing PTO and work time. The report estimates that Americans lose over $430 million in missed work time just preparing their homes to sell.
Quiet moving is on the rise. 13% of respondents admitted to taking time off work, without their employer knowing, to deal with moving tasks.
Selling a home can also take a toll on your well-being, with 85% of sellers reporting they lost sleep worrying about the sale. Here’s what kept them up at night:
Offer falling through: 41%
Saying “bye” to my home: 37%
Offer acceptance: 36%
Home prep for listing: 36%
Leaving memories behind: 32%
Managing repairs: 32%