Saying Goodbye

“He makes his home where the living is best.”

At the end there’s a rush of details. Papers to sign. Cobwebs to clear. Straggler coat hangers in the closet. Keys that need labeling and winnowing.

The focus is on vacating, and on where you’ll be living next. So it’s easy to forget that the house you just sold was also your home.

Home is where life happens. The eating, sleeping and teeth-brushing. The naps and TV-watching. The wakeful nights and arguments. The birthday parties, flus, Thanksgiving dinners and baby’s first steps.

In my role as Realtor, I do the marketing, negotiate the terms, cinch up the contracts and usher everyone through escrow to closing. Also, whenever possible, I like to help people create a ritual for saying goodbye.

In the midst of packing and moving, it can be difficult to convince partners and kids to stop and mark the occasion. So it helps to have a third party (me) facilitate it.

It can be something simple. Maybe I snap your photo in front of the house. Or we walk through and recount happy memories, room by room. Or we burn some sage. Or we invite neighbors and the new owners over for wine and hors d’ouevres.

The exact details don’t matter because – in this case – it’s the thought that counts. When we’re saying goodbye to your property, I’ll work with you to design a perfect closing ritual.

Cynthia Cummins is a Top Producer and Partner at McGuire. For info on SF real estate visit http://CynthiaCummins.com. This article was re-posted at McGuire.com.