Selling parents house - need to sell but can't let go

[Chizzyfizzy]

What it says really. Agreed sale on mom and dad's house. I don't want to live there and don't want to let it out. But the thought of not being able to ever go there again is making me so sad. Will this pass and why am I feeling like this? It's just a house that I haven't lived in for 30 years. It's really getting me down and I feel like I'm going through bereavement all over again.

Has anyone else been through this? How did you cope?

I had to do this and also found it very hard, it was the house I grew up in and my parents had lived there for over 40 years. I did take lots of photos and videos before I left, and have some of my parents’ things from it around me.

The best thing I told myself was that houses shouldn’t be sad and empty and that a new family would cherish the house, create their own memories there and make it come alive again. I was also happy that the people who bought it seemed nice and i thought my parents would approve.

In one way I’d love to see what the house is like now, but I haven’t been past it since when i’ve visited my home town as I think I’d still feel like it was ‘my’ house and I should be able to just walk in.

I hear ya!
However after losing both mum and dad within 4 months, my brother and I along with help from family cleared their beautiful but far too full of antiques and tat in equal measure, we completed on the sale 5 weeks ago.

I did feel some closure though my new home is full of little reminders of them in every room.

I miss them dreadfully and I miss visiting their home. Even though they had died, I still shouted ‘Hi Mum and Dad, I’m here’ each time I went to clear things.

It ‘does’ feel as if I’m moving on but time will tell.

Good luck x x

I’m still struggling with the fact we sold my parent’s house last year. I live in the uk and family are all in Ireland and I miss just being able to go ‘home’. Even after Dad died in 2021 I went over often and found it very comforting to be there. Was tempted to buy my sisters out and keep it but it was an emotional want rather than a sensible decision so we decided against it. I would only live it if my DH passed as he wouldn’t want to live there.