Have you lived in your house for 20, 30, 40 years or more? Are there rooms or entire floors that you no longer use or need? Are there maintenance or repair items that should be addressed, but you don't have the funds or want to spend what is needed for those items?
These are common concerns home owners think when they are considering selling their house and downsizing. Like with any important decision, you need to educate yourself as best you can on this important life change, take time to digest the information, and study all of your available options. Selling a house and moving to a smaller home, apartment, or other senior living arrangement provides new opportunities as well as potential challenges.
Questions You May Be Asking
Just some of the questions you may be asking are: Where will I go? What are the best living arrangements for my current as well as future needs? What are the financial limitations or benefits with a move? Is your present or future health condition a concern? What items do I want or can I take with me? How much is my house worth in its present condition? What repairs and maintenance items need to be addressed to make the house more sellable, and what are the costs of those?
Is It Time To Sell Your House and Downsize?
Only you can answer the above question. One of the primary items to consider is whether your house is too large, or is just not the best housing option for your current or future needs.
Has the death of a spouse made you ask if now's the time to move? This can certainly occur after the loss of a loved one.
Has your house become too much of a burden? Has navigating stairs become a challenge or a danger to your health?
Are there repairs or deferred maintenance that needs to be addressed? Ignoring these items will not make them go away. You may no longer want to take on the do it yourself projects that you once did. These items may not be possible because of your current finances, or you just don't want to spend the money on them.
Is the condition of your health pushing you to move in with an adult child or move to an apartment community with healthcare options available for current and future needs? This can often be a factor in determining that it is indeed time to make the move to a better living arrangement, and be able to enjoy life more!
If an adult child worried that you're no longer safe in your house and would like you in a living arrangement better suited for your needs?
Would you like to stay in your house if you didn't have to worry about repairs, maintenance items, or outside tasks like mowing the lawn and scooping snow? There are options available that will allow you to stay in your house and not have to worry about those items.
Items to Consider Before Selling Your House and Downsizing
Some things to consider before selling your house and downsizing include: The timeline you are working with in regards to when you'd like to move, your current health, do you want or need to move sooner than later, and other factors such as what type and cost of living accommodations do you want to move to, and what items do you wish to take with you.
Choosing The Best Real Estate Professional
The right real estate professional can be a great asset in the process of selling a house and downsizing. They should have the experience in assisting home owners that have your unique needs when selling a house and downsizing or moving to senior living.
Most importantly, they should be able to offer multiple solutions to accommodate your needs and desires to get your house sold. Someone that I consider a Total Solutions Agent™.
The best real estate professional is someone that can offer or facilitate a direct sale of your house in its current "as is" condition and assist with your transition to a new home or other senior living arrangement, as well as being able to market your house in a traditional manner.
Selling to a direct home buyer can be a great solution if you don't want to show your house, have strangers in and out of your house, do updates and repairs that you would not prefer to do or just don't want to spend the money on, or don't want to deal with the "catch 22" of selling your house before you know you can move into your new home or apartment, or moving and worrying about a vacant house.
A direct home buyer may also be a good solution in situations where adult children, who live out of the area, are tasked with getting a parent or loved one into a senior living arrangement, and do not have the time or ability to get a house into show ready condition, especially if the house needs repairs and maintenance or is a hoarder situation.
Listing and putting your house on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) may be the best solution if you don't mind those items mentioned above, and want or need to maximize the value from your house. Listing your house will expose your property to the market of buyers and their agents that are looking to purchase a home. Current market conditions will dictate how easy or challenging selling your house in this manner will be.
The best solution to sell your house typically comes down to the benefits a direct home buying company or real estate agent provides and the value you place on those benefits.
Additional Resources To Serve You
The best real estate professionals will also have additional resources available to make the transition from your house to a new home or apartment as stress and hassle free as possible.
Providing "concierge like" services with connecting you with a move manager and/or moving company and possibly a "placement agent" that can discuss your needs of a new home or apartment community, can make the transition much easier.
Are You Ready See If Selling Your House And Downsizing Is Right For You?
If you're ready to see if selling your house and downsizing is right for you, just know that there are many resources available, starting with contacting us at Home Downsizing Solutions!
