As we grow older, the desire and sometimes need for a different and safer living arrangement increases. That new living arrangement may be a smaller home, moving in with a family member, apartment community, or other senior living arrangement. It may also include staying in the house we’re already living in, with some modifications to provide a better living environment.
If the decision is to sell your house and move, this article will cover the 5 critical steps needed to sell your house and downsize.
Assess Your Current Living Situation
Before looking for a new living arrangement, its important to assess your current situation, needs, and future needs if possible. Take a realistic look at your health, mobility, and any medical conditions that may require special care and attention. Do you need help with activities like bathing, dressing, or making meals? Do you need medication management or help with medical equipment?
Make a list of your needs and desires to help you determine what level of care you need now or may likely need in the future. This will help determine what type of living arrangement will be best for you.
Research Living Arrangement Options
Once you’ve determined your needs and preferences, you’ll be better prepared to research your living arrangement options. Is a smaller home or apartment community a good option? Or is a senior community, such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, or continuing care community (a community that have different levels of care that can adapt to your needs) a better option?
Look for a living arrangement or community that best fits your needs and preferences, that are hopefully located in areas that you want to be in, and are close to services that you want or will need. Often times, a knowledgeable senior placement agent can play an important role in helping locate a community that will fit your needs.
Preparing Your House For Sale
Typically, the next step is to get your house ready for sale. This can include decluttering (getting rid of the sometimes decades of “stuff” that has accumulated in the house), getting a whole house inspection to discover known and unknown issues with the house that potential buyers will discover, making any necessary repairs and updates the house may need, and making the house inviting to potential buyers.
“What do I do with the stuff” is usually the most common statement I hear. But taking care of the “stuff” and depersonalizing the house, so that the house is inviting to potential buyers are important steps when selling a house in a traditional manner.
If your house hasn’t been updated in the last several years, you may need to decide if you will need to find contractors to update the house to what most home buyers expect in the current market, or price the house accordingly if the repairs and updates are not done.
Locating The Right Real Estate Professional
I would recommend interviewing a few different real estate professionals to see what type of service is best for your specific situation. Note- a friend or relative that happens to have a real estate license may not be your best choice.
If your house is in great condition or you want and are able to get the house into a “nice” retail condition, and don’t mind showings with strangers in your house or the other potential challenges that can go along with Listing a house, a great real estate agent may be your best solution.
If you prefer to not do any repairs or updates, don’t want to handle or deal with the “stuff” that’s not important to you, don’t want to get and keep the house in show ready condition, don’t want strangers in your house, and want more control over the closing date and how long you can stay in the house, a trusted and experienced home buying company like Home Downsizing Solutions home buyers may be a great solution.
The Move To Your New Home
Once you have the sale of your house taken care of, its time to make the move!
You can start by creating a moving plan and schedule. This can include going through your house, room by room, and identifying the items you want to take with you and ensuring they will fit in your new accommodations. A senior moving/organizing company can help with sorting your “stuff” if needed.
If you have enough “good stuff” that you don’t want to take with you, you may want to contact a local estate sale company to monetize and get the most value from those items.
When it comes time to pack and move, you and your family will need to determine if you have the abilities and resources for these tasks, or if its best to contact a local move manager and moving company that are specialists when it comes to downsizing and moving to senior living.
And, don’t forget to notify utility companies, the post office, and others about the change in service and your new address.
Downsizing and moving to new accommodations may be challenging, but with the right guidance and resources, can be rewarding and result in a better and more enjoyable life and lifestyle.
For additional information on how to sell your house and downsize, just go to www.HomeDownsizingSolutions.com
