Tips for Seniors Selling Their Homes
Selling your home can be stressful at any time of life, but for seniors there’s often additional anxiety. For many older adults, moving requires downsizing. And it often marks a transition out of the family home, which can bring up the feelings of sadness, fear, and excitement that accompany the ending of one chapter of life and the beginning of a new one. But there are ways for seniors selling their homes to make the transition easier. Here’s how:
Tip #1: Get Financial Advice
Selling your home may affect your taxes and your financial position. Your accountant or financial advisor can help you plan for the tax consequences or the impact on your income. If you’re planning to use the profits from selling your house to help pay for senior living, make sure you understand how much you’ll need and how the process works to ensure that you’re financially ready for the move.
Tip #2: Hire a Trustworthy Real Estate Agent
Much stress can be alleviated by working with a real estate agent who knows the current local housing market and has a practiced eye for improving a home’s resale value. If you don’t have a real estate agent in mind, ask friends and family for referrals. Meet with potential candidates before you hire them to see if they are someone you’ll enjoy working with. Consider asking them if they have previous experience working with seniors selling their homes — an agent who understands the unique issues older adults face will likely be a sympathetic and insightful advisor.
Tip #3: Make a Plan
Making a to-do list and a timeline can help you stay organized and on track. Your real estate agent can help you make your list. Remember to break tasks down into small, manageable steps to prevent becoming overwhelmed, and give you a sense of accomplishment when you cross items off your list. And unless you’re under a deadline, build plenty of time into your schedule. There’s no need to make the process more stressful with unnecessary time constraints.
Tip #4: Deal with Clutter
It doesn’t take long for stuff — the stack of papers you keep meaning to file, the catalogs you want to leaf through, the old toaster that doesn’t work well but you keep it just in case — to accumulate. Start clearing clutter early. There will be less to pack later and a clutter-free home will be more appealing to potential buyers. Many real estate agents also recommend depersonalizing your home, so pack away family photos and special collections to create a more neutral space in which potential buyers can envision living.
Tip #5: Deep Clean
It can be easy to ignore dust and grime when it’s our own, but potential buyers will be more drawn to a tidy home that looks and smells clean. If you’re not up for washing windows, vacuuming under the couch and refrigerator, and dusting light fixtures, consider hiring a cleaning service. Having a spick-and-span home is an important part of making a good first impression.
Tip #6: Refurbish and Repair
Now’s the time to fix the slow-draining sink and the gouges in the drywall. Fresh paint in neutral colors can be a cost-effective way to refresh your home’s look. Don’t forget to boost your home’s curb appeal, as well. New house numbers, a lawn that’s mowed and edged, trimmed shrubs, and cheerful annuals in planters can add fresh charm to your home’s look. Your real estate agent can help you make a list of the repairs and improvements that will have the most impact.
Tip #7: Hire Professional Movers
After all the effort and elbow grease required to sell your house, consider making moving day a little easier for yourself. Letting professionals do the packing and moving can spare you — and any friends and family you enlist in the effort — from stress and sore muscles. Ask your real estate agent or friends for recommendations.
Tip #8: Let Us Help
We can’t spruce up your current home or sell it for you, but Cypress Village can help ensure that you breathe a deep sigh of contented satisfaction when you settle into your new senior living home. Whether you envision your new life in a studio apartment or multi-bedroom Fairway home, at Cypress Village you’ll find all the pleasures of maintenance-free living in lovely surroundings. And with our fitness center, swimming pool, putting green and dog park, you — and your four-legged friend — can be as active as you want to be. Plus, we offer Life Care, so you’ll have access to a continuum of on-site long-term care should your health care needs change. Check out our floor plans to see which suits your style and contact us today to find out more about everything Cypress Village has to offer.
