Last month’s article dealt with the question of selling your home ‘as is’ or fixing/updating the property prior to marketing the property. The answer requires proper pricing and dealing with structural defects if selling ‘as is’. If you are looking for the best possible price, then updating should be done throughout the home. Proper preparation must involve an expert such as a real estate professional to help decide which path is best for you.

This month’s article deals with the interactions between child and parent when confronted with the parent’s home sale, after many years in the home. I will discuss the observations I have made after guiding hundreds of families through the process of selling.

The call comes in and on the other end is a stressed voice asking for a sympathetic ear. The voice asks for direction and hope in a situation that many times may feel (more…)

Our parents have decided to sell the family home. It’s just not fair. We as children (and we are always someone’s child no matter what our age), never want to see our childhood home sold to someone or some family who have no idea of the history of this bastion of emotion.

This is the case for so many of us. We just assumed mom and dad would never sell the home that provided our safety and happiness for so many years. Well, like the inevitable change of seasons, the time has come for a major change in our parent’s lives as well as the children of seniors. Like any change, how we get through it will depend on the way in which we choose to view this event.

This is the time to put mom and dad’s self interests first. In many cases, it is only mom or only dad now, and just think of how difficult this decision is for a single spouse or couple. This decision had been a labored one, involving many days of anguish and uncertainty. This is the time to put your feelings aside, and think of the (more…)

When making the most important decisions of our lives, who do we count on to give us the very best advice?  Think back, look over the course of your life and highlight the moments when decisions had to be made. Does there seem to be a pattern as to who helped you the most with the most difficult decisions you were impelled to make?

The decision to move to a new home, whether it would be a senior community, a senior apartment complex, a condominium, or another single family home, may be one of the most difficult thought provoking times of your life. My experience in working with thousands of seniors who have lived in their homes for many years, has led me to the belief that one needs to consult with others who can give objective and intelligent advice when making important life changing decisions.

When looking back at your life, you relied on many people for advice. Some had an agenda, some cared about you but too many past scars or negative experiences tainted their advice given. Some didn’t fully grasp the significance of the decision from your perception. But there were a very few that always seemed to be correct in their predictions. They seemed to have that extra sensory perception as to what the outcome of your decision would be. That is the person or people you need to express your feelings and desires and wishes as to your possible move to new housing.

Once you have established who these people are, these pundits, you should write down a list of (more…)