By Stephanie Burrows, Allen Tate Realtors
You have been thinking it’s time, time to downsize, time to transition to independent living or assisted living or maybe even memory care. But how do you do this? It’s like eating an elephant and when you do eat an elephant, it’s one bite at a time.
Your first step is to come to terms with it. Embrace it, it will be hard, and it will at times be overwhelming. You need to have a plan, determine a course of action and set a destination. You know it will be this year, and at the end of the rainbow, I am living with my family, friends, a senior living community, a smaller home, whatever it is. We will work together as a team and develop a plan.
Did you move here for a spouse? You enjoyed the weather? A job? Has that all changed, and you are now here wanting to be close to your kids and grandkids? There are so many reasons why we as seniors don’t move once established and for my parents, a big reason why is that they like their doctors. They don’t want to change AGAIN!
In order to start we put together a plan, one as simple as a piece of paper that outlines what you need to do to get to your goal by the end of the year, or whatever timeframe you choose.
- What do I need to do today and every month to get me closer to that goal and maintain some free time spent with family and friends?
- We will determine what personal belongings you want to keep; give to family and those things you will either sell or donate. Have you talked to your family about these items? Do they want them?
- Do you have firearms and/or ammunition that you want to give to a family member? There is a lot of paperwork, and you need to start immediately to get it done and done the correct, legal way.
- Do you have a garage full of tools because you are a mechanic? Who can benefit? Who would be a buyer? There are plenty of places to help Veterans or homeless get back on their feet.
- Did you have a great business or a hobby as a baker? Canner? All those things could be donated to someone that wants to follow the same path or they can be sold. But you need to start working on it today.
- We will do a home assessment. You may have been living here for 20+ years and it’s become very comfortable. We will start working on a plan to get your home ready to sell, as well as any antiques, etc. that you want to sell because a 1- or 2-day estate sale may not bring you what you want.
- You’ve been living in the house for so long and have put up with its charm. For others there may be repairs that have not been taken care of. Can you afford to clean the carpet, or have it replaced?
- Things like that – how do you get your house ready for sale and how do I get myself ready for this next step?
Regardless of how overwhelming this is, if we start with some basic things, a basic plan and then work through it slowly and fill in the blanks, it will be a little easier.
Call me, your real estate advisor, your Seniors Real Estate Specialist, and your teammate that is with you from start to finish: (224-639-7653).
