Selling Your Home: A Smooth Transition to Senior Living

Letting go of a home we know and love can be difficult regardless of why we're taking a new step. We sometimes outgrow what a home can offer us. For older adults, moving into a new phase of life offering more support than they're able to get at home can be exciting. Of course, it's often necessary to sell a family home first. That's exactly what we're going to discuss here. 

Selling a home as a senior can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, a little preparation can ease worries and anxiety. With San Diego continually ranking as one of the country's hottest real estate markets, you'll need to be properly prepared because things could move quickly once you list your home. Here's a guide to getting ready to sell a house for seniors.

Start by creating a timeline in your mind. How soon would you like to make the transition to new housing? Consider when your ideal time to move might be. Fortunately, seniors in Southern California don't necessarily have to time their moves with the seasons because there's no worry about having to load a moving truck in the snow or ice. However, you might consider avoiding a move during the hottest period of the year if you plan to do most of the moving yourself.

Your timeline can also be influenced by the size of your current home. For a senior who is moving out of a long-beloved family home that is packed with decades of furniture and memories, it may take longer to move. Consider hosting an estate sale or tag sale a few months before you expect to list the home to begin getting it cleared out for showings. In addition to making your home more appealing to buyers, a decluttered home will also speed up the actual moving process. This is also the time to start getting quotes from moving companies. You can also consider hiring a professional cleaner to "deep clean" your home's floors, tile, grout, and other areas prone to grime to make your home more appealing to buyers. When transitioning to assisted living from a scaled-down home purchased after retirement, less time is needed to clean up and clear out!

Once you've decided on a timeline for selling, it's time to put things in motion by contacting a real estate agent. Using an agent will help you to get the best price for your home. The right agent will also save you money by helping to speed up the closing process. Start your search for a good real estate agent in San Diego by asking neighbors, friends, and family members for recommendations. You can also use Google reviews and other review platforms for reviews and ratings.

If you've followed the tip in the first section to declutter your home by hosting an estate sale or simply cleaning things out, you'll be in a good place to have professional photos of your house taken by your agent or a professional photographer. These photos are critical for getting showings booked once your home is posted online. In addition, your agent will be able to move forward with hosting an open house if that's something you're comfortable doing. Of course, it's very likely that your real estate agent will suggest making some small updates or staging your home. Some tips might include:

• Removing personal photos from the home. Buyers like to picture themselves in a home without feeling like it still "belongs" to someone else.
• Removing evidence of pets. If you have dogs or cats, it's generally recommended that they aren't home during showings. Additionally, removing pet dander, pet toys, and food and water dishes can help to avoid hesitations buyers might feel. Arrange to have a family member or friend watch your pet during showings if necessary. You may also be able to utilize a local pet daycare or pet-sitting service.
• Repair any dents in the wall, chipped baseboards, or other cosmetic issues.
• If you have bold colors on your walls, consider repainting with more neutral colors.
• Consider refreshing lighting to make a home brighter.
• Organize closets to make them appear more spacious.

It's also possible that your home requires more than cosmetic fixes to be marketable. Your real estate agent will factor in your home's condition when helping you decide on pricing. However, some issues may make your home impossible to sell because it won't pass inspection. If there are any structural issues or code violations at your home, you may need to take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to address repairs and renovations before you can list your home. If this is the case, get multiple estimates from local contractors before booking a job.

How will you know if your home needs work before it can be sold? Get a pre-sale home inspection from a San Diego home inspection company. If your inspection comes back clean, you even use it as a selling point! Clear inspection reports boost buyer confidence when offers are being made. A typical inspection covers your home's foundation, structure, attic, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC system. If you decide that there are repairs worth making, you can attach proof of those updates to the report for buyers to see. Your real estate agent will be a great resource for doing a cost analysis on which repairs or updates provide return on investment (ROI) vs. which ones can be skipped.

If it's been a long time since you last bought or sold a home, you may need a refresher on the steps needed. Here's a look at the home-selling process:

• Set an asking price with help from your agent.
• Consider hiring a lawyer to represent you at closing. This can help to protect your best interests.
• Create an estimate of your seller closing costs to ensure you're budgeting for closing day.
• Gather documents in preparation for closing. This can include your original purchase contract, certificate of occupancy, surveys, mortgage documents, tax records, appraisal records, and proof homeowners insurance.
• Let buyers book showings with your agent. You'll need to make plans to be able to leave the house on short notice.
• When an offer comes in, you'll work with your agent to negotiate the best deal possible.
• You may need to make updates or improvements as part of negotiation. You'll have a specific timeline to follow before the offer expires.
• Clear the title to ensure there are no claims on your property.
• Fulfill all of your closing obligations.

Remember that you don't have to take every offer that's submitted. You can look at the strength of the buyer's offer, requested seller concessions, and other factors when making your decision. Finally, remember that saying goodbye to a home is really saying "yes" to a safer, more supported way of life right here in San Diego! Properly preparing to sell your home can help you maximize return on investment to get an offer that allows you to confidently move forward to your next phase.