As real estate agents, we have had the privilege of helping quite a few older couples move into either smaller homes or independent living facilities. In this process, we have learned quite a few lessons.
Here are 5 things to consider when relocating your elderly parents and family:
1: Begin the sorting/organization process early: Most of the people I have worked with have lived in their homes for quite some time, and have been fortunate to acquire quite a lot of extremely memorable items. By going through this process early, you allow them to have those memories without the stress of a time pressure.
2: Begin the packing early: Many of the items that they have had packed away will need to be packed up again and put in a safe place until it’s time to move. But by getting these items all ready will give them the peace of mind that they are not forgetting something. This becomes hard when you are dealing with memory loss as well, but if you can create signs so they know they have already done those boxes, it is helpful to them for peace of mind.
3: Begin to purge early: This is when it starts to get really hard, so the best advice I can give is to be patient! They will most likely want to tell you stories about all the items and they will get sentimental and possibly begin to get angry. This process might have to happen multiple times, depending on how attached to the items they are, and how much they have too. Listening and understanding is very important, however, this too is when you might have to start piles so they can see all the items they need to give away/donate.
4: Stage the home: Many of the people that I have met cannot move until they sell their home, so the process of staging the home is very important. This does not mean that someone else’s furniture has to be brought in. This can be done with their furniture. Many begin to feel that their home is not theirs anymore because much of their belongings come down and get packed away. This is hard at first, but the moving process becomes much easier. If they have lived in their home for a while, much of what they have put out to display will need to come down so that potential buyers can view the home freely and without distraction.
5: Move them if possible: The process of selling a home is very stressful and having people in & out of your home is hard. It’s important for the seller to leave the home when it’s being shown and many times the elderly can’t, either they don’t drive, or they really just don’t want to. If this is the case for me, I will not allow anyone to enter the home without me being present. I just want to make sure of a couple of things, not that I don’t love talking with my clients, but the buyers coming to view the home are usually on a schedule. And never wanting to be rude, will stay and talk with them instead of looking at the home. This immediately puts us as a seller behind the 8 ball, and often times I am working on a specific timeline to get the home sold.
In Scottsdale AZ we are fortunate to have quite a few amazing Independent Living Facilities. We invite you to check them out.
Here is a recent testimonial we received from a client specifically about helping them with the move of their parents.
“In 2012, after 20 years of living in their home at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, my parents decided to sell their house and move into a retirement community. After interviewing many realtors, they decided to work with Christina Catalano from the Angels RE Group, a decision they never regretted.
Christina was always prepared and knew the local real estate market in detail. She answered all of my parents’ questions with patience, and took whatever time was needed to discuss the issues that were important to them. Just as importantly, Christina was empathetic and sensitive to the significance of this move to my parents. Her kindness and understanding went a long way towards easing the transition for my mother and father as she walked them through a major event in their lives. Even after they sold their house and relocated, my parents looked at Christina as a friend, a feeling that continues to this day.” – Nick Manzella
We invite you to read other testimonials, and contact us at the Angels RE Group if you find that you might soon be in the process of relocating your elderly or aging family members. We are happy to work with you in this process to make this as smooth of a transition as possible.
