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Getting Your Elderly Parent’s Home Ready For Sale

Wednesday April 29, 2020

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No matter the reason for selling, selling an elderly parent’s home can be a difficult and emotionally fraught decision. Sheryl Maciel, an agent with Woolcott Real Estate (and an Accredited Senior’s Agent!), shares her top tips to make this process as easy possible for all involved!

Patience Is Key

When someone chooses to move out of their family home when they’re older, it is usually a very emotional time for them. For the elderly family member, it may be very difficult to give up mobility or independence and all of the memories that they have in this home!

Give them the time they need to decide on their next move. If they need to look at old photos and reminisce, allowing them to do so in their own time will make the process easier for all. Discussing the various options for their next home is also key.

Work With An Experienced Real Estate Agent

Once the decision has been made to sell, look for an agent who is an Accredited Seniors Agent. As it can be a sensitive time for all parties involved, a realtor will be a non-biased third party to help you make logical decisions and will provide the resources and support needed.

Pricing The Home To Sell

The third step is to determine the asking price. Your real estate agent will share comparable sales to help determine what the home should be listed for. This will also help you and your parents determine if their future plans are affordable.

Prepping For Sale

Fourth is actually getting the home ready for sale. Look for any visual deficiencies in the home and get them fixed. This can include some painting, steam cleaning carpets and giving the home a very deep clean. It is not the time to be doing renovations. Decluttering and removing personal effects, such as family photos, is integral for making it easy for potential buyers to visualize themselves in the space. Finally, work with a team that incorporates staging into their process as it will help modernize the home and get it photo ready.

Going Live with Marketing

The last step is putting the home on MLS and marketing it for sale. There will be many people coming in and out of the home for showings which can be emotional and exhausting for seniors. Sheryl says she always talk with the family and homeowners to discuss the various options to deal with showings such as having them live with a family member while their home is up for sale. Her goal is to make it as easy as possible for them.

 

If you’d like more information on helping your parents or an elderly family member get their home ready for sale, please call us at 905 332 9223 or click here to book an appointment with a member of Woolcott Real Estate.

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