5 Things to Know Before Retiring & Selling Your Home

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance that you’ve recently made a very big decision — you’re getting ready for retirement! Making the move to a retirement living community like Viamonte at Walnut Creek represents the next exciting chapter of your life — so how do you prepare for it? Once you’ve made the choice to move, the next step is selling your home. While the initial urge may be to sell it as quickly as possible in order to pay the entry fee into your new community, what’s most important is doing what’s needed to get the most out of your sale. If that means applying for a bridge loan, or possibly moving first and then selling, then consider those kinds of options.  As with any move, this can be a process that involves several steps. What sets this move apart, however, is that now you must consider how to downsize for retirement. Don’t worry though, downsizing for retirement is actually a highly worthwhile opportunity to clear out some of the items you no longer need so you can enjoy all of the things and people that truly matter most. Of course, downsizing is only one of several steps you’ll need to take when selling your home. There are a number of things you’ll want to consider and do before you put your house up for sale. That’s why we’ve put together this helpful list of five things realtors and industry experts suggest doing before that FOR SALE sign hits your lawn.

HAVE THE FAMILY TALK

Whether you’re making the decision to move to a Life Plan Community on your own, or you’re a child trying to convince a parent that it’s the right choice, communication with family during the moving process is vital. If there are questions, sit down as a family and compare retirement plans to get a clearer picture of why a community like Viamonte at Walnut Creek is the right choice. With everyone on the same page, taking the next steps toward selling your home will be that much easier.

FIND THE RIGHT REALTOR

You’re going to need expert help to sell your home while getting ready for retirement. The right realtor can take care of all the marketing and money questions while you focus on downsizing and thinking of all the things you’re going to love about retirement living. When choosing your realtor, start by looking at their web presence. Do they have their own website or are they listed on a larger corporate page? With buyers finding more than 75% of properties online, being active on the web is a must for successful realtors. For this particular type of move, consider a seniors real estate specialist (SRES). They’ve had specific training in addressing seniors’ real estate needs. SRES realtors also have a large network of real estate attorneys, financial planners and accountants that you can connect with to answer any other questions related to your upcoming move.

UNDERSTAND THE AREA

Getting to know your market means taking a look at which types of homes have sold most recently and at what price. Your realtor can help with this step by showing you comparable listings to your own home and suggesting the best steps to take in order to find similar success. Luckily, there’s also lots of local market info that is freely available online so you can get a sense of what your house is worth. Websites like realtor.com can show you local trends, including your city’s median listing price, median closing price, and the average price per square foot. 

PREPARE YOUR HOME

When you start downsizing for retirement, it’s important to start early. Packing up your home will take time and effort, so get a head start and pack less-important items sooner rather than later. This not only gives you more valuable time to arrange for larger items, it also helps declutter so your realtor can start staging your home for sale. Next, a full floor-to-ceiling cleaning will make your home shine like it did when you first moved in many years ago. It may even be worth applying a fresh coat of paint to a couple of your walls, or tackling some of the repairs that have gone unattended for too long. And of course, you can’t forget about curb appeal. Make sure that your home makes a great first impression by exercising your green thumb.

TAKE PANDEMIC PRECAUTIONS

As with nearly every part of life, COVID-19 has drastically altered the way people buy and sell homes. Technology has completely transformed how homes are viewed, with many buyers preferring to take virtual tours and 3D walkthroughs. Online notaries are now able to close on properties remotely and home inspections can be done virtually. Talk to your realtor about all the ways they can help you adapt to the new real estate reality. If you’re ready to start making the move toward selling your home and transitioning to senior living, consider Viamonte at Walnut Creek. Here, you can enjoy the active and inspiring lifestyle you desire, with fine dining, world-class fitness and incredible amenities. Learn more about what you can expect at Viamonte by contacting us at 925-621-6600. We are happy to answer any questions you may have, and to arrange for you to visit our Preview Center and model home. Visit our website to learn more about your options.