For the last few years, many homeowners have been keeping an eye on the real estate market and waiting for signs of improvement before considering a move. Newspaper headlines and TV reports scream doom and gloom but that data is generally compiled from broad regional and national markets and doesn’t always consider your local real estate market. There are many areas in which homes that are priced right and show well are selling quickly! However, there is no clear picture as to when there will be an overall upturn in the real estate and financial markets. This uncertainty has caused many to delay downsizing to a smaller home or settling into a retirement community. Often, ‘quality of life’ circumstances may dictate that your need to make a lifestyle change now may be of greater importance than the current real estate climate.

Selling Your Home: Is Waiting the Right Choice?

You may still be living in the home you purchased years ago to be in a particular school district or close to your employment. Ask yourself if the lifestyle you seek includes the burden of homeownership such as maintenance plus paying for ever-increasing taxes. What about transportation, food shopping and preparation? Snow! Healthcare?

Health is a major consideration. If you are considering a move to a CCRC and you qualify for independent living now, will you qualify in a few years? You may not feel “ready” but life changes can occur suddenly. How do you value the security of being settled and having the sale of your house behind you?

If it’s time for you or an aging loved one to move don’t compromise your safety and security. Selling your home may not be as hard as you think.

Determine your next steps

Meet with your family and other trusted sources to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of moving now. Remember, waiting for next spring does not guarantee a better market; it simply means you’re waiting. No one knows what the future holds. If the information on the table indicates it’s time to move, then don’t hesitate. Sit down with a senior real estate specialist, develop a plan and get moving.

Hire a Realtor that Specializes in Working with Seniors

The Senior Real Estate Specialist, SRES®, designation is offered to Realtors through the National Association of Realtors. SRES designees are real estate agents that specialize in senior needs and can ease the transition by having years of experience in helping seniors downsize. They can help you explore your housing options, use their expertise and industry knowledge to provide an honest assessment of your property and make suggestions for improving its saleability. They will develop a pricing and marketing strategy and use their team of resources to sell your home for the most money and get you moved with the least stress. www.sres.org

The Society of Certified Senior Advisors offers the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) designation. This designation is available to anyone who offers professional services to seniors. The CSA requirements are more comprehensive and rigorous than the SRES requirements. In addition the designee is required to undergo ongoing ethics education and must commit to ongoing volunteer hours working with seniors. www.society-csa.com

The process of downsizing and selling the family home is often overwhelming, even for those with a background in the moving industry. A real estate broker for 25 years, Carol Fine, and her husband, Richard, wanted to make a quick move from their five-bedroom house three years ago, and with the help of Downsize, Etc., they were able to do just that.

Married for 53 years, the Fines have two children. While Richard enjoys playing golf and swimming, Carol can often be seen sewing or settling down with her latest read.

It was when she was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s that they decided it was time to make the transition and ended up selling their home within a few weeks. “We couldn’t do it ourselves. It was just so overwhelming to stand there and figure out what to take or sell,” she said.

Fortunately, she was introduced to Nancy Malphrus and Bart Goldstein of Downsize, Etc., a company that specializes in real estate, liquidation and design. “Nancy came over and knew what we needed to do,” said Carol. “I was extremely impressed with her presentation and guidelines for downsizing.”

The couple then visited their future two-bedroom apartment with Bart, who drew up a diagram, factoring in the particular furniture they wanted to take.

“They recommended a moving company that was terrific,” said Carol. “It was also a very controlled environment as they limited the number of people who could go through the house.”

Not only were their valuables properly cared for and secure, but the Fines’ home was left spotless. According to Carol, Bart and Nancy made all of the arrangements for selling or donating the remainder of the couple’s belongings while Bart helped decorate their apartment.

Since their move, the Fines have continually stayed in touch with the organization and do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone they know considering a move.

“Being in real estate for so many years I know how much is involved and you just can’t make a move like that on your own,” said Carol. “The process for us was absolutely seamless — it was a dream.”

The Capozzis had a busy and fun-loving life. Frank worked for 26 years as a postal carrier and always enjoyed meeting people along his 300 stop route. Sally stayed home to raise the children, but when their youngest went to school, she took a job at Paxon Hollow Middle School. Sally loved to cook and they enjoyed entertaining their family including six grandchildren and many friends in their home.

Recently, between the challenges of climbing stairs, shopping, housekeeping and meal preparation, the Capozzis felt it was time for a lifestyle change. After Frank fell, their daughters encouraged them to move to a community that would provide one floor living, meals, transportation and social activities. The Capozzis considered several communities and were most impressed by Maris Grove in Glen Mills, Pa., a newer and conveniently located community near their eldest daughter, Denise and her husband.

It was time to sell their home of over 50 years. Fortunately, their son-in-law Stan, who had just retired, immersed himself in the business of getting the house shipshape. All three daughters pitched in, including Judy and Janet who live in California.

To market and sell their home, Frank and Sally selected the
Prudential Fox & Roach Team of Diane Krause and Angela Berke who are Senior Real Estate Specialists (SRES). Diane and Angela recommended some minor landscaping for curb appeal and staged the house with furniture and accessories to complement the Capozzis’ décor as well as lighten, brighten and contemporize the look of the home.

The house was sold within two weeks. Frank and Sally appreciated Angela and Diane’s hands-on approach which included experience in negotiation and helping the Capozzis overcome township inspection requirements and meet an imposing 30-day settlement during one of the worst Philadelphia winters.

Frank and Sally are relieved and delighted to be at Maris Grove where they are making friends, volunteering their time for interesting causes and going back to their roots with their involvement with the Italian American Club and Veterans Club.

Over the years, the mother of three worked a variety of jobs from retail to human resources. One she truly enjoyed, however, was later in life at a dating service when she returned to the working world after dealing with a health concern.

“I wanted to go back to work doing something that was fun and it gave me all the social contact I needed, which made me very happy,” said Lee.

It was four years ago that she and her husband decided to downsize from their longtime family home.

At the recommendation of her realtor nephew, she met with Shirley Matlock, a certified Senior Real Estate Specialist with RE/MAX Advantage Realty. During their discussion, Lee heard everything she needed to and was told exactly what measures to take in terms of the staging of her home.

“Shirley sold our home so quickly, in about four or five days,” said Lee. “I was just thrilled with her and her service; I will consider her my friend for the rest of my life.”

Apart from the quick sale of her home, Lee was happy to have found an individual that was genuinely interested in listening to what she wanted and needed while making it all possible.

“We told her what we needed to get for the house because we were moving into a Continuing Care Retirement Community,” said Lee. “She was able to help us fulfill that desire and then some.”

And with the quick sell of their home, the Hughletts were able to make their move and be within close distance of their daughter.

Though her husband of 60 years has since passed, Lee continues to live at Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster where she enjoys playing games and taking advantage of the wellness center as well as the wonderful library on campus. Between walking, tending to her bird sanctuary and enjoying numerous daytrips, she has plenty of opportunities to always be on the go.

Lee also receives visits from her children every so often and of course keeps in touch with the friend she made four years ago whom she continues to recommend to others.

“Shirley has been in constant touch, it’s a great relationship we have,” said Lee. “She stays current in her field and is just genuine, honest and caring.”

Bill, who plays Southern Appalachian banjo and Fritzi, the mountain fiddle, met with their instruments and have been musical and life partners ever since. They have played internationally and toured festivals in North Carolina and West Virginia. For many years, they held lively Friday night jam sessions every week in their spacious Bryn Mawr home.

For 35 years, Bill Wisdom was a professor of Philosophy at Temple University. The prolific and artful writer published several articles as well as a textbook entitled Deductive Logic.

A registered nurse, Fritzi Wisdom was last employed as a Psychiatric Nurse, but worked in other nursing disciplines including as a school nurse at the Devereaux Foundation in Devon.

Married in 1984, the Wisdoms have three children and four grandchildren. Also an avid gardener, Fritzi earned her backyard a National Wildlife Habitat certification and is a member of the local Nature Conservancy.

Eventually, though, it became clear that the upkeep for their large home was more than they wished to handle and they decided it was time to move to a more secure, less demanding environment. In January 2008, they joined some good friends at Martins Run.

Handling the move was not simple, since the apprehensive couple had amassed quite a lot of memorabilia through the years. In addition, they needed the income from the house, but unfortunately the real estate market had slowed.

That is when they met Diane Krause, a certified Seniors Real Estate Specialist with Prudential Fox and Roach. She was able to provide advice and assistance while preparing the home for sale and breaking the moving process down into manageable steps.

Enlisted to represent them in the sale of their home, Diane arranged for people to handle all the necessary tasks. She helped the Wisdoms sort, pack and remove leftover clutter, and made some material and aesthetic improvements to their property so that it would sell for the most money in the shortest period of time.

Bill explained, “Every time I got worried, Diane would step in to comfort me. Throughout those weeks my anxiety about the move fell from near 100 to almost zero. The final proof of her value to us came when our house sold for very close to our asking price within two days on the market. She remains a dear friend with whom we hope to keep in touch.”

Though they miss their backyard habitat, the couple still enjoys ‘jamming’ and could not have been happier with the smooth transition to their new home.

But what turned out to be the most challenging process for Frances was downsizing from her family home in Bethesda. Though she had stayed home for six years following her husband’s passing, she knew moving to an apartment in Riderwood of Silver Spring meant a maintenance-free lifestyle.

“As much as I love to garden, it was all just getting to be too much to take care of,” said Frances.

She realized, however, that she would need a great deal of assistance. While her daughter visited to help her, Frances knew she could not stay in the area for long. It was then that Frances contacted her brother-in-law, a former real estate agent, who connected her with the Bethesda Long and Foster. From there, she was referred to Lana Barth, ASID, an expert who could help Frances with the organization and design of her future home.

“She took pictures, measured the apartment and told me what furniture I should bring,” said Frances, “How my surroundings look is very important to me and I couldn’t have done it without her.”

On the day of the move, Frances said all pieces of furniture had been marked with where they were to be placed. Lana also arranged to be at the apartment when the movers arrived in order to direct them accordingly.

“She even made sure the kitchen boxes were packed last and had someone come in to make sure it was all placed away,” said Frances.

Lana arranged the furniture to create what Frances said is an attractive as well as a warm and inviting place.

“She placed the furniture beautifully and utilized the space so well,” she said. “People come into my apartment and say how lovely it is.”

Now Frances is enjoying life to the fullest at her new home and is happy to have made a friend during her move. She knows exactly who to consult when it comes to the design of her apartment, though she said she made one small adjustment on her own.

“I changed it back, Lana was right all along,” Frances said with a laugh.

Carmen grew up in Baltimore and has maintained friendships dating back to her childhood, some of whom are now her neighbors. After attending Towson State, she taught elementary school for a number of years. “What I found most rewarding was to witness the growth of each child, not only academically but also in maturity and independence,” she said.

It was during her teaching years that Carmen was introduced to her future husband. They raised two daughters, enjoyed entertaining and eventually became well-rounded travelers.

Similar to Carmen’s career, Marion took pride in helping others, working until age 73 as an operating supervisor at a children’s hospital. Outside of work, her life centered around others, as she took care of her husband, two daughters and her dog.

Both women are extremely active in their like pursuits. While Marion was an avid swimmer in the backyard pool of her former home, Carmen has been a champion bowler and remains a dancer to this day. When kicking back and relaxing, these ladies have enjoyed showing off their talents in bridge.

It was only a matter of time, though, before these women who had spent their lives helping others needed some extra assistance themselves.

Marion and her husband had been planning to move into Glen Meadows of Glen Arm in October 2003 when he passed away only a month before. “We had a lot to deal with,” said Marion’s daughter, Debbie Drimer. “We were grieving, but we had to plan the move and clean out Dad’s stuff.”

Carmen had also endured this experience when her husband passed away shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary. Soon, alternating her time between Baltimore and the apartment they had purchased in Florida became burdensome, and she decided to move south full time. Her daughters, however, became increasingly concerned about Carmen’s well-being. They felt that North Oaks in Pikesville held the promise of a secure environment among many lifelong friends.

Carmen’s daughter, Beth Kay, did the research that led her to the community. While at North Oaks, Beth voiced a desire for someone to magically make Carmen’s move happen. That is when she learned about move managers and specifically Senior Transitions, Inc. It was a huge leap – Carmen was moving back to Baltimore to North Oaks sight unseen!

As many adult children find, the effort needed to coordinate a major move for their parents was more than Debbie and Beth could handle alone. They knew they needed help as the time demands put incredible stress on their already busy lives.

Debbie had been evaluating all of the options for various services for seniors when she came across Charna’s information. Once she learned the service existed, Debbie knew this was exactly what they needed. Charna could coordinate the move process from drafting the floor plan to unpacking.

“We were downsizing from a huge 3-acre property with a pool, to basically a one-bedroom unit,” said Debbie. “And we had a lot of stuff in the basement and attic.”

Aside from Charna’s ability to help sort through items and have them placed in the apartment prior to Marion’s move, Debbie greatly appreciated their chosen moving manager’s sincere attitude. “She understood what we were going through and just gave us so much advice,” said Debbie.

Once Carmen’s apartment was sold, Senior Transitions, Inc. referred the family to a Florida company named A Move Made Easy, headed by Sharon Cofar. Both companies are members of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. Charna, a founder of the organization, had met Sharon at one of the meetings and knew she would do a great job helping Carmen.

“Sharon and Charna interfaced seamlessly,” said Beth. “Senior Transitions, Inc. anticipated my mother’s every need, and throughout the process, Charna remained in close communication with both Sharon and our family.”

Every detail was attended to diligently. Sharon worked on the front end organizing the movers and packing everything. In Baltimore, Charna and her crew met the mover at North Oaks and unpacked the items while setting up the apartment. Clothing and accessories were neatly organized into closets and drawers, and all household goods were properly stored. Treasured objects were artfully arranged and pictures were hung according to Carmen’s wishes.

Her well-loved furniture was placed as had been requested in Carmen’s forwarded floor plan and Senior Transitions, Inc. stocked the apartment with basic grocery staples. “It was truly an amazing sight for Mom to enter her new apartment for the very first time. We all breathed a sigh of both relief and wonder,” said Beth. Instead of spending weeks unpacking, Carmen immediately began socializing with old friends.

Her initial move to Glen Meadows was not the only time Marion and Debbie enlisted Charna’s services. Four years later, Marion needed to move to the community’s assisted living unit. Debbie made the call and within a week, they were receiving the great help they previously experienced. “The second time was very emotional although I had more experience,” she said. “Charna was just wonderful.”

Everything was unpacked from the clothes to the candy dish. The unit was smaller; however, Debbie was grateful for how ‘homey’ her mother’s place looked and that Marion was able to keep her decorative ceramic statues. Although unnecessary in her new home, Charna and her crew understood how much she wanted them to be there.

“She really cares about the people she’s doing this for and loves it,” said Debbie. “It was just such a relief to meet people who were so kind, knowledgeable and very affordable.” When Marion needed to move a third time, Debbie called Charna again for a job that was done as quickly and efficiently as the previous two.

And as for Marion and Carmen’s lives today? Both have immersed themselves into the social environments of their communities. Marion enjoys having her hair done weekly and is involved in various activities. Carmen is a part of her community’s social committee and plans to be a regular volunteer at its health facility.

It is inevitable that seniors face life changes, and Carmen and Marion were no different. Moves often spark a crisis for the senior and their loved ones, but these two women who have devoted their lives to others were able to move gracefully thanks to the extra help of a trusted and caring expert.

While John spent 20 years setting up pension plans for corporations and moved on to teaching Latin and Spanish, the couple had three sons. In June, they will celebrate 54 years of marriage.

When the couple realized they were entering what they referred to as ‘phase three’ of their lives, John knew it was time to downsize.

“I was really the instigator and my wife nicely went along with it,” he said jokingly.

In their 70s with good health, the Boyntons wanted to make a move that would accomplish what they wanted in terms of their future medical health.

“We didn’t want to wait too long,” said Diane, “People that do miss out on additional fun.”

Although they knew it was the best decision, the couple realized the move would not be an easy one. After living in their home for over 20 years, the Boyntons were concerned as to what items they would keep.

Fortunately, the staff at their future home, Fairhaven, passed along a brochure for the company Moving On. Once they contacted Nancy Merritt, the couple was assured their move would be a very smooth transition.

“She gave us lots of tips, not only on how to downsize, but she was familiar with Fairhaven,” said Diane. “She nudged us to get rid of the things we no longer needed and was aware of the resources we could tap into.”

The couple was able to ask several questions and found that Nancy knew what items would work best for them in their new home.

Diane said, “She knew better than us what was going to work as far as our new lifestyle and she was absolutely right. We wisely recycled everything we could.”

Aside from the suggestions the Boyntons received, a crew was able to pack and unpack all of their belongings, which was a definite relief for the couple and their family.

After enlisting Nancy’s help, they had one less stress when it came to starting their lives at their new home. Along with their volunteer work, they can take advantage of that additional fun. While both enjoy playing golf, John sings in a choral group at their community and she participates in a bible study in town.

Thankful for their easy transition, they have already made recommendations to friends.

“It would’ve been difficult to move at our age without their help,” said John. “They made it very easy for us.”

Born in Montgomery County, Hilda grew up during the Depression, during which her family often changed locations. Throughout her husband’s 42 years with the Norfolk and Western Railroad, their family experienced setbacks with company layoffs and strikes, leading Hilda to work part time in retail customer service to help with finances. When her husband passed away in 1973, she worked even harder to support her two children.

But her strong and self-reliant attitude could not stop her eldest daughter from assisting Hilda in one of her most important life changes. When it was decided that Linda’s mother would be moving to an assisted living home, her house of 55 years needed to be sold.

“It was very hard for her to leave her home, but it is the best thing that could have happened at this point in her life,” said Linda, “And if not for ElderLife Financial Services, it would have been much harder for me to make it happen.”

While Linda needed help getting the house ready to sell, she wanted to make sure her mom would be taken care of. When she and her husband visited Loyalton of Roanoke to complete the paperwork for her mother’s admission, they were referred to ElderLife. Linda found it was exactly what she needed to tide her family over until the house was ready.

“I did not know that such a service was even available,” said Linda, who had taken on the full responsibility of caring for her mother and assumed the role as her Power of Attorney. Aside from the stress of this responsibility, Linda was also an administrative assistant at a local church and has two grown children.

“ElderLife’s services are wonderful for folks who are going through the trauma of moving a parent into assisted living and trying to make sure they will be financially secure while getting everything settled.”

For Linda, the process turned out to be quite simple. She corresponded with Farrell Didio, the director of Family Relations, over the phone and internet.

“Farrell was always willing to listen as I tried to figure things out and was always there if I had any concerns or questions,” she said.

According to Linda, the staff made sure that payments were made to Loyalton on time and she never felt any pressure in terms of when the house would be sold.

“In fact, I was told that if necessary, I could extend the time of the loan if the house didn’t sell in the allotted time,” she said, “Much to our delight, we put the house on the market and it sold in less than a week.”

Although she no longer needs assistance from ElderLife, Linda said Farrell has called many times to check in and see how her mother is doing.

“Not only are they helpful, but they are also very efficient and trustworthy,” she said, “They have a real compassion for the elderly, their families and what it takes to do all of the things that need to be done.”

To this day, Linda recommends this service to others, as she feels it is extremely necessary for those who do not have a lot of money and depend on the sale of their homes as a means for entering a facility.

“I am just very thankful for them,” she said.

Before retiring, Gladys Tulloch was the Civilian Personnel Manager for the Department of the Army. “My job involved interacting with a lot of people, which I really liked,” she recalls. Retirement life has meant more time for bridge games, antiquing, and volunteer activities. Ms. Tulloch volunteers for Project Linus, an organization that makes blankets for children who are ill or the victims of disaster.

Mrs. Tulloch was dealing with some health problems, and facing a seemingly endless list of needed home repairs, when she decided to make the move to a retirement community. Finding a community near her children where she could enjoy an active lifestyle was the easy part.

“My grandmother lived in a Leisure World, so when we found out they were building one near Leesburg, we knew it would be perfect for Mom,” says Linda.

With everything lined up for a move to her new community, Ms. Tulloch and her children turned their attention to selling the family home. After 43 years in the home, the idea of moving was overwhelming.

Linda knew about Senior Real Estate Specialists (SRES) because of her support group at work. SRES agents are specially trained to meet the needs of senior clients. The family’s search for the right agent led them to Tom Shipe and Donna Leeds-Shipe, agents with Long and Foster Realtors.

Donna and Tom’s experience working with seniors and their expertise in the local market was apparent from the beginning. Linda recalls, “Their package was very detailed and easy-to-understand, and they took their time explaining everything to me and my mom.”

Before listing the home, Donna and Tom helped arrange for the completion of necessary repairs and even made recommendations for how to set-up the home for the open house. Of the team, Ms. Tulloch says, “They just stepped in immediately and did everything that needed to be done. I really didn’t have to monitor it at all.”

Realtors are often known for their hard-charging tactics, but Linda notes that Donna and Tom were able to “slow the pace down.” She continues, “When you haven’t moved in 43 years, it is a very scary thing to even think about. They understood that this was a major, highly emotional transition for my mother and all of us.”

“Like night and day,” says Ms. Tulloch of life since moving. Living at Leisure World, she says, “has taken all the stress out of life.”

No longer concerned with lists of needed home repairs, Ms. Tulloch now spends much of her time participating in activities at the community and getting to know her new neighbors. She also loves the view from her sunroom-beautifully manicured lawns that she never has to worry about maintaining.