Tips for Selling Your Elderly Parent's Home

When my mom needed to move into assisted living, I thought selling her suburban home would be a breeze. It was in a highly desirable neighborhood, offered a large and well landscaped yard and had great curb appeal. Nonetheless, after spending a few days staying there and packing up her things, my brother and I quickly found out that maintenance had been a big problem. Clearly this is a common problem for many of the elderly. Although my mom was able to keep up with the more obvious repairs, some other issues had gone unnoticed. We knew these concerns would hinder most buyers. Consequently we took the time to go through the home and address these concerns before putting it on the market. Here are some things to look for and do when selling an elderly parent's home.

• Check all appliances. In our case the dishwasher did not work. Although we did not replace it, we were able to note the problem on the seller's disclosure form.
• Test all lights (including outdoor ones) and replace light bulbs where needed.
• Thoroughly clean the house. Most elderly have someone coming in to clean the home. Nonetheless, these workers typically do not do seasonal cleaning. Tackle tasks like laundering curtains, cleaning the carpet, cleaning baseboards and washing windows.
• Scale down furniture. My mom had lots of oversized furniture. These items made the rooms look smaller than they were. In the family room we removed a second sofa and rocking chair. In a bedroom we removed a second dresser leaving just one. Amazingly these rooms looked larger immediately.
• Remove personal items. The elderly often have lots of family photos on display. Although these may be meaningful to your loved one, it can be a negative to buyers. We simply took recent photos and displayed them in my mom's new place. The remainder of photos we packed up and are planning to organize and put in a digital frame.
• Organize closets and drawers. Buyers tend to open drawers and cabinets to envision whether their personal things will fit. Leave everything as neat as possible.
• Get rid of unneeded or unusable items. Begin by tossing out items that are broken or in poor condition. Next, hold a garage or moving sale for all other items. Remember, getting rid of things now will make it easier for you after the home is sold.
• If there is a finished or potentially livable basement, be sure to give it some attention. Make every effort to remove any musty or foul basement odor.
• Move family heirlooms and place them in the care of a trustworthy family member.

Lastly, you can make some updates to give the home a more modern but neutral look. Don't overspend but instead invest more of your time and labor. Making these changes will aid in your parent's home selling quicker and for a higher price. Consequently, it is well worth the effort.