Helping Your Parents Get Ready to Sell

Helping Your Parents Get Ready to Sell: Why a long term plan beats a 6-Month Scramble

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Selling a home, especially one filled with decades of memories, can feel overwhelming, both for our parents and for us as kids. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve helped many clients successfully navigate this process, and it’s taught us the value of having a long-term plan. The key takeaway is this: with time, thoughtful planning, and open communication, the process can feel manageable and even rewarding.

A long-term plan allows everyone to approach the transition calmly and without the pressure of looming deadlines. Start by having honest conversations about the future: What do your parents envision for their next chapter? What are their priorities and concerns? Once you understand their goals, you can work together to create a timeline that feels comfortable for everyone.

The families who’ve tackled this on their own timeline, with plenty of planning, tend to feel more at ease and in control than those forced to rush on someone else’s schedule. With a little planning and a lot of honest conversations, it’s possible to approach this transition calmly and thoughtfully, avoiding the stress of last-minute decisions under tight deadlines.

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The Long Term Plan: Taking It Slow and Steady

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If your parents aren’t ready to sell right away, use this time to start the conversations and get organized. This approach gives everyone breathing room.

Talk About the Future

• Let your Parents Talk: One of the most important things you can do is make sure your parents feel in control of the process. After all, it’s their home and their decision.
• Ask Questions to Understand: Ask them what they want. Is it downsizing, finding a low-maintenance condo, or moving closer to family? Start by understanding their vision so they feel heard from the get-go.
• Call in the Family: Include siblings or other family members in the conversations early to avoid conflicts later.
• Seek Expert Advice: Reach out to real estate agents, downsizing specialists, or senior move managers early in the process to get expert advice and support.
• Discuss Finances: Have a chat about finances to make sure their next step aligns with their goals. A clear understanding of their financial decision will make future decisions easier.
• Create a Budget: Plan for everything included in the move, from home maintenance to necessary updates to the actual moving trucks. Everything adds up.
• Explore Housing Options: Start visiting new housing options together and sooner rather than later. Touring spaces they don’t know or haven’t considered can make the idea of downsizing less intimidating and more enjoyable.

Declutter Little by Little

• Start Now, Not Later: Help them understand that sorting through belongings, donating items, and organizing doesn’t need to be put off until all the financial and next step decisions are made. In fact, tackling clutter now may make their day to day life more enjoyable.
• Introduce the Concept of “Toss, Sell, Donate or Keep”: Create piles for each. It provides structure and helps clarify decisions as you sort through items.
• Start with the Easy Stuff: Like the cans of paint in the basement and then move to the area’s of the home they don’t frequent, like the basement, garage or an attic space. This approach avoids the emotional toll of sorting through sentimental items too soon and keeps their main living spaces intact and stress-free.
• Maintain Order: When moving into their day to day living spaces, start with one drawer, closet, and for sure one room at a time. Do not try to do this all at once. Small wins build momentum!
• Make it Fun: Share stories about old keepsakes as you go, reminisce a little, then gently suggest letting go of things they no longer need.

Understand that selling a home can be an emotional experience. Offer plenty of room for them to share stories and memories. Let them reminisce and lead the pace, when they have input and can share the story, the process of letting go becomes easier and the entire process becomes more of a collaboration rather than a chore.

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Keep the Home in Great Shape

• Stay on Top of Maintenance: We can not stress this one enough. Do not fall behind on the little things, they tend to add up. Schedule regular maintenance like HVAC servicing and fix those leaky faucets.
• Keep Records: Maintain a calendar and a file of service appointments, warranties, and updates. Buyers appreciate seeing the care that’s gone into the home.
• Monitor the Big Items: Pay attention to the roof, hot water heater and major appliances.
• Clean and then Clean Again: Commit to a deep clean once or twice a year. And don’t forget to clean the windows.
• Maintain the Landscaping: Pay attention to the landscaping, curb appeal matters. Just like cleaning the interior, commit to seasonal clean ups once or twice a year.

Make Strategic Updates

• Update Gradually: Replace old light fixtures and repaint in neutral colors over time. These small updates can make a big difference when it’s time to sell. And they don’t need to be done all at once. Just like decluttering this can be done room by room.
• Evaluate Key Spaces: Evaluate the kitchen and the bathrooms. But not without your Realtor. You more than likely don’t need a full renovation, but swapping outdated hardware, updating the backsplash, countertops, or refinishing cabinets can go a long way.

A Stress-Free Transition Is Possible

Selling a home doesn’t have to be stressful, if you’ve visited our website I’m sure you’ve heard that before. But honestly, it’s true. With a lot of open communication, a little bit of planning, the right people and a lot of elbow grease you can make the process manageable and positive for everyone involved.

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As always, from all of us here at Matt Engen Group, thanks for reading.

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Be sure to connect with us if you have any questions.