Moving Down

By Dennis Martin, Littleton Colorado Realtor

Over the past few years I have had several customers ask me the question “When is the best time to move down?”

Having been in the real estate business for over 34 years, and living in my previous home for over 25 years, my wife and I made the decision to downsize a couple of years ago.  And we love the decision we made. But, we did plan for the downsizing.

Our grown children were more upset that we were down sizing than we were. That was my three children’s family home, they had grown up in this house. That was the only house they had ever lived in.

So what to do! At some point, most homeowners are forced with the prospects of selling a home they’ve lived in for years.  The decision to trade down to something smaller rarely comes easy.

A common mistake many seniors make is waiting to long to make their move. You don’t want to wait until the move is an absolute necessity.  Someone has a stroke or other medical problems.  At that point you would be forced to sell and move into an retirement community.

It’s easy to understand why some homeowners stay put longer than they should.  Many homeowners have strong emotional attachments to their home, particularly if they have been happy there.  The thoughts of making a retirement move is depressing to many people.

It’s best to look at the positive aspects of making such a move. There are benefits to having low-maintenance lifestyle. Time and money is freed up for other endeavors such as hobbies and travel. The trauma of moving down can be lessened significantly if you figure out where you’ll be moving before you sell your existing home.  It’s not always possible to time your move to coincide with the most favorable market conditions. But it will always be more favorable to you to plan your move in an advance with good health.  Then to wait until you have to move of health problems.

Also don’t even try to make a move down without getting plenty of help. If you don’t have relatives or friends who can lend a helping hand, then hire professional packers, painters, movers and stagers.