If you have an elderly loved one that is looking to sell their home soon, be it because they are wanting to move to a more desirable home or location or they’re going to be moving into something like an assisted living facility, having someone like you to help them through this process is going to be invaluable to them. So to help ensure that you’re able to give them the best help possible, here are three tips for helping an elderly loved one sell their home.
Recognize The Emotions Involved
Moving from any home is a challenge. But if your elderly loved one isn’t excited about this move or selling the home that they’ve lived in for years, there are likely to be a lot of emotions that come along with the transition.
One thing you can do to make things easier is to recognize how emotionally challenging this is likely to be. When you see your loved one struggling, give them time to process what is happening and what’s making things hard for them. Try to be a shoulder to cry on while also helping to encourage them to keep moving forward and make the most of the situation in which they find themselves. This way, you can help them to cope with packing and selling their home in a way that gives them momentum to go on.
Take Your Time With Packing
Because your loved one is elderly, they likely don’t have the same amount of energy as you do. So if they want to be involved in the whole process of decluttering and packing, you’ll want to be sure that you take your time with this.
If there are times during the day or the week where your loved one has more time and patience to do this type of work, make sure you’re available to help them during these times. And as a good rule of thumb, try to start with the packing process as early as possible so you’re not under too much of a time crunch once the house finally sells.
Get Help From The Right Professionals
Getting a house ready to sell is no easy task, especially when you’re trying to balance caring for your elderly loved one in the process. So to make things easier on everyone, consider speaking with your loved one about hiring the right professionals to help. This could include things like an experienced realtor, a moving company, a cleaning company, the right handyman, and more. They might already have someone in mind to help with some of these things, or you could ask for recommendations from trusted friends.
If you’re going to be helping an elderly loved one sell their home soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to know how to best lend a hand.
