"We can't believe how much we received from the estate sale profits. We paid for Mom & Dad's move to the senior living facility and added some $ to their savings which is great and the estate sale comapany did the work"

SRES Specifics

There are many aspects that come into play when seniors sell their longtime residences. So many decisions will have to be made and a good SRES can assist with this transition or will know the professionals that can help. I have talked with a couple of SRES agents and “customization” of the senior transition is important because each situation is unique.

Specialty Areas of Expertise of a SRES

Pensions, Annuity Payments, SS, Medicare, 401k’s
Mortgage Finance
Reverse Mortgages
Proceeds of house sale and its implications.
Housing for Older Persons Act
Retirement Communities
Senior Specialists (Senior Move Managers, Elder Lawyers, etc.)

What Makes a Senior Move Different?

Usually it involves downsizing and what to do with items no longer needed. Downsizing can be very emotional and SRES are experienced at this.
The garage is usually an easy place to start. Most seniors will not need lawn care, snow removal and tools (except a simple set) anymore.
Basements & Storage – could be years and years of items to go through.
Some houses still have their adult kids bedrooms filled with their stuff

Action Step: Before selling any real estate you will need to check into a myriad of tax laws that could possibly come into play. There is no national organization of “senior accountants” but there are local elder lawyers or SRES accredited real estate agents.

Golden Nugget: While researching this book, I ran into some articles dealing with “senior cooperatives” that started in New York City in the 1980s. Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC’s) are in most states and really emphasis the community setting and some models involve services such as healthcare and food service that are managed and operated by the residents.