Downsizing your house has many advantages – from less cleaning and maintenance to lower utility bills. For seniors, downsizing might be both desirable and necessary. Perhaps you’re ready to spend less time taking care of a large property so you can spend more time traveling, pursuing your hobbies, or socializing with friends and family. Health issues may require a more accessible home with fewer stairs. Whatever your reasons for downsizing, here are four things to consider as you plan for your next move.
1. Selling your property can be a hassle
When you are ready to downsize your home, the idea of selling might seem overwhelming. It’s understandable to feel this way, because there is a lot to manage when selling a property! You’ll need to list your house with a real estate agent or sell it yourself (which means you will handle everything from marketing to showings to paperwork). Whether you are working with an agent or going it alone, you will need to get your house ready for showing to prospective buyers by cleaning, decluttering, and tackling potential repairs and maintenance to enhance its curb appeal. Then there will be open houses, showings, and hopefully offers! What happens when financing falls through with a prospective buyer? You’ll go back to the drawing board with additional showings and paperwork. All of this can take months, which you may not have if you are working toward a certain timeline for downsizing.
2. Downsizing your “stuff” might be overwhelming
Downsizing a property means you will need to be prepared to clean and make repairs, but you will also need to downsize your stuff! Every corner of your home may be filled with happy memories of your family, and sorting the things you want to keep and which items to let go of can be an emotional process. You won’t be able to take everything with you and if you have lived in your home for many years, you may have accumulated more than you realize. We have written an entire blog on this topic which might help make the idea of downsizing your stuff more palatable!
3. Selling may come with unexpected expenses
Inspections are an integral part of the process of selling a home through traditional means, either for sale by owner or by listing with a real estate agent. Inspections can result in expenses that you weren’t prepared for when you’re ready to downsize your property. It may be necessary for you to invest in the repairs so that potential buyers will be able to get financing. Conventional lenders will not approve a mortgage loan if the property is in need of major repairs or is considered unsafe including, major structural problems with the foundation, outdated plumbing or electrical systems, mold, pest infestations, or the presence of hazardous materials such as asbestos or lead-based paint.
4. Another option to consider
Working with a direct professional home buyer such as Anna Buys Houses can help alleviate the hassles of downsizing. We are experienced as-is home buyers who have worked with clients in a variety of situations including, those who have inherited homes and seniors transitioning into a senior living community. Our goal is to help you make the most informed decision about selling your house, including whether a direct sale is the best option. Sometimes we refer our clients to a real estate agent if we believe they will get more money from the sale of their home than by working with us.
Our goal is to make the sale of your home as seamless as possible. If you choose to work with our team, you don’t have to worry about multiple showings because we are the buyers! You can save all the time, effort, and money involved in the cleaning and repairs that are required when you are listing a property for sale. We buy as-is and most of the homes we purchase are not in perfect condition. That’s okay with us. Even better, you can take what you want from the house and leave the rest to us. Working with us means eliminating most of the fees associated with a traditional home sale. We will give you a fair offer based on the market value of your home and we do not require an appraisal or inspection. You won’t need to worry about financing falling through because we pay with cash rather than finance the property through a conventional consumer loan.
Send us a message or contact Anna Graham today at 402-313-8700 to learn how much simpler it is to downsize your house when working with a direct home buyer like us!
