The "empty nest" is a term commonly used to describe a houshold where the children are grown and have moved away from the home permanently.
"Empty nesters", the parents who still reside in the home, often have a difficult time determining whether or not it would be appropriate to sell the "family homestead" and move to a more suitable residence.
Typically, a family's home is full of fond memories and the decision to sell is sometimes painful.
The following checklist is meant as food for thought. It represents a compilation of concerns that many people in this exact situation have mentioned to me over the years. Check the ones that apply to your current situation.
- Are you currently paying people to do chores around
your house that you used to ENJOY doing yourself?
- Are there rooms in your house you have NOT visited
in a month or more?
- Do you find yourself thinking twice about climbing the stairs
to use the upstairs bathroom?
- Are you concerned that you may need to make a major
repair to your home in the very near future just to keep
it livable (i.e. new roof, furnace, exterior paint, etc)?
- Are you tired of "keeping up with the Jones's"? ...
(Or are you just plain tired of the Jones's?)
- Are you worried about the wear & tear harsh winters are
putting on your home?
- Could you easily maintain your current standard of living
even if you moved to a different geographic area?
- Do you often wonder if the equity you have in your home,
might not "grow" more rapidly if it were invested in
the financial markets, rather than being tied up in a single
real estate investment ... your home?
- Are you no longer actively involved in community affairs or activities?
- Do you find yourself wondering what ever happened to the
quiet little, "traffic-free" village that you moved to only
a few years ago?
- Have many of your friends have already moved away?
- Are real estate taxes and normal home maintenance expenses
eroding your ability to save for retirement?
- Do you often ask, "Why am I paying so much in property taxes
for services & schools that I don't even use?"
FINAL TALLY __________
If you've checked 7 or more of these items, it might be time for you to re-evaluate your need to own your present home.
This does NOT necessarily mean that you are ready to sell BUT it should indicate that it's time for you to start gathering the information that you will need to make some very important decisions.
Your home is "the single largest investment of a lifetime". You owe it to yourself, and your family, to "do your homework", so that, when the time does come, you'll be prepared to make good decisions.
I have an assortment of valuable reports that are designed to help home owners familiarize themselves with the home selling process, before they are ready to sell, and I offer this information, to home owners for FREE.
Click here for a list of
FREE Home Seller Reports
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