How to sell your house when you retire

As you—or your parents—move toward retirement, it’s important to consider what is most important to you and make a plan. You’ll need to think long and hard about finances, goals and expectations. When preparing for retirement, these are conversations you need to have with your family, spouse and financial adviser.

The idea of retirement can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to begin. That’s why we created this checklist for retirement, which covers everything you need to think about before entering retirement, including:

Where is your income going to come from?

Perhaps you will have to liquidate some of your assets and savings in order to provide a steady stream of income so you can live comfortably throughout retirement. Selling your home as is for a fair cash offer is a great way to provide a windfall of cash to pay for your move or the monthly costs of a retirement home.

• Work with a financial advisor for your retirement income strategy
  There is a lot to think about when it comes to establishing a financial strategy for your retirement income. There is a dizzying array of assets you may need to liquidate to sustain yourself through retirement. A financial adviser will be able to best advise you on an order in which to liquidate the different types of assets—taxable accounts, tax-deferred, tax-exempt, required minimum distributions—to make your wealth last as long as possible.
• Will you work full – or part-time?
  Are you going to finally start that pastry shop you’ve always dreamed about, move your hours at your current job down to part-time or spend your days on the golf course? You’ll need to choose a home or retirement community that supports your dreams and expectations for retirement.

Where will you live?

Whether you’re planning on buying your dream beachside condo in Florida, a smaller home or moving into assisted living, you’ll need to make a plan for downsizing and selling your home. And, if your parents are retiring and you’re moving your parents into assisted living, you’re probably wondering, ”Where do I begin with selling my parent’s house?” First, you’ll need to decide whether to sell on the retail market with realtors and commissions and inspection fees, or sell as is to a trustworthy wholesale buyer. Then you’ll need to choose where to live.

• Choosing the right place for you
  Perhaps you enjoy the independence of living at home alone but lately have found yourself less able to get out and go shopping or do your own house cleaning. If this sounds like you, then perhaps an assisted living facility might be your best option. On the other hand, if you need help eating and getting around, or have other specific and important care needs, then a more attentive assisted living or nursing home facility in St. Louis might be a better fit. Whatever your needs, you should visit several St. Louis senior living facilities before choosing—each senior housing facility has its own culture, community and cost. Visiting, viewing the social calendar and talking to residents will allow you to gauge how much each facility caters to your wants and needs.
• Should you sell or keep your home?
  This is a big one. Maybe you’d like to keep your home to pass it on to your children. However, if you haven’t touched your home in a couple decades, it might be so outdated that your children will have to completely renovate the home. Alternatively, many people opt to simply sell their home and use the windfall of cash to help pay the expenses of assisted living facilities in St. Louis, MO, which can sometimes be quite high. Selling your home to a wholesale buyer might be the best option—you’ll avoid the hassle of inspections, realtor fees, and updating your home, and you’ll receive the cash for your home immediately at closing, which you can use to pad your retirement fund. Selling your home as is can be a good option if you want to sell quickly and save money on realtor commissions.

Here’s how it works:

1. Give us a call.
We’ll a schedule a free 30-minute consultation. At your convenience, we’ll look at your property.

2. Receive our offer.
We won’t give you a hard sell. We won’t nag you. We won’t nickel-and-dime you. Just a fair, cash offer. Take it or leave it. If you walk away, then it will be at no loss to you.

3. Close.
Usually within two weeks. Yes, two weeks. And, if you need us to close more quickly, let us know your timeline. We’ll work to meet your needs.

4. Walk away with your cash.
It’s that simple. No repairs, inspections or hassle.

At Wren Realty, we’ve done this for 30 years and we’re really good at what we do—we buy any home in any condition, and we do it quickly. More than that, though, we’re people first, house flippers second. We’ll make you a fair offer and help you past closing with logistic details you may need so you can get on with your retirement.

So, why don’t you start the home sale process today and give us a call?