• Get your banker’s assistance to help make financial decisions.
• Look at several houses to decide whether you want to live in a condo, a townhouse, a life-lease home, an apartment or an assisted living facility.
• Realize the positives of moving: newer homes require less maintenance and upkeep, condominium living means the ability to travel worry-free and to live at home shovel and lawn-mower free.
• Check to see if the new house accommodates mobility issues. Do you need wheelchair access?
• Check to see if the new residence has a higher tax level than the previous home.
• Check the cost of condo fees.
• Check the condominium association’s replacement reserve fund.
• Try to find a new home that allows you to retain aspects of the family traditions that are important to you. For example, if family gatherings are important, look for a home with space to accommodate several people for meals. If you no longer wish to host family gatherings, look for a small kitchen.
• Decide what you want to keep. Give items away to family, to charity or throw things away.
• Don’t leave disposal of items to moving day, when moving trucks and staff are there on a per hour basis.
• Host a barbecue and ask family members to take their belongings home with them. Give them a deadline and a warning that things will be disposed of if they are not picked up.
