#EmptyNestRealEstate
#AgingInPlaceOrMove
#RetirementCommunityLiving
#HelpingParentsMove
#ElderlyHomeSafety
#RealEstateForSeniors
In this heartfelt and practical episode of Coffee With Real Estate, host Susan and producer Kurt tackle one of the toughest conversations in real estate: knowing when it’s time for an aging parent, relative, or even yourself to move out of the family home—and how to actually make it happen.
With decades of experience helping seniors transition, Susan shares the subtle (and not-so-subtle) red flags that the house has become unsafe or unsustainable: dangerous stairs, unreachable cabinets, unfixed leaks that turn into black mold, overgrown yards, overwhelming maintenance, loneliness after a spouse passes, and the constant fear of falling or being alone at night.
They discuss real-life horror stories—one home had a 3x3-foot hole in the ceiling patched only with masking tape, another had a sagging, mold-covered floor that could have caused a devastating fall. Yet the owners still resisted leaving “because the house is in bad shape.”The truth? You can sell almost any house at the right price, and sitting on hundreds of thousands (or millions) in home equity while living in fear or discomfort is the real tragedy.
Susan and Kurt walk adult children through the empathetic, step-by-step approach that actually works:
Start small: “Let’s just visit Janice at her new community” or “Let’s find out what your house is worth—no pressure.”
Use empathy, not ultimatums.
Involve them in choosing what cherished items come to the new place.
Consider limited power of attorney while they’re still cognitively sharp.
They also celebrate the upside: today’s independent-living and 55+ communities aren’t “old folks’ homes”—they’re resort-style campuses with restaurants, gyms, social events, transportation, and built-in friends. Many seniors end up saying, “I wish I’d done this ten years ago.”
If you’re an adult child worried about your parents, a senior feeling stuck, or a realtor who wants to serve this growing market with compassion, this episode is for you. Learn how to turn a painful, overwhelming process into a gift—the gift of safety, community, and a joyful next chapter.
(Plus a hilarious detour into the chaos of SantaCon pub crawls worldwide—because sometimes you just need to laugh.)
Subscribe now and share with anyone facing the “should Mom/Dad still be living alone?
