By Stephanie Burrows, Allen Tate Realtors
SRES® designees have unparalleled training and experience in seniors real estate, including:
- Helping you manage the financial and emotional challenges of selling a long-held family home
- Creating a customized plan to market and sell your property
- Understanding your unique needs and creating a customized plan to ensure your home meets those needs now and in the future
- Utilizing specialized knowledge in reverse mortgages, 401(k) accounts, and IRAs for your real estate transaction
- Analyzing how Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security affect real estate.
- Connecting you with their vast network of movers, attorneys, home inspectors, and other experts to help you through the process
A Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) is uniquely qualified to help you take the next step.
As someone over the age of 50, your needs aren’t the same as a first-time homebuyer or seller. You might be looking to retire, downsize, or join an active adult community. Whatever reason you may have for considering a move, you can depend on an SRES® to guide you through every part of the process.
The Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation is a top-tier real estate credential awarded for expertise in senior housing.
Advice abounds on how to find this person. Some seniors prefer to rely on the real estate agent who has sold the most properties in their neighborhood. Others seek those most often recommended by friends. Some communities have agents who specialize in working with seniors (SRES). Whichever approach you prefer, be sure to interview at least several agents. The right professional will ask questions about your future goals. He or she will provide a realistic listing price and answer all your questions promptly before asking you to sign a listing agreement.
Compare agents’ experience and approaches, as well as their ability to establish rapport. Is this someone you’ll feel comfortable working with? Choose a competent agent with a working style that clicks with yours.
The nuances of the local real estate market involve not only home prices but also school ratings, the characteristics of individual communities, and the potential for reselling the home at a future date. Effective real estate agents should know the local area, the standard prices for different neighborhoods, and neighborhood and school reputations. They should also freely share that information with you. This goes back to trust, which will get mentioned again (and again) because it’s such an important quality in a good real estate agent.
The process of listing, showing, and closing on a residence you want to sell can be difficult and time-consuming, particularly for seniors who have spent decades in their homes. Be patient with yourself and those helping you. Keep in mind that your goal is simplifying your life. It’s moving day. Your last box is headed up the ramp of the moving van. You’ve sold your home with a lot less stress than you envisioned. Be sure to give yourself several pats on the back, then take the rest of the day off.
