(Family Features) Knowing when it’s time to move yourself or a loved one to a smaller or more accessible home, or even an assisted living center, can be tough. There are some signs that can help aid you in identifying when the time is right.

Factors such as age, health and living situation can be signals that it’s time to look for other living arrangements. For example, if your parents are over 70 years old and their house is more than 20 years old, there’s a good chance they struggle every day just to maintain their home.

For 81-year-old Ned Kraft, he knew the time was right to consider living elsewhere after suffering a broken leg in a fall. Living in a two-story home with his wife was no longer an option and Kraft felt an urgent need to move into something smaller and without stairs to be able to manage his family’s lifestyle and overall well-being. With simple upkeep and maintenance becoming difficult and close relatives and grandchildren nearby, living in a safer home environment became the top priority.

If you or a family member end up needing to sell your house quickly and get into a more suitable living situation, here are a few steps to help with transitioning:

• Determine How Much Space You Truly Need: Maybe that two-story, four-bedroom home with a spacious backyard you bought when the kids were little is more than you need now. Smaller homes and apartments are easier to maintain, and taking into account your lifestyle can help determine what to look for in your next home.

If you’re home a majority of the day or expect to have gatherings and guests often, you may want something a bit bigger. If your health is a concern or you’d rather not have to worry about tasks such as yard work or snow removal, something smaller or without stairs – such as a first floor apartment, may be more your speed.

• Sell Your Current Home: Working with professional home buyers, such as HomeVestors, the largest home buyer in the U.S. with more than 60,000 houses bought since 1996, can get you cash quickly while also taking care of closing costs and needed repairs without the burden of showing your home to potential buyers. This would save time and money for the seller, and help one move sooner than later into their new living environment. 

“I just wanted to sell it as quick as I could and move right away,” Kraft said. “I liked the idea of HomeVestors giving me a fair price for the house and then taking over the overwhelming amount of responsibilities so I didn’t have to worry about cleaning it or fixing it up.”

• Take It or Leave It: Taking inventory of everything that’s been accumulated over decades and deciding what to keep, what to pass down, what to put in storage and what to sell, donate or throw away can be tough.

Once you’ve determined what to do with all of those possessions, the professionals at HomeVestors can aid in the transition by discarding the things you no longer need or want after you move. Simply leave behind unwanted items and HomeVestors will do the rest.

Find more information on how to make a smoother living transition at homevestors.com.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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