When Helping a Loved One Downsize, Perspective is Everything

You’ve asked and we’ve answered...visit our FAQs page for the response to the following frequently asked question and more.

Question: What else should I know about helping a loved one downsize?

Answer: “Plenty. But here are a few tidbits: As we age we see risk and priorities differently.  This is particularly important to understand when younger adults are helping advise a senior parent. It is almost certain that the senior sees these issues through their own eyes. It is often the case that the younger adult gives advice as seen through their own eyes rather than their parents’.

Seniors need to know where their advice is coming from and what filters may be in place. Younger folks need to try to put themselves in the position and the age of their parent, and consider what they feel is important to them.

It is common for family members to help with advice, it is less common for a younger adult to be able to truly look through their parents’ eyes.”

The top priorities for our clients are to select a predictable, low stress and low risk integrated transition process for themselves in order to maximize the value of their property while maintaining their health and not over-taxing themselves with hands-on activities. Sometimes children see the project differently and want to tackle it in a more fragmented way. 

Similarly this theme of differences in opinions on approach to transitioning occurs when discussing downsizing timing with couples. It is not uncommon to encounter couples who are struggling with deciding when to make their downsize transition. Often one partner is ready to move to a “lower maintenance” lifestyle while the other is just not ready yet. Making the decision to downsize, like making most decisions as a part of a couple, requires compromise. It’s when the partner who’s resisting truly sees the situation through the eyes of their partner, who may be struggling physically to keep up with home maintenance and activities of daily living, that we see the best outcomes. Here are some helpful questions to ask when considering whether it’s time to downsize. 

If you are helping loved ones who are thinking about downsizing or would like to start planning your own downsize, contact us for a free no obligation consultation. We can be your trusted partner through the entire planning and execution processes, so that you can move on. We are here to help.