Downsizing Your Home

Book Review: Moving a Relative with Memory Loss

April 23rd, 2007 by Margit Novack

Moving a relative from home to a residential care facility can be one of the most difficult decisions that family members will ever have to make. Moving a Relative with Memory Loss: A Family Caregiver’s Guide, a booklet by Laurie White and Beth Spencer, is one of the best resources I have read on the subject. For those of you looking for black-and-white answers, you will not find them here. Moving a Relative with Memory Loss is about a...Read the rest of this article »

Helping Mom and Dad Move: Practical Advice for Adult Children

March 27th, 2007 by Margit Novack

Twenty years ago, my grandmother sold her eight-bedroom home in Atlantic City and moved to an apartment in Philadelphia. “Take this tablecloth,” she begged, “this mirror...the china set...this crystal...” And the list went on. “I don’t have room,” I responded. “It’s not my taste...I already have two of those...” I had good reasons for saying “no.” Now I regret those decisions. It’s not that I have grown to like the things she offered; it’s that I see my actions...Read the rest of this article »

Downsizing: 6 Months & Counting

February 28th, 2007 by Margit Novack

For thousands of people, moving to smaller quarters is “out there” —meaning some time in the future. But for many of us, “I’m not ready yet,” really means, “I can’t stand the thought of getting ready to move.” On the other hand, for most people, their home is their single largest asset, so maximizing what it will sell for is important. There are many things we can’t control. We can’t control what the mortgage interest rates will be when...Read the rest of this article »