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Well MOVED™: Where to Next?
After the estate sale: choosing the next home, the next community and the money behind it.
Who This Guide Is For
Clearing out a house you have lived in for decades is a big job. It might have been about making room to enjoy the home you love. It might be the first step toward something new. You might not have decided yet. All of those are good places to be.
This guide is for the owners making the move and the family helping them. It lays out every direction you could go, in one place, so whoever is at the kitchen table reads the same page. Staying is one of the options.
It comes from Well MOVED™ at Surroundings. Maggie B. Hopkins is a real estate broker and mortgage broker. Rachel Dee Minyard, REALTOR® & Creative Director, lists and sells homes and brings 25 years in sales and design to how a home is positioned before it goes online. There is no placement fee from any community or care provider, ever.
Talk Through Your Options
Every Way You Could Go
There is no one right answer and no deadline. Many people combine two of these.
- A 55+ community. These offer clubhouses, pools, pickleball, golf and clubs, with less upkeep.
- A home that fits, nearby. This means one level instead of two, less yard, and a layout that works for how you live today, in a town you already know.
- Closer to family. This can mean across town, across the state or across the country.
- Somewhere new. Options include the coast, the mountains, Nevada and Arizona. We plan the sale here and connect you with an agent we have vetted where you are going.
- Try it before you buy. A short-term rental lets you live in an area for a while before you commit.
- Stay, and make it work better. That can mean fewer stairs to worry about, better bathrooms and better light. As a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, Maggie can help plan those changes.
55+ Communities, and the Questions to Ask on Every Tour
The Sacramento region has age-restricted communities in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties, from Sun City Roseville and Sun City Lincoln Hills to Glenbrooke in Elk Grove and Regency at Folsom Ranch. Two others, Eskaton Village Carmichael and the University Retirement Community at Davis, are life plan communities with levels of care on one campus. Our 55+ community guide compares all 17 side by side, and each one has its own page under 55+ communities.
Bring these questions to every tour:
- What does the HOA cover, and when did it last go up? Are there Mello-Roos or other special taxes?
- Single-story or stairs? Think about ten years from now, not only today.
- How far is the hospital, the airport, the grocery store and family?
- What are the guest rules for younger visitors, and could you rent the home later?
- If care is part of the picture, what levels are on site, and what happens if needs change?
Staying Close: A Home That Fits, in a Place You Love
Not everyone wants a 55+ community. Many people want a home that is easier to live in, in a part of town that still feels like theirs. We work across Sacramento, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Elk Grove, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Davis.
We look for single-story homes, entries without steps, room for visitors, and short drives to doctors and the hospital. If you are weighing a new-home community, call us before your first visit to a builder's sales office. Some builders want your agent registered on that first visit.
If You Decide to Leave Town
For the years 2022 to 2024, Nevada and Texas were tied as the top destinations for people leaving the Sacramento region for another state, at about 3,500 people a year each, according to U.S. Census Bureau survey estimates. Washington and Arizona followed.
- Sell first or buy first? We lay out both, with the dates on one calendar, so you move once if you can.
- An agent where you are going. We connect you with an agent we have vetted, hand off what we know, and stay in touch until you are settled.
- Financing for the next home. As a mortgage broker, Maggie can shop the loan across a network of approved lenders. You are always free to use any lender you like.
California or out of state matters for taxes. Prop 19 can let a homeowner 55 or older carry their property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times, if the new home is bought within two years before or after the sale. A home in another state does not qualify.
A Home Loved for Decades, Made to Shine
A house one family has lived in for a long time has good bones and real character. It also has a few things that were never quite on the list. Our job is to make sure buyers see the first and are not scared off by the second.
- We walk it with you, room by room, and say plainly what is worth doing and what is not.
- We coordinate the work: paint, flooring, landscaping, lighting and repairs, so no one in the family has to manage contractors.
- We list the home and Rachel plans how it shows, with pricing, staging and styling that let buyers picture their own life there.
- We tell its story with professional photography, video and social media ads with watch time we can track.
Some people would rather skip the work and sell in its current condition. That is a fine choice, and we show you what each path could net before you decide. No one can promise a price before seeing the house.
What Didn't Sell Can Still Do Good
Most estate sales leave something behind. Our free Sacramento Giving Map lists places across Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties that put usable things to work: what each takes, what it refuses, who picks up, and where the money goes. Organizations on it that pick up larger items include Love INC Sacramento, St. Vincent de Paul, WEAVE Thrift and The Salvation Army. The map also covers the hard ones, such as cars, pianos, hospital beds, wheelchairs, mattresses and electronics. Tell us what is left and we can help line up the pickups and the final haul.
The House, the Money and the Move
A home owned for many years often holds most of a household's wealth. Because Maggie is both a real estate broker and a mortgage broker, the sale and the next purchase can be planned as one move.
- Buy before you sell. A bridge loan can cover the gap so the move does not wait on the sale.
- Pay cash, or not. We lay out paying cash from the sale next to keeping some money free, so you can compare.
- Reverse mortgage for purchase. For buyers 62 and older, a reverse mortgage can help buy the next home with no monthly mortgage payment. It fits some households and not others.
- Builder incentives. New-home incentives are often tied to the builder's lender. We can put that offer next to ours so you compare.
Two tax rules to bring to your CPA. Under Prop 19, the new home can be worth up to 100% of the old home's sale price if you buy before you sell, 105% in the first year after, and 110% in the second year, before anything is added to your tax base. You file form BOE-19-B with the assessor in the county where the new home is. Federal law lets many sellers exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 on a joint return, if they owned and lived in the home two of the last five years. Keep receipts for big improvements like a roof or an addition. Our Prop 19 guide walks through the details, and the property tax calculator runs the numbers.
Download the Full Guide
The full Where to Next? booklet adds the Prop 19 worksheet, the 55+ community map and space for your own notes.
Your Next Step
A first call is fifteen to thirty minutes, by phone or at the house. Then you get your options in writing: the house, the numbers and the next home.
Tell us where you are in the decision or call (916) 549-3131. There is no cost to talk, and it is never too early.
Maggie B. Hopkins, CA DRE #01750680, NMLS #349517. This guide is general information and is not legal, tax, or lending advice. Nothing here is a commitment to lend. Tax rules come from the California State Board of Equalization and the IRS. Confirm with your tax professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
We haven't decided anything. Is it too early to call?
No. That is the best time to talk, because your plans shape how and when anything happens.
Do we have to fix the house first?
No. Call before spending money on repairs, and we will tell you what is worth doing and what is not. Selling in its current condition is also an option.
Does Prop 19 work if we move to another state?
No. Prop 19 only applies to a replacement home in California. A home in Nevada, Arizona or any other state does not qualify.
Can we buy the next home before we sell this one?
Often, yes. A bridge loan can cover the gap. We lay out buying first and selling first side by side, with your numbers, before you choose.
Do you take fees from 55+ communities?
No. There is no placement fee from any community or care provider, ever.
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Ready to make your move with Surroundings?