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Selling a home is rarely just about square footage, bedrooms, and price.

For older adults, a real estate decision can represent something much bigger.

It may mean leaving the home where you raised your children. Downsizing after decades of collecting memories. Moving closer to family. Finding a home with fewer stairs. Preparing for retirement. Helping an aging parent make a move. Or simply deciding whether moving is even the right choice.

Those decisions deserve more than a rushed sales conversation.

That’s where a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) can help.

But what exactly does that designation mean—and do you actually need an SRES® when buying or selling a home?

Let’s break it down.

What Is an SRES®?

An SRES®, or Seniors Real Estate Specialist®, is a REALTOR® who has completed specialized education focused on the real estate needs of adults age 50 and older.

The National Association of REALTORS® describes the designation as preparing REALTORS® to better serve maturing clients who are selling, buying, relocating, refinancing, or making decisions involving residential or investment property.

But there’s an important distinction:

Working with an SRES® isn’t simply about working with someone who sells homes to seniors.

It’s about working with a real estate professional who understands that later-in-life housing decisions are often connected to much larger financial, family, lifestyle, and emotional considerations.

Why Can Real Estate Be Different After 50?

Your housing priorities at 60, 70, or 80 may look completely different from what they were when you purchased your first home.

Earlier in life, you may have been thinking about:

• School districts
• Extra bedrooms
• A large backyard
• Room for a growing family
• A commute to work

Later, your priorities may shift toward:

• One-level living
• Fewer stairs
• Lower maintenance
• Accessibility
• Walkability
• Proximity to healthcare
• Being closer to children or grandchildren
• Lower monthly housing expenses
• Travel and lifestyle flexibility
• 55+ communities
• Condominiums or townhomes
• Remaining in your current home safely

Your real estate strategy should change when your priorities change.

An SRES® understands that the goal isn’t necessarily to find you a bigger home or convince you to sell.

The goal is to help you determine which housing option best supports the life you want now and in the years ahead.

What Does an SRES® Realtor Actually Do?

An SRES® can help you look at the bigger picture surrounding your move.

Here are some of the situations where that specialized perspective can be especially valuable.

1. Helping You Decide Whether to Sell at All

One of the first questions I believe older homeowners should ask isn’t:

“How much can I sell my house for?”

It’s:

“Do I actually need or want to move?”

For some homeowners, aging in place makes perfect sense.

For others, maintaining a large longtime home has become expensive, physically demanding, or simply no longer aligned with the lifestyle they want.

Before you make a decision, we can look at questions such as:

• How much of the home are you actually using?
• Are stairs or accessibility becoming concerns?
• How much are you spending on maintenance?
• Do you still enjoy taking care of the property?
• Could modifications make the home easier to live in?
• Would moving put you closer to family?
• Would downsizing improve your finances or lifestyle?
• Where would you go if you sold?

Sometimes the conclusion may be:

Stay right where you are.

And that’s a perfectly valid real estate decision.

2. Helping With Downsizing

For someone who has lived in a home for decades, “downsizing” can sound simple.

Just move into something smaller, right?

Not exactly.

Before you ever put your home on the market, you may have to decide what happens to decades’ worth of furniture, photographs, clothing, dishes, paperwork, family heirlooms, holiday decorations, tools, collections, and memories.

That’s often the hardest part.

An SRES® understands that downsizing is both a physical process and an emotional one.

Instead of trying to tackle the entire house at once, the process can be broken into manageable steps.

You might decide what to:

• Keep
• Give to family
• Sell
• Donate
• Recycle
• Discard
• Move to your next home

The goal isn’t to get rid of everything.

It’s to decide what deserves to come with you into your next chapter.

3. Helping You Understand Your Housing Options

Selling your current home is only half of the equation.

The bigger question may be:

Where will I go next?

There are more options than many homeowners initially realize.

Depending on your needs, lifestyle, finances, and preferences, you might consider:

• A smaller single-family home
• A ranch-style home
• A condominium
• A townhome
• A 55+ community
• An apartment
• An independent living community
• Moving closer to family
• Another Chicago neighborhood
• A Chicago suburb
• Relocating to another state

You don’t necessarily need to know exactly where you’re moving before beginning the conversation.

Sometimes we begin by identifying how you want to live.

Do you want less maintenance?

More social activities?

No stairs?

A doorman?

An elevator?

A yard without having to maintain it yourself?

More opportunities to travel?

Closer proximity to your children?

Lifestyle first. Housing second.

Once you understand what you want your day-to-day life to look like, your housing choices become much clearer.

When Should You Work With an SRES®?

You don’t have to wait until you’re ready to sell.

In fact, talking with an SRES® earlier can sometimes be much more helpful.

Here are several situations when you may want to reach out.

You’re Thinking About Downsizing

Maybe your home isn’t causing a problem yet, but you’ve started wondering whether you really need all that space.

That’s a great time to start exploring.

You can learn what your home may be worth, look at smaller housing options, estimate possible costs, and decide whether downsizing makes sense—without committing to anything.

Your Home Has Become Difficult to Maintain

If mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, climbing stairs, cleaning multiple floors, or keeping up with repairs is becoming exhausting, it may be time to explore alternatives.

That doesn’t necessarily mean selling tomorrow.

It simply means understanding your choices.

You’re Preparing for Retirement

Housing is often one of the largest pieces of a retirement plan.

Some homeowners choose to stay exactly where they are.

Others decide to reduce housing expenses, move to a lower-maintenance property, relocate, or use some of the equity they’ve built in their longtime home.

A real estate professional can help you understand the housing side of that decision while your financial, legal, or tax professionals advise you in their respective areas.

You Want to Move Closer to Family

This is a common reason people move later in life.

Maybe your children and grandchildren now live in the suburbs.

Maybe they’ve moved to another state.

Or perhaps you’d simply like to be closer so that family dinners don’t require an hour-long drive.

An SRES® can help you think through the timing of selling one home and purchasing another—especially when two different locations are involved.

You’re Helping an Aging Parent

Sometimes the person making the first call isn’t the homeowner.

It’s the son or daughter.

Adult children often find themselves asking:

“Mom really shouldn’t be dealing with this big house anymore. Where do we even start?”

Or:

“Dad wants to stay in the house, but we’re worried about the stairs and maintenance.”

These conversations can become emotional very quickly.

It’s important that the homeowner remains part of the decision-making process whenever possible.

A move shouldn’t feel like something that’s simply happening to Mom or Dad.

The goal should be to help them understand their choices and maintain as much control over their next chapter as possible.

You’ve Lived in Your Home for Decades

If you purchased your Chicago home 25, 30, or 40 years ago, selling today may look very different from the last real estate transaction you experienced.

Technology has changed.

Marketing has changed.

Contracts have changed.

Buyer expectations have changed.

And your home’s value may have changed dramatically.

You deserve someone who will explain the process clearly instead of assuming you already know how everything works.

What an SRES® Is NOT

It’s also important to understand the limits of what a real estate professional does.

An SRES® is not automatically your:

• Attorney
• Accountant
• Financial advisor
• Tax professional
• Estate planner
• Healthcare provider
• Senior living advisor

Those professionals may play important roles depending on your circumstances.

One of the advantages of approaching a later-in-life move thoughtfully is identifying which professionals should be involved before important decisions are made.

Your REALTOR® should work alongside your other trusted professionals—not replace them.

What Should You Ask an SRES® Before Hiring Them?

Having a designation is valuable, but you should still make sure the person is a good fit for you.

Consider asking:

“How do you help clients who are still deciding whether to sell?”

You want someone willing to have a conversation before asking for a listing agreement.

“Have you worked with homeowners who are downsizing?”

Ask how they approach the process.

“Can you help me explore where I might move before I list my home?”

Your next housing plan matters.

“How will you communicate with me throughout the process?”

There are no silly questions. You deserve clear explanations.

“How do you work with adult children or other family members?”

This can be especially important when several people are involved.

And perhaps most importantly:

“Will I feel pressured?”

You shouldn’t.

Why I Chose to Become an SRES®

I chose to earn my Seniors Real Estate Specialist® designation because I wanted to become an even better resource for Chicago-area homeowners navigating this stage of life.

I’ve come to appreciate that selling a longtime home isn’t simply another transaction.

There’s history there.

There’s family there.

There’s often uncertainty about what happens next.

And sometimes there are several generations involved in the conversation.

I want my clients to have a place where they can begin with questions rather than decisions.

You don’t have to call me already knowing that you want to sell.

You can call me and say:

“Bettina, I’m thinking about it, but I don’t know what I should do.”

That’s enough.

We can start there.

You Don’t Need a For Sale Sign to Start Planning

One of the most valuable things you can give yourself is time.

If you’re thinking you might move next year, you can start planning now.

If you’re wondering whether your current home will work for you five years from now, you can start exploring now.

If you’re helping a parent who may eventually need to downsize, you can start having gentle conversations now.

Planning early gives you choices.

Waiting until a move becomes urgent can take some of those choices away.

So whether your next chapter involves staying, downsizing, relocating, buying something smaller, or simply learning what’s possible, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

If you’re a homeowner age 50+ in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, or you’re helping a parent or loved one think through their next move, I’d be happy to start with a simple conversation.

No pressure.

No assumption that you’re selling.

Just information.

You can also download my FREE “Downsizing Without the Stress” Guide for practical tips to help you begin organizing and planning at your own pace.

Bettina Yarbrough, SRES®
Chicago Realtor® | Serving Chicago & Surrounding Suburbs
BettinaTheRealtor.com

Your next chapter deserves a plan—and you don’t have to make it alone.

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