SRES Consumer Newsletter - August 2020

 

Consumer Newsletter – August 2020 US Edition; By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau	www.sres.org

Protocols for Nursing Home Visits

For anyone with parents or loved ones living in a long-term care facility, the months of separation because of Covid-19 lockdowns has made the stay-at-home orders doubly painful.

You not only miss your loved ones but also worry about their physical and mental well-being and the toll so many months of isolation has taken.

And though you want to visit – some states are now allowing in-person get-togethers –it’s natural to be concerned about your health and that of long-term care residents.

As such facilities begin to open for in-person visits again, it’s important  to understand the facility’s  protocols and how you and your loved one will be kept safe.

AARP offers some key questions everyone should ask before planning a visit, including:

·        What is the nursing home doing to help make it safe for visitors to come back?

·        What protection and social-distancing measures are in place

·        Are you doing everything possible to minimize risks to residents?

·        Will visits be restricted by time and place?

·        What kind of health checks will be required for visitors?

To check whether your state has resumed in-person visits to nursing homes, see https://bit.ly/30JAlkL. In some, including Arizona, Florida, and Texas, visits are forbidden, unless there are unique circumstances like end-of-life situations.

Ohio nursing homes are opening up for outdoor visits, and facilities in other states are reopening with specific restrictions in place. Those include things like outdoor visits, scheduled visits during specific hours, and limits on how many people can see a given resident at a time.

Markets Recovering, Says NAR Survey

Especially if you were poised to sell your home before the pandemic, one gnawing question likely has been what impact Covid-19 would have on the real estate market.

The National Association of REALTORS^® took a look at this issue by polling members in late June.

Its 2020 Market Recovery Survey shows that markets are recovering, with 45% of respondents saying that their market is slowly entering recovery and 28% saying their marketing is hotter than normal.

And if you’re selling a home, the good news is that buyers are returning. In fact, 9% of respondents to the NAR survey said that all of their buyers have returned and 18% said that their buyers never left.

In rural areas and small towns, 33% said their market is hotter than normal, though 40% said the market is slowly entering recovery.

In urban areas, 49% said the market is slowly entering recovery, 17%  reported that it’s back to normal and 23% reported that their market is hotter than normal.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening.

	Small town/Rural	Urban area	Suburban area
No buyers paused, continued to work with buyers	23%	17%	17%
No buyers have returned	5%	11%	9%
Less than 25%	19%	21%	20%
25%-50%	22%	25%	21%
51%-99%	21%	17%	24%
100% of buyers returned	9%	9%	10%

 

The survey also includes information about buyers’ timelines, home features important in a new home, and the importance of technology.

For example, if you’re buying or selling in the next year, expect to see real estate practitioners rely on technology more. Sixty-seven percent of respondents expect the demand for Zoom and other video technologies for client communications to increase. Increased demand for other technologies also is expected to rise, and those include virtual tours (66%), live virtual tours (63% conducted by an aging using video), and virtual open houses (60%).

See more results from the survey on the SRES blog, and read the complete survey at (https://bit.ly/32ICQGB).

 

	Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market Coldwell Banker Premier Group 2203 S Big Bend Blvd St. Louis, MO 63117 Matt Wroughton - PSA, SRES

 

 

 

 

SRES Comsumer Newsletter - February 2020

Consumer Newsletter – February 2020

US Edition; By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau

www.sres.org

Seniors on the Move

Moving across the country is challenging, but when it includes frail, elderly parents, it becomes exponentially harder.

It’s why those who have gone through the process with a loved one suggest getting an early start, having a handle on the to-dos, and planning ahead.

But most families wait until a crisis before considering housing options and purging a house, according to Judith Kahn of Judith Moves You, a New York City senior move manager. “It’s not unusual for people to call me just weeks before a move,” she says.

She says it’s best to start sorting, cleaning, and figuring out the next steps a year prior to downsizing. “Frail seniors have physical and emotional limitations and can only work two or three hours at a time,” she says. When a move manager swoops in with just weeks to do their work, it increases seniors’ stress, particularly if they have dementia.

You’re fired

Still, parents and children resist. “Part of it is coming to terms with the idea that hiring me is staring mortality in the face,” Kahn says.

Sisters Rachel Wineberg-Kaufman of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.,  and Johanna Kellman of Naples, Fla., came face-to-face with such resistance when trying to get their 90-something parents, Bernice and Julius, to downsize several years prior to their eventual 2018 relocation from Chicago to Naples. 

The two had raised the topic several times, but their parents refused to consider moving or even having help in their house. “My mom kept firing the aides we hired,” recalls Wineberg-Kaufman.

Recognizing the signs

But the signs that it was time for a change were there.

When the daughters visited, friends pulled them aside and told them that their parents really could use more help. They noticed piles of unopened mail and disorganization in their parents’ normally tidy condo.

But getting their parents to accept that it was time to downsize wasn’t easy, and the sisters wanted to respect their parents’ wishes.

Then, when Wineberg-Kaufman’s husband talked with his in-laws and suggested moving, they jumped on it (See more of the story in the SRES blog ___), opting to live near Kellman in Naples. A semi-neutral person, someone other than the children,  making such requests sometimes can be persuasive and effective.

Tip: When talking with parents about medical directives, ask about their wishes for long-term living arrangements, should aging at home become impossible. Wineberg-Kaufman says, “I wish I had asked, ‘How will I know that you’re ready to move? What signs should I watch out for?’”

Preview options in advance

After getting a thumbs-up from their parents, Kellman scrambled and started visiting and researching the independent housing options.

Kellman suggests doing some scouting years before a move. The choices are vast, confusing, and expensive.

In addition, it’s important to pick a place where your parents will feel comfortable.

When the building’s vibe? Do residents seem engaged and happy? Do the activities match your parents’ interests? Could you picture your parents living there?

“You really just have to find the personality that's right for them,” says Kellman.

Subhead) Editing a life

Once Kellman, an interior designer, chose an apartment in an independent living building, she took measurements and planned a layout.

House-sized coffee tables, couches, and so forth, typically are too big for the limited space in independent living apartments. But moving some furniture makes the space feel homier and less institutional.

That advance planning and measuring guided the sisters’ decisions about to bring.

They opted for a few pieces of furniture that were important to their parents, some quilts her mom had made, photos, and some books and mementos.

Managing the nitty-gritty

“If you don't have a sister who's an interior designer, hire somebody experienced in senior moves,” advises Wineberg-Kaufman.  

Such managers are expert in dealing with the big issues of a move and the nitty-gritty details, including packing and shipping, turning utilities on and off, and transferring insurance.

Their unique skills also entail scanning a room and knowing what can be donated, what’s saleable, and what need to be tossed.

Moreover, notes Kahn, they have pre-vetted connections with every type of service provider – movers, geriatric care managers, auctioneers, estate sale managers, and so forth – needed to execute a move seamlessly.

When their dad moved from independent to assisted living in the same facility after their mom’s death in 2019, the sisters marveled at senior move managers’ tricks of the trade.

For example, they photographed the medicine cabinet and drawers before packing so that everything was put in the exact same spot in the new apartment. Their dad didn’t have to hunt around for things, which minimized his stress.

Orchestrating farewells

A few weeks before the move, the sisters got in touch with their parents’ friends and asked that someone go out with them for a meal each day.

It was one way for their parents to enjoy their last weeks in Chicago, celebrate with friends, and bid farewell to their hometown.

And to diminish their parents’ angst, the sisters purged and packed after the actual move.

They left the apartment intact so that their parents’ last view of it was one of beauty, not chaos.

Finding new friends

In retrospect, Wineberg-Kaufman realized that another reason for parents to move to a senior building sooner rather than later is how challenging it is to make new friends, something her parents found difficult.

Wineberg-Kaufman notes that people in that age group may have hearing and memory problems and sometimes they’re too frail now to fully engage socially.

She also observed that sometimes interactions among residents can mirror those of young children who play next to one another but not together.

Had their parents moved they were younger, Wineberg-Kaufman thinks they would’ve been able to build a stronger social network.

Now that Bernice has passed away, Julius is isolated at his assisted living facility.

But when he was back in Chicago for his wife’s memorial service, he reconnected with old, lifelong friends and was sharp and engaged. “Because of that depth of friendship, they all just fell into conversation,” recalls Wineberg-Kaufman.  

The entire experience has caused her to consider a new model for aging. “Set up your own assisted living with friends,” she says. “Buy two condos: one for the friends and one for the caretaker.”

Resources:

If you’re planning a cross-country move with a senior, here’s a list of resources and checklists to get you started.

·        AARP: https://bit.ly/2Ryjn4b 

·        Caring.com: https://bit.ly/2RxTfGy

·        Family Caregiver Alliance: https://bit.ly/3aoM5gh

·        National Association of Senior Move Managers: https://bit.ly/2NKUH7c

	Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market Coldwell Banker Premier Group 2203 S. Big Bend Blvd St. Louis, MO 63117 Matt Wroughton – SRES, PSA

Finding Yourself, The Struggle

Well, that re-dedication to writing my blog sure didn’t last long.  Over this post, I hopefully will explain why that happened and what I have done to overcome the slippage and regain the control of my business.  Being a new REALTOR® is tough. Sure, some people come into the business with a bunch of people just waiting for them to get their license before they list their house or decide to buy a new one.  I didn’t have that. In fact, right before I got my license, I had numerous friends and family buy and sell houses.  I did the math and that would have been around $25,000 in my pocket right out of the gate.  Oh, how I would have loved that.  Don’t worry. I’m not bitter.  They didn’t know that I was going to become a REALTOR® when they signed their contracts.  I had to struggle through the mental ups and downs of finding my way.  I’ll admit, I got lucky when I got my first listing.  I was just sending handwritten letters to every expired listing in my area and actually got a bite.  After that, I had a friend looking to buy his first place which was also great.  It was then that I was feeling truly good about myself believing that I had finally become a successful REALTOR®.  But then it happened.

               After those two sales went through, I thought that I had finally found my stride and the listings and buyers were just going to keep coming. But no, these past months have been tough.  No doubt, I fought a little bit of depression and kept putting on a front that I was being successful but truly was feeling down about myself.  I had little to no energy and was turning to vices a little too much.  I ‘worked’ from home, but really, I had TV or movies playing on my monitor and was doing little things that I could that didn’t need too much attention or effort.  I stopped going to the gym, previewing houses, and effectively putting myself out there in order to gain business.  I went on one listing presentation, didn’t get it, and that put me further down in the hole.  I was still believing that the little things that I did in the very beginning that got me a single listing were going to help me make it in this business.  I believe that deep down I knew that I wasn’t doing enough but was in denial.  I know that I have lofty goals that I want to achieve, and I know that I won’t achieve them if I keep following the same path.  There had to be a change.

               I don’t remember the exact day, but there was a day where all this really hit me.  I knew I needed to make a change.  I literally just sat on my couch all day in thought.  I thought about what I was doing and what I needed to do to change.  It was then that I decided to take a long break from drinking alcohol.  I had a date in mind where I would allow myself to drink again, but in moderation.  That date was 40+ days away; I am proud to say that I made it that long and have since drank very little since then.  I was so strict with this that I wouldn’t even take a little taste of a drink that my girlfriend told me was delicious and asked me to try.  I’m not saying I was an alcoholic, but I feel that I might have been on my way.  I also went keto for a week, partially out of curiosity but mainly to stop myself from eating chips, one of my favorite snacks to eat throughout the day.  I also gave up sugar for that week, so I wouldn’t turn to candy.  That was mainly because I was drinking a lot of sweet tea during the day and I know how unhealthy that can be.  I already didn’t drink soda, or pop, so that wasn’t a challenge.  I surrounded myself with cheese and sausage and un-sweet tea.  Doing this little challenge invigorated me and filled me with more energy and improved my mood.  I’ll admit, that I need to give up sugar again, but all that Halloween candy is out and it’s so tempting and tasty.  I have still managed to stay away from sweet tea because I’ve realized that I don’t need it and regular iced tea is pretty good how it is, I don’t need all that extra sugar.  I did start going back to the gym for a while and then something happened where I stopped and need to get back into going again.  I’ll go today, I have to; I mean I want to, and I get to.  Doing all of this improved my mood and my outlook on life.  I took these steps to improve my personal life and now that my mood has improved and stayed improved, it is time to take the next step and improve my work life. 

               There are many things that I know that I need to improve at work to help me achieve all my lofty goals.  I know that I have the support and resources to allow me to achieve the greatness that I believe that I can achieve.  I found a new program, to me, that allows me to auto send emails to my SOI (What is this?) and track the touches of expired listings and FSBO’s that I want to work towards getting.  Since using this program, I am about to sign a new listing (As of the posting, the listing might be signed).  I have 4 future buyers that I am actively working with and more down the road.  I know that that won’t be enough., I need to add new business building activities to my daily routine.  There is one activity that I know is very helpful, but I really don’t want to do it, that is making phone calls.  I need to get over the fact that I hate it when people cold call me.  I need to reinforce the fact that if they are an expired listing or a FSBO, they are wanting to sell their house and it isn’t a true cold call.  I have been sending out letters and postcards to all of them, why not add another form of touch to their file and hopefully get that prized face-to-face meeting.  I have started holding Open Houses and previewing houses again, which has improved my spirit, except when the Open House has zero visitors.  Luckily for me I was able to watch the St. Louis Cardinals game on my phone during it. 

               I hope this post showed you what the potential struggles are when you are a new REALTOR®, but it is important to know that all experienced and successful REALTORS® have gone through these same struggles and have a wealth of information and strategies for getting out of the funk you might be in and help find ways to motivate you to get into successful and profitable habits.  It feels nice being back on the upswing of life.  I know that I was down for a while and needed to work my way through it.  I tried to keep it all to myself, but that only made things worse.  If it weren’t for the support of my family and close friends, I doubt I would have been able to get through this as well as I have.  I’m sure I will talk about other habits I am implementing to help me to achieve my goals.  Well, now that I have my REALTOR® mojo back, let’s go see some houses.