Selling a home under ordinary circumstances can be hard enough. Add the stress of moving an elderly parent into senior housing or memory care because they can no longer safely stay in the house alone—or of cleaning out a house after a parent has died—and the strain on most adult children can increase dramatically. Here are a few obstacles to be aware of and prepared for when selling a parent’s home.

The biggest obstacle is time

The single biggest obstacle to preparing and selling an elderly parent’s house is time. Most adult children are busy with their own lives. Many are still working full time. Those who have retired often have their own commitments—grandchildren, hobbies, a second home, travel, volunteering, or a part-time job, to name just a few.

One of the most common ways to overcome the obstacle of time is to partner with trusted resources—in other words, other people. Does misery love company? Maybe. But a better way to frame it might be this: I’m already stretched thin by my own life. I don’t have to be the expert in preparing and selling my parent’s home. I can draw on the expertise of a Realtor who specializes in working with senior clients and their adult children.

Knowledge is the second obstacle

Another obstacle that goes hand in hand with time is knowledge. How do you clean out the house? What do you do with everything inside it? What needs to be updated or repaired? How do you market the house once it’s for sale? Is selling to an investor a good idea? What about selling it yourself? The industry changed significantly after the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement in 2024, just as it changed after the real estate market crashed in 2008. Even full-time Realtors can have a hard time keeping up with industry shifts and with how AI is reshaping marketing. There’s far more involved in selling a house than putting a sign in the yard. Those days are gone.

Real estate is an industry of relationships

Real estate is an industry of relationships, not just a business of buying and selling houses. That becomes especially clear when working with adult children who don’t live in the same city as their elderly parents. Having a team of resources to do much of the heavy lifting, where appropriate, can be a game changer. Peace of mind comes when that team—usually headed by the Realtor—can be trusted to do what they say, when they say they’ll do it. Adult children in this situation are strongly encouraged to interview one to three Realtors before choosing one.

The benefits of a Realtor who specializes in seniors

What are some of the benefits of working with a Realtor who specializes in the senior market—and their adult children? A Realtor who works with these clients recognizes that it isn’t “just a house.” It might be the house where a family was raised, the house a client grew up in, or even a grandparent’s house. There are memories and emotions tied to that place like nowhere else on earth. Along with the emotions, there are physical reminders everywhere: Dad’s recliner, the china hutch, the stain on the Formica countertop, and a million other things. A Realtor who regularly navigates these emotions will, ideally, bring more sensitivity to the situation.

This kind of help matters most when the adult children don’t live in the same city as the house. Think about the laundry list of tasks a home sale requires, then imagine coordinating all of those contractors from a distance. That’s a recipe for stress. Peace of mind comes when the Realtor and their team can be trusted to follow through—on time and as promised.

Updates, repairs, and return on investment

One of a Realtor’s roles is to suggest the updates and repairs that will have the greatest impact on saleability and appeal most to today’s buyers. New carpet and fresh paint go a long way. Often, when a house has been owned by the same family for forty-plus years, there are basic repairs and updates that could or should be done. An experienced Realtor can point sellers toward the improvements with the biggest return on investment.

Another benefit of working with an experienced Realtor is that they usually have a team around them. That team can include licensed contractors for updates and repairs that require permits, handymen for lighter work, painters, carpet installers, people to declutter and stage the house, and estate sale companies. Some or all of these resources can help make the house as salable as possible.

What about cash investors?

But what about those investors who advertise a cash offer with no showings and no Realtor commissions? Selling to an investor can be a good option in the right situation, but be very cautious with anyone whose offer seems too good to be true. Here’s what many sellers think when they hear “no Realtor commissions”: the investor is going to pay me what I think the house is worth, and I’ll save the commission, so I’ll pocket more money. Often, that isn’t how it works. An investor makes their money when they buy the house, which means buying it at the lowest possible price—frequently around half of fair market value.

Consider a simple comparison. Say the fair market value of the house is $300,000. Option #1: an investor offers you $150,000, and you leave the closing table with $150,000. Option #2: you list with a Realtor for a 6% commission ($18,000), the house sells at its $300,000 value, and you leave with $282,000. That’s $132,000 more in Option #2—even after paying the commission.

Does For Sale By Owner make sense?

Does it make sense to sell For Sale By Owner (FSBO)? The simple answer is: maybe. It depends. Selling a house yourself can work well for people who have a lot of time—time to research buyer trends, the return on investment for cosmetic updates, required documents, city inspections (where applicable), marketing, qualifying a buyer, and working with a title company to close the transaction.

But the do-it-yourself route comes with real obstacles. According to the National Association of Realtors, FSBO homes typically sell for a median price significantly lower than agent-assisted homes. Many FSBO sellers report failing to reach their target sale price, and a large share still end up paying a buyer’s agent commission (often 2.5% to 3%) as a concession to attract buyers. Some struggle with accurate pricing, relying on online estimators rather than a comparative market analysis. Many don’t market their property beyond a yard sign or a few basic postings, a notable share admit to paperwork or legal mistakes, and over half describe the process as highly stressful.

The bottom line

There are several options when preparing and selling an elderly parent’s home, each with pros and cons. Whether you hire a Realtor, sell For Sale By Owner, or sell directly to an investor, there’s no single right or wrong answer. It depends on the specific seller and what works best for their situation.