If you're running this for a parent
Read every phase below as two parallel timelines. Lane A is your parent's home — usually larger, longer-held, and likely qualifying for Section 121's $250K single / $500K married capital-gains exclusion if they've used it as their primary residence two of the last five years. Lane B is your own next-chapter move, often three to ten years out. The two lanes share the same metro inventory, the same insurance issues on older Des Moines housing stock, and the same family decision-making time. Sequencing them deliberately costs less than running them in series and far less than running them in panic.
If a parent's house has already passed through probate, swap "capital-gains exclusion" for "stepped-up basis" — the heirs' cost basis resets to fair market value at the date of death, which usually eliminates the gain. That's an Iowa Code Chapter 633 outcome and is one of the reasons sequencing the sale before too long can save tax dollars.
Phase 1: Planning (12–18 Months Before Your Move)
The expensive mistake is waiting until a health event forces a 30-day decision. A 12- to 18-month runway lets you decide on data, not adrenaline. Cosmetic updates recover roughly 100% at resale per NAR's 2025 Remodeling Impact Report; structural and code-compliance updates rarely do — knowing the difference is the entire planning phase.
Start with a free home value assessment so you know where you stand financially. Understanding your equity sets a realistic budget for the next home — whether that's a 55+ community in Urbandale, a maintenance-free condo in West Des Moines, or a smaller single-family home in Johnston. If you're running both lanes (yours and a parent's), get a value estimate on each so the sequencing math is real.
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, homeowners aged 65+ have lived in their homes an average of 16 years — which means there's often a lifetime of belongings to sort through.
Source: NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
During this phase, begin having honest conversations with family about what stays, what goes, and what the timeline looks like.
Phase 2: Decluttering Room by Room (6–12 Months Out)
The key to stress-free downsizing is working in small, manageable blocks — not trying to clear the house in a weekend. Start with the rooms you use least: the guest bedroom, the basement, the garage.
For each room, sort items into four categories: keep, donate, sell, and discard. Be honest about what fits your next space. A professional organizer like Tidy Butterfly (a Smart Move Stamp of Approval partner) can make this process dramatically easier — especially when emotions run high around family heirlooms and keepsakes.
If you have valuable items — antiques, collections, artwork — consider an estate sale company or consignment shop before listing your home. Getting these decisions out of the way early removes a major source of stress during the sale.
Phase 3: Preparing Your Home for Sale (3–6 Months Out)
Once the decluttering is underway, it's time to think about what your home needs to sell well in the Des Moines market. The good news: most downsizing homes don't need major renovations.
The updates that deliver the best return on investment are almost always cosmetic: fresh paint in neutral colors, updated light fixtures, professional deep cleaning, and basic landscaping.
According to the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, interior painting recovers approximately 100% of cost at resale. A $20,000 kitchen remodel? Maybe 50–60%.
Rule: Refresh, don't renovate.
What matters more than cosmetic updates is catching problems that kill deals. As the only Des Moines metro realtor holding both the SRES® and CPCU® credentials, I run an insurance-gap review on every senior or estate listing — vacancy exclusions that trigger after 30 or 60 unoccupied days, water-backup coverage that's often missing on the parent generation's policy, and service-line endorsements that aren't on most pre-2010 policies. Older Des Moines housing stock adds knob-and-tube wiring, Federal Pacific panels, polybutylene plumbing, and foundation settling — any one can derail a buyer's underwriting in the last week before closing.
Phase 4: Listing and Selling (1–3 Months Out)
When your home is ready, Sarah will run a comparative market analysis (CMA) using current Des Moines metro data to price your home accurately. Overpricing is the number one mistake sellers make — it costs more time and money than pricing right from the start.
Your listing goes live on the MLS, syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com, and other major portals. Sarah handles showings, negotiations, inspections, and closing coordination. Your job is to review offers and make decisions — the machine handles the rest.
Phase 5: Moving and Closing (Move Week)
The final phase is coordinating the move itself. I'm the real estate agent, not the move manager — for hands-on packing, sorting, transport, and setting up the new space, I refer to Tisa Johnson and Carrie Blackburn, both senior-move specialists who run that scope better than any realtor can.
On closing day, I walk you through every document and confirm the day-of-close insurance handoff (the new policy starts the moment the deed records — no overnight gap on either property). After closing, you'll receive a follow-up package with important records, the policy and title binders, and a personalized thank-you.