Your parent needs to move, or you are, and nobody has given you a straight number yet.
You do not have to decide anything this week.

I'm Sarah Ingles, a Des Moines REALTOR®, and this is the work I focus on. Here is the order things happen in:

Decide the destination first, not the house. A townhome, rental independent living, or a buy-in community, with the monthly cost of each.
Then the sequence: sell first or move first, with dates. Most downsizes take 3 to 12 months from decision to moving day, so the order matters more than the speed.
Then the house: what you would likely net, and what to fix or leave alone. A price range from recent sales nearby and the short list of repairs worth doing.

The one thing to do this week is number 1. It is a conversation, not a listing. Everything else can wait.

Within 1 business day, in writing: what the house would sell for, what you would pocket, what to fix first, and the three paths for the next place with the monthly cost of each. No call needed.

Sarah Ingles, REALTOR®, SRES®, CPCU® · Smart Move Des Moines
(563) 513-8771 · 5.0★ across 40+ Google reviews

Updated September 2026

Get your numbers in writing.

Tell me where things stand, and within 1 business day you'll have it in writing: what the house would sell for today, what it would net after Iowa closing costs, what to fix first or leave alone, and the three paths for the next place (townhome, rental independent living, buy-in community) with the monthly cost of each. No call required to get it.

The sequence, with the timings.

Destination first, 6 to 12 months out. A townhome, a rental independent-living community, or a buy-in community, with the monthly cost of each. Tour two or three. The Right Move Finder narrows it in 2 minutes, and the 55+ communities page lists the local options.
Sort, 3 to 6 months out. Four boxes per room: keep, donate, sell, discard. Twenty minutes a day, starting with the room that matters least. Most families keep 30 to 40 percent.
List the house, 1 to 3 months out. A price range from recent sales nearby, the short list of repairs worth doing, photos, and showings on your schedule.
Line up the closings. Sell first or move first, with dates. A longer closing or a rent-back keeps you from carrying two places, or from moving twice.
Move week, then a check-in. Movers who do senior moves, utilities and address changes, a walk through the new place. I call a few weeks after to see what is left undone.

What I do, and what I don't.

What I do

Price and sell the house, and represent you on the next place if you are buying one.
Flag insurability problems before the buyer's inspector does. A vacant house can lose coverage after 30 or 60 days under many policies. Water backup and buried service lines are the other two. I hand you three licensed producers to fix them. I don't write policies.
Run the sale for family who live elsewhere: video walkthroughs, remote signing, and one portal page every sibling can read.

What I don't do, and who does

Sorting, packing, and settling in. A senior move manager. I refer three and stay coordinated with whoever you pick.
Legal advice, powers of attorney, estate work. Your attorney. If a parent has a cognitive diagnosis, the authority to sell has to be in place before the house is listed. I can name three attorneys who do this every week.
Tax questions. Your CPA. I raise the question about the basis and the timing. They answer it.

Three questions families ask first.

Should my parent age in place or move?

Run both numbers before anyone argues. Staying costs what the house costs to carry (taxes, insurance, upkeep, and any paid help, which runs $25 to $35 an hour in the Des Moines metro) plus whatever it takes to make it safe: a walk-in shower or stair lift is a few thousand dollars, a first-floor bedroom addition is far more. Moving costs what the next place costs each month, minus what the current house would net. Aging in place usually wins when the house is one level, the mortgage is gone, and help is under 10 hours a week. It usually loses when stairs, a roof, and 20 hours a week of paid help all arrive at once. For a specific address I put both paths in writing within 1 business day.

Will we have to sell before we find the next place?

Not necessarily. A longer closing, a rent-back after closing, or bridge financing can hold the timing together. For a move into a rental community or assisted living the timeline is usually more flexible, because there is no purchase to line up. The written answer names the order that fits your situation, with dates.

What happens to all the belongings?

Room by room, four boxes: keep, donate, sell, discard. Most families keep 30 to 40 percent of what is in the house. Hands-on sorting and packing is a senior move manager's job, not mine, and I refer three of them. Involve the adult children early for the heirloom decisions, and photograph or scan the papers and pictures before anything leaves.

One family's account

“Can’t say enough! Without question what an amazing experience. Sarah walked us thru this transition with our mother effortlessly. If u want the best u found her!”

Tom Gates, Google review

Read all 40+ reviews

Ready when you are.

Send the address and where things stand. Within 1 business day you'll have what the house would sell for, what you would pocket, what to fix first, and the three paths for the next place with the monthly cost of each, in writing.

Get my numbers in writing

If the move follows a death rather than a downsize, start with the estate sale page. Handling a parent's house from another state: the out-of-state page. Selling the parents' home yourself: the step-by-step guide for adult children. Your own empty nest: the right-sizing page. Not sure what comes back? See a sample written answer.

In short

Sarah Ingles is a Des Moines, Iowa REALTOR® whose practice centers on senior real estate — senior downsizing and 55+ community transitions for longtime Central Iowa homeowners — alongside Iowa probate and estate property sales and real estate for executors and adult children. Every client gets a private client portal — live timeline, documents, and scheduled events, accessible from anywhere — plus weekly written updates. Clients rate her 5.0 stars across 40+ Google reviews. Vendor referrals always come in threes. She holds two professional designations — SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist, National Association of REALTORS®) and CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, The Institutes) — and she also holds the SRES® designation. Through Smart Move Des Moines (brokered by Fathom Realty) she serves Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties — including West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Waukee, Grimes, Altoona, and Beaverdale. She can be reached at (563) 513-8771 or sarah@smartmovedsm.com (Iowa Real Estate License #S73007000). On this page: What is an SRES® and why does it matter? SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) is a designation from the National Association of REALTORS® for agents who complete specialized training on serving clients aged 50+. It covers senior housing options, reverse mortgages, estate planning, probate, emotional transition support, and age-specific financial considerations. Only a small percentage of agents hold this certification.

Your parent needs to move, or you are, and nobody has given you a straight number yet.You do not have to decide anything this week.