As you grow older, your housing needs may change. Maybe you’ll get tired of raking leaves from the lawn of the house you bought 30 years ago because you liked its huge, shady backyard. You might want to retire in sunny Florida or live close to your grandchildren in Illinois. Perhaps you will need to live in a nursing home or an assisted-living facility. Sometimes, after considering your options, you may even decide to stay where you are. Deciding where to live is never easy, but if you evaluate your options carefully, you’ll find it easier to live with your decision.

Staying where you are: when there’s no place like home

Physical considerations

Are you able to take care of your home by yourself? If your answer is no, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to move. Maybe a family member can help you, or maybe you can hire someone to clean your house, mow your lawn, or help you with personal care. Perhaps staying in your home is simply a matter of making it more accessible by installing wheelchair ramps, safety lighting, or new bathroom fixtures. To evaluate whether you can stay in your home or if it’s time to move, consider the following questions:

  • If you need help (or might need it in the future), how willing are you to let someone else help you?
  • Can you afford to hire help, or will you need to rely on friends, relatives, or volunteers?
  • How far do you live from family and/or friends?
  • How close do you live to public transportation?
  • How easily can you renovate your home to address your physical needs?

Emotional considerations

You may want to stay in your home because you have memories of raising your family there. However, if you are widowed or lonely, those memories may be the very reason you want to leave. Moving from a cherished house is never easy, and it might be even harder when you’re moving to a new town or a smaller place. Conversely, you might find that change is just what you need to get a new perspective on life, or to be able to relax and enjoy retirement. To evaluate the emotional impact of moving, consider the following questions:

  • How easily do you adjust to change?
  • How easily do you make new friends?
  • How does your family feel about your move? (This is important if you’re moving closer to them or further away from them.)
  • How does your spouse feel about moving?

Financial considerations

You might think you can’t afford to live in the same home after retirement and want to generate retirement income by selling it. However, selling your home is not the only way you can get income from it. Two other options you might consider if you own your own home and need more income are home equity loans and reverse mortgages.

  • Home Equity Loans or Lines of Credit–If you’re thinking about selling your house because you need more retirement income but you don’t really want to move, consider applying for a home equity loan or line of credit. You put your home up as collateral, and your bank (or other lender) provides you with a term installment loan that will give you a certain sum of money you need up front or a revolving line of credit that you can access when you need cash. When you apply for the loan you’ll probably be asked how you intend to use the money. One way to use it is to finance home improvements that will make your home safer and more accessible, so that you can stay in it instead of moving to an assisted-living facility or nursing home.
  • Reverse Mortgages–A reverse mortgage might enable you to obtain needed retirement income and remain in your home. There are many types of reverse mortgages, but here’s how one usually works. You take out a mortgage on your home, and in return the bank or person who holds the mortgage gives you a lump sum of cash or pays you a predetermined monthly amount for a set number of years (sometimes tied to your life expectancy). At the end of that period, you will owe the bank or mortgage holder the principal and interest due on the house. In order to repay the loan at that time, you (or your estate) may have to sell the house or turn it over to the mortgage holder. For more information on what to consider when choosing a reverse mortgage, visit the Federal Trade Commission website at .

After Hal retired, he found that he couldn’t live off his Social Security benefit and pension income, so he considered selling his house to raise cash. However, he didn’t really want to move, so he decided instead to take out a reverse mortgage. He found a bank that was willing to pay him $650 a month, more than enough to supplement his retirement income. In addition, Hal was allowed to live in the house for the rest of his life. After he died, the bank sold the house to pay off the mortgage.