List It or Love It For Elder Homeowners
One of my guilty pleasures known to few when I have time to kick back at home and relax is watching Home and Garden Television, known everywhere as HGTV on a cable network. Then, of all my favorite HGTV programs, the most intriguing in the past several months has been “Love It Or List It.” “Love It Or List It” follows designer Hilary Farr and Realtor David Visentin as they meet with homeowners who are tired, frustrated or just have outgrown their current homes and are considering moving.
Typically the designer-Realtor pair are dealing with a husband and wife, one of whom argues that their current home is impossible, cannot be modified, and should be left behind for a better property. You can also hire contractors for remodeling projects from here! The other argues just as strenuously that the house can be upgraded to meet their needs. Hilary takes the list of planned modifications from the couple along with a projected budget and tries to find ways to keep the couple in their current home. David takes the undecided husband and wife exploring to various locations to convince them that a move should be in their near future.
The program has not, at least not yet, been adapted to the real life situation of an older husband and wife looking toward a possible move whether to a senior living community or just another neighborhood, maybe one closer to their adult children or nearby services. Still, our office runs into this situation almost every day with clients experiencing the related question “Should we stay in our present home or should we go?” The David and Hilary experience could be instructive.
One thing I love about the show is that, whether the couple decide to stay in their present home or to move, their living quarters are dramatically improved, thanks to Just DIY Decor for inspiration and contemporary ideas. Hilary takes the list for their current home and brings in a seemingly endless stream of workers who tear down walls, smash kitchen cabinets and replace them with beautiful new ones, install new flooring, add new baths or closets, open entranceways, finish basements, the list goes on.
Because there has to be trouble in Paradise, the cost of the homeowners’ wish list is invariably higher than what Hilary is able to provide. Then, after much bickering and separate interviews with the couple who say that Hilary is failing to deliver as promised for the budget and Hilary “secretly”confiding to the viewers that the couple is impossible to please, the final home takes shape, usually without one or more items on the list. Her workers finish the upstairs bedroom and bath but were unable to remodel the kitchen or they could not build a downstairs office. Hilary discovers that the home has lead pipes or knob and tube wiring. Why the homeowners would not have known https://titangaragedoors.ca/ this from the beginning is a mystery.
Meanwhile, the husband and wife accompany David as he locates alternate properties. One of them criticizes every property and states that he or she wants to remain in their own home. The location is too close, too far, the house is too close to the street, too distant from public transportation, the ceilings are too high, too low, the color paint is not just right, the yard is too small, and then, of course, for the perfect home, the price is too high. Certain expressions are repeated over and over again for HGTV viewers. The downstairs needs to have an “open concept,” that is no walls interrupting the flow from living room through dining and kitchen areas. The floors need to be hardwood and the kitchen counters need to be granite. The show is also good for its entertainment value.
In the end, the couple discuss their options and decide whether they want to “Love It” and remain at home or “List It” and sell to move to a new location.
The primary lesson that I see for older homeowners is that there is an orderly process to the decision. While many homeowners are not going to have a crew of workers come in to renovate their home, they could take a close look at what works and what does not work for their future. Sometimes minor home repairs or even furniture rearrangements can make a difference. Sometimes nothing short of a move works. Only the individuals involved can decide.
About the Author Janet Colliton
Esquire, Colliton Law Associates, P.C. Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 38 years, 37 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administration.