I'm DPOA for my Mom and her estate. I need to sell her home, what should I know?
My mom moved into an ALF January 2015 and just recently transferred into their memory care wing due to fast progression of her dementia/ Alzheimer's.
I am the sole DPOA of her assets, health and her entire estate. She currently owns a home with a reverse mortgage and I will need to sell the home due to her not residing in the home for almost a year coming up this January.
My question is this, what are some issues that I should be aware of that others may have dealt with being a DPOA with a reverse mortgages, and a surviving parent with alzheimer's.
Sadly, she is delusional believing dead relatives are still alive and are supposed to pick her up on a daily basis. She does not know the year or month, etc.
I do not necessarily want to go the guardianship / conservatorship route but I would like to make sure that since we are talking about dealing within the state of California, I do want what is the best benefit for my mom and less hassle all around.
She has some equity left in her home and I want to make sure all of that goes only into an account for her medical and ALF / MC living expenses and out of greedy little fingers of relatives once the house sells or while it is in the process.
Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly suggested as I start preparing for this task so I know what I might be expecting down the road here from others who may have traveled a similar path.
Thank you.
Interview two real estate agents to determine value of your mom's home and listen to their advice on what all should be done in her home to maximize the sale price. Improve curb appeal if you can -- which might be as simple as cleaning out the gardens.
I could go thru the whole process of selling a home, but you can get that elsewhere. There's nothing magic about what you are contemplating. The only caveat I'd add is that, if you have any reason to think that mom will be on Medicaid within the next five years, seven in some states, be sure you sell her home for market value. I mention that only because some people sell to family for much less. Medicaid would come back to bite you if you did that.
I am just scared to make this step that has to be done. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone I know personally that has gone through this particular situation and I want to aware of any bumps in the road ahead possibly.