If you are looking after your parent's affairs, helping them to make the move to an assisted living setting can be difficult. Even determining if it is time to let go of the family home can be very stressful. Asking some specific questions may help remove some of the emotion and help all of you decide. Click here for a printable copy of the questionnaire that will help you assess if the time is now.

Retirement homes have varying facilities, specialties and levels of care. Do you want a home where independent living is possible but progressive care is also available as time moves on? Do you need a facility that has a good Alzheimer's program? The following questionnaire from www.thecareguide.com can help you compare what each location you are investigating has to offer. Click here for the Residence Checklist.

If the decision is to relocate your parents, you may now be considering putting the family home up for sale. It is very important that you involve a real estate agent at this time, because you want to make sure the house sells easily, quickly, and for the best price.

It may be that little updating has been done on the property. A pre inspection by a reputable home inspection company will cost about $400.00 and is an essential investment. This home inspection can detect any latent "hidden" structural problems that may be present. Knob and tube wiring, common in Toronto, insufficient insulation by present standards, mould, and moisture problems are items that should be remedied or disclosed when the property is listed. This will make the sale of the property move smoothly. A current pre-home inspection report is very reassuring to a purchaser, and may even impact on the price they are willing to pay.

Structural details will be discovered by the purchaser's home inspector after the price has already been agreed upon. If the sale is conditional on the approval of the home inspection by the purchaser as most sales in the present market are, the purchaser may walk away. These details then must be disclosed to any future purchaser if they are major structural problems.

Clean and tidy always sells! Remove all extra personal items and furniture that may make the home appear dated. Washing the windows, cleaning up the landscape, using 100 watt light bulbs and repainting where necessary are the most economical improvements you can make to enhance the presentation of the property to the public.