Many seniors want to live with their families as they age. If your parent or other relative is moving in with you, you must consider the space in your home, their caregiving needs, and the financial aspects of the situation. Open the lines of communication and have a frank discussion with your loved one to make the right decisions for everyone involved. To help you along, here are some tips, courtesy of the Darwin Wall Team.

Create a Comfortable, Safe Space
If you have an extra bedroom available in your home, it will make things a lot easier. However, even if you don't, you could convert a den or garage into a bedroom for your loved one without spending much money. Also, a bathroom should be available on the floor where your relative will be sleeping. If your loved one is in a wheelchair or has mobility issues, you may need to make some renovations to your home to meet their short- and long-term health needs.

Work out the financial details
In addition to the logistics of where your relative will sleep, you also need to talk about the finances, too. Will you be charging rent? How will you be splitting utility costs and grocery bills? Will you be handling all their caregiving needs, or will they hire an outside caregiver? It's important to talk about all the financial details of your arrangement to avoid issues in the future.
Depending on how much money you can contribute to your loved one's care, you will need to discuss how those expenses will be paid. Do they have any savings or retirement funds? Are they receiving any benefits? Also consider what options you have for freeing up more income. While discussing finances, also talk about house rules, privacy issues, and other details to make the transition as smooth as possible.
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Figure out what to do with their home
If your loved one currently owns a home, you need to help them figure out what to do with it. If you plan to keep it, there needs to be a plan for dealing with the mortgage. Renting it out can provide a stream of income, but becoming a landlord isn't something that many seniors want to take on, so it may be best to prepare the house for sale. Selling a house can be emotionally and physically taxing — though it’s a lot easier if you work with professionals like the Darwin Wall Team.

If the house is kept, even if it's paid off, there will be a number of ongoing expenses including property taxes, homeowners insurance, maintenance, and repairs. If it's going to be rented out, then your loved one may need to hire a property manager to handle all the details, especially if you (or another relative) does not live close to the home to oversee the situation.

Your relative may decide to sell the home if the upkeep is too much. Selling the house may be the practical solution if they have equity in the home and need an influx of money for their future. Before selling, consider the condition of the home. Is it in good enough shape to attract buyers or will renovations need to be done? Also consider the local real estate market, as well as your loved one's willingness to sell. If they want a family member to inherit the home, they may not want to sell at all. Before rushing to rent out or sell the home, talk about all these factors and any others that are important to your family in order to make a sound decision.

Allowing a relative to come live with you isn’t an easy decision, but it can be a rewarding situation for everyone involved. With some careful planning and honest communication, you can enjoy time with your loved one as they live out their golden years in your home.
 
The Darwin Wall Team has the experience and expertise to give you the BEST the East Valley has to offer. Our marketing strategy gives our home sellers the advantage in our extremely competitive real estate market. For more information, please visit our website or contact us today!
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Hi everyone! My name is Erin and I am the new intern for the Darwin Wall team! I am so excited to have this opportunity and expand my knowledge on all things real estate.

       I was born and raised right here in Chandler, Arizona. I went to Hamilton High School where I was on the school’s pom and dance team throughout all four years and held the position of captain my senior year. During my senior year of high school I was also a part of the Chandler Service Club’s Flower Girl program where I volunteered at numerous philanthropic events. Throughout my time as a Flower Girl, I experienced leadership opportunities, self-improvement seminars and had the opportunity to learn more about the community.
     
      After high school I continued my education at the University of Arizona (sorry to all the DW team Sun Devils!). During my time in Tucson I spent a majority of my time hanging out at my sorority house and studying to maintain my 3.9 GPA. With my major being in Communication and minor in Business Administration, I have learned an abundance of effective interpersonal communication skills and am equipped with critical thinking skills that I can apply to the real world. I am eager to put into practice what I have learned over the past three years in a classroom setting. I’m looking forward to finishing my last semester of college this upcoming fall remotely! 

    In my free time I like to stay active whether that’s going to the gym, going for a hike with friends, or taking my new puppy for a walk. During the summertime I love staying cool by hanging by the pool or traveling to the San Diego beaches! If I were to choose three words to describe me I would pick determined, versatile, and reliable. I'm excited to learn from everyone at the DW team and more about real estate and marketing! ​

Owning a home can be considered a huge milestone in a person's life. You spend years saving money, you spend a couple hours a week searching through Zillow for your dream home, you want a place where you can kick back and relax,  but more importantly you want a home that truly feels like home. As Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz once said, "there's no place like home". 

The developer for 2560 E Vaughn Ct built this home with pure and future intention for the next homeowners to be. Built in 2004, this traditional ranch style home has over 5,000 SF to its name and has 7 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Located in the prestigious gated community of Whitewing at Wiehl Estates in Gilbert, Arizona, you'll be surrounded by friendly neighbors, a safe neighborhood, and a beautiful walking and biking path a few steps away from your backyard. 

Step outside to the spacious backyard and you'll find a detached garage fit for an RV and is specifically built to make it easy for any driver to enter and exit the garage with their RV.  The walking path near the outskirts of the backyard lead you to a couple of different trails that are near ponds and the Eastern Canal Trail. Use a bike, horse, or your own two feet to walk through the paths that are a few feet away from your backyard. To the side, you'll find a beautiful fountain surrounded by a wall of Lady Bank Roses. A perfect location for someone to spend some tranquil time outdoors encompassing the beauty of the Mother Nature. 

Step back inside the home and you'll notice the grand Alder wood doors that look out to the backyard. The kitchen comes with 2 dishwashers and ovens, a brand new GE monogram fridge,  and 5 burner gas monogram cooktop. The island centering the kitchen was build with the intention of adding more storage, but it also has a butcher countertop to make cooking much easier. 

Walk toward the front of the home and you'll find yourself in a nice little private library that has a beautifully built bookshelf with a moving ladder to help you find your favorite books to read. off to one side, you'll find a quiet room that was originally built as a piano room.  The master bedroom is located on one wing of the home. Enter the double doors of the master bedroom and you'll see a private office room to the side where you can work from home and have another quiet space to get your work done in the comfort of your own home. The spacious bedroom has a nice view of the backyard fountain while the master bathroom comes with a walk-in closet, a double sink, and a built-in bathtub.

A fun and unique feature to this custom built home is the basement. Not many homes in Arizona come with basements, but this specific one has plenty of space and cabinet storage. 3 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom are located downstairs as well. The extra storage was built with the purpose of being able to store your household items in a much more organized manner. 

This home truly has a lot of story behind it and the sellers hope that the new owners will appreciate the hard work and vision that was given to this property. We invite you to take a look at this custom luxury property to see all the amazing and carefully crafted details that bring this home to life. Follow our social media to find out when the next open house will be hosted, or reach out to any of the DW team members to schedule a private showing. ​

Us real estate agents love being able to close on a home, whether it's from the buyer or seller's perspective. As a seller's agent, it's important to get a proper tour of the home before signing a listing agreement, making sure the prospective seller gives the agent as much information as possible regarding the property, and selling yourself to be the agent the sellers want to work with. 

As a buyer's agent, it's important to ask the right questions to the selling agent, viewing the property in person with your clients, doing the due diligence of researching the property before writing an offer, and taking the time to create a solid offer that makes sense to both the buyer and seller. 

Regardless of what side you're representing, the goal as an agent is to protect your client at all costs. Being a real estate agent takes a lot of time, patience, negotiation, and so much more. An agent is dealing with multiple people during one transaction and has to make sure that the communication is strong and clear between everyone involved in the deal. We all wish it truly was that easy to have clear communication and transparency when working with multiple people to get the job done, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. 

​Being a new agent can be thrilling but nerve wracking. There is a lot to learn in the beginning and it can be overwhelming at times. Once you've landed serious clients to work with you get super excited and hope for the best. Starting the process can be hard at first. What type of questions should I be asking my clients? How does showingtime work? Who do I call if there's a co-listing agent involved? What documents do I need to be looking at to create an offer? What do I ask the listing agent when it comes to knowing what offers they currently have? Will other agents be nice or rude to me? There are a ton of questions running through your head as a new agent because what you learn in school is much different from the real life experience you have to go through to make a deal happen. 

The last thing a new agent wants to go through is a very stressful transaction. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned, sometimes the unexpected happens and can kill a deal, you don't know what you're doing and you can't seem to figure out a solution. You might even question yourself on whether being an agent was the right career choice for you, but if you are fortunate enough to work on a team or work with a broker who's very knowledgeable, you'll eventually find the solution that best fits the situation. 

One other important factor to keep in mind when it comes to learning the ropes to real estate as a new agent is to take the time to find the right people to work with. That includes the right brokerage for you, a knowledgeable and professional lender, a title company that communicates well, and even external resources you can pass on to your clients. Why is all of this important? It will make your job easier and you'll get to truly learn how to manage an entire transaction on your own. Don't be afraid to ask questions either, the answer will always be no if you don't try asking. ​

​Eagles for Emily takes place on Saturday May 14th at the Springfield Golf Course in Chandler, AZ. Foursome cost is $500, which includes lunch and a chance to place in the tournament. Thankfully we have a good chunk of sponsors, but we would love to get more raffle items donated to us so we can have awesome items to raffle off. 

Not only are we raffling off items and awarding the top foursome of the tournament, we're also doing a hole in 1 challenge for a $25,000 cash prize! On top of that, we'll also be giving out an award for the best dressed golfer, longest putt, and closest to the pin! We're excited to be planning the 2nd annual golf fundraiser and we hope to see many of you out there. Registration link can be found by clicking here. Don't know how to golf but still want to help? You can donate here as well. 

We can't wait for the golf tournament and we hope that you all feel the same way we do. Our goal is to raise more money than we did last year while still having a good time at the golf course. Don't forget to sign up, and feel free to reach out to any of us on the DW team for any questions you may have. See ya on May 14th!