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Stay, Downsize, or Move Closer to Family?
  1. Stay, Downsize, or Move Closer to Family?
5 min read

Stay, Downsize, or Move Closer to Family?

Published on: Oct 6, 2026
Last updated on: Oct 7, 2026
Ralph Thomas

A Senior Homeowner's Guide to What Comes Next

You have more good choices for your home in retirement than most people realize. And whichever one you pick, a short property tax checkup can leave more money in your pocket.

Your home, your call

Your home holds decades of memories, routines and neighbors. So when the stairs feel steeper or the yard feels bigger, the real question is rarely “should we move?” It is “what do we want the next 10 or 20 years to look like?”

I’m Ralph Thomas, Broker/Owner of Ramas Real Estate in McKinney. I hold the Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®. Ramas Real Estate specializes in helping senior homeowners and their families work through that question at their own pace.

This guide discusses the choices in front of you, how to help a parent(s) decide which is the best choice and ways to help the cost of home ownership.

The choices in front of you

Most senior homeowners have five realistic options. None is the “right” one for everybody, and you do not have to decide this year.

Three out of four adults age 50 and older want to stay in their current home as they age. That is the finding of AARP’s 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey: 75% want to remain in their homes, and 73% want to stay in their communities.

The same survey found that nearly half expect their home will need modifications. Major remodels can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The good news is that many of the most useful changes are simple and relatively inexpensive.

Staying works best with a plan. How manageable are the stairs and the yard? How would you get to appointments if driving became difficult? Who could help with household tasks? Answering those questions now tells you what to fix today, and what would make you reconsider later.

Simple changes that help
1. A handheld showerhead and a shower chair or bench
2. Slip-resistant strips on the shower floor, which work better than mats​
3. Lever-style faucets, which are easier on older hands
4. Motion-sensor night lights and easy-to-reach light switches​
5. Double-faced tape or slip-resistantbacking under area rugs
6. Slide-out drawers in the kitchen cabinets you already have​

If you’re helping a parent decide

Helping a parent with a housing decision is as much about listening as it is about logistics. Joy Loverde, author of The Complete Eldercare Planner, offers advice I share with families often.

“When I moved my mother, my real estate agent was an invaluable partner. She made everything easier.”
- Joy Loverde​
  • Ask what is behind it. When a parent brings up moving, something may be going on. Is the house becomingtoo much? Is driving getting harder?​
  • Expect stops and starts. A parent may say “I’m moving,” feel overwhelmed, and stop. It often takes longerthan you think.​
  • Put eyes on the paperwork. If they say everything is in a box, open the box.​
  • Keep your parent in the driver’s seat. A move means saying goodbye to routines, friends and neighbors. Letthem make as many decisions as possible.​
  • Remember it is more than a house move. New doctors, a new neighborhood and a new way of getting aroundall need answers.​

That is the role I aim to fill for your family: organizing the options, preparing questions for community visits, and respecting your parent’s right to decide.​

What a Seniors Real Estate Specialist adds​

An SRES® has completed training from the National Association of REALTORS® on the housing, financial and lifestyle considerations of clients age 50 and older. In practice, that gives you four things:​

My job is not to talk you into a move. Sometimes the right answer is to stay put and make the house work better for you.

Whichever you choose, check your property taxes

If you are retired, every recurring housing cost matters, and property tax is one you can do something about. It isnot the only place to save: insurance, maintenance, utilities and HOA fees belong in the same budget. But it is oneof the simplest to check, and Texas gives senior homeowners real relief. I’ve actually seen some homeowners getpriced out of their homes because of escalating property taxes.​

Three points are easy to miss​

  1. Exemptions are not always in place. Your appraisal district record should show a homestead exemption and, once you are 65, the over-65 exemption. If one is missing, ask about filing; late filing may be available.​
  2. A ceiling is not a full freeze. It limits school taxes, plus any local taxing units that have adopted their own. The rest of your bill can still rise with your appraised value.​
  3. The year you turn 65 matters. You receive the over-65 exemption for the entire year you turn 65, and your ceiling is based on what you pay that year. A fair appraisal that year can pay off for as long as you own the home.
One honest caveat: if your school taxes are already capped, a protest may save less than you expect.That is why I start with a review, not a sales pitch.​

How Bezit fits in

I recently joined Bezit as a paid advisor. Bezit is a Frisco-based company that helps Texas homeowners protest their property tax appraisals and file their homestead exemptions.

This year, I presented several hundred homeowners’ cases in person before the appraisal review boards in Collin and Denton counties. Here is how the service works:

Timing matters

You should receive your final tax bill in Oct and your property taxes for 2026 will be due NLT Jan 31, 2027. Then in March/April you will receive a new appraisal value from the county. Protests are generally due by May 15 or 30 days after your appraisal notice is delivered, whichever is later. That window has closed for most 2026 appraisals, which makes fall the right time to check your exemptions and get ready for spring.

A 10-minute property tax checkup

1. Find your latest appraisal notice or tax statement.

2. Confirm the homestead exemption is listed.

3. If you are 65 or older, or turn 65 this year, confirm the over-65 exemption and school tax ceiling are listed too.

4. Compare your appraised value with similar homes nearby. If it looks high, plan to protest when notices arrive in the spring.

5. Thinking about a move? Ask about transferring your tax ceiling before you buy.

Not sure what you are looking at? Bring the statement to me and we will go through it together.

Let’s talk

Whether you plan to stay, are thinking about a move, or are helping a parent decide, I would be glad to sit down with you. Call me for a no-pressure conversation, and bring your property tax statement.

About the author

Ralph is Broker/Owner of Ramas Real Estate. His boutique brokerage team is based in McKinney and serves Buyers, Sellers and Investors across North Texas counties. He holds the GRI, SRES® and HFR credentials and serves as an advisor to Bezit. His approach combines local market knowledge with responsive personal service and straightforward, no-pressure guidance.

Ralph Thomas
Ramas Real Estate
Ph: 214.316.7109
Email: rthomas8001@gmail.com
RalphThomasSellsHomes.net
Ralph Thomas