Senior moves and downsizing in San Diego County.
Your home is likely your largest asset, and this move is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make. I help homeowners 55+ and their families sell on their timeline, protect their equity and move once.
Prop 19: keep your low property tax base when you move.
Many longtime owners stay put to protect a low property tax bill. Prop 19 changed that math.
55 and older
Also homeowners who are severely disabled or whose home was lost to wildfire or natural disaster.
Anywhere in California
Your replacement home can be in any California county, not just San Diego.
Up to three times
Homeowners 55+ can use the transfer up to three times in their lifetime.
Within two years
Buy the replacement within two years of selling, before or after the sale.
Higher price, partial bump
If the new home costs more, the difference is added to your taxable value.
File with the assessor
The claim is filed with the county assessor where the new home is located.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm your situation with a CPA or tax attorney before you sell.
Sell first or buy first?
The right order depends on your equity, your income and how competitive your next market is. Four ways to do it:
Sell first, stay put
Sell, then rent your home back from the buyer for a set period while you buy. Certain cash, less pressure.
Buy first with a bridge loan
Borrow against your current equity to buy before you sell. Stronger offer, higher cost.
Open a HELOC early
Set up a home equity line before you list and use it for the down payment. It must be in place before the home is on the market.
Offer contingent on your sale
Make your purchase depend on selling your home. Easier on cash, weaker in a competitive market.
Where to go next.
Right-sizing is not only about square footage. It is about stairs, yard work, distance to family and doctors, and what you want your days to look like.
Across San Diego County that can mean a single-level home, an age-restricted 55+ community, a condo or townhome with no yard, or a move closer to children and grandchildren. I show you the trade-offs of each, with real prices.
- Single-level homesNo stairs, often with a smaller lot
- 55+ communitiesAge-restricted, with amenities and HOA dues
- Condos and townhomesLess maintenance, shared walls
- Closer to familySometimes the deciding factor
Selling an inherited home or trust property.
When a parent passes, the house often becomes the largest and most emotional part of the estate. A successor trustee can usually sell a home held in a living trust without court involvement. A home outside a trust may need to go through probate first.
Prop 19 also narrowed the parent-to-child tax transfer, so keeping an inherited home is not always the bargain it used to be. I handle the sale and the preparation with care, and coordinate with the family's attorney and CPA.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Helping a parent move.
If you are helping a parent from across town or across the country, these five steps keep everyone on the same page.
Start early
Talk about the move before a health event forces it.
Choose the next home first
Then build the timeline backward from move-in.
Gather documents
Deed, trust, recent tax bills and insurance.
Pick one point of contact
One family member speaks for the family. Everyone else stays informed.
Plan the move before the sale
Moving, estate sale and cleanout happen before photos and listing.
One call coordinates the move.
A senior move involves more than a sale: movers, an estate sale or donation, a cleanout, small repairs before listing and sometimes a CPA or estate attorney.
I coordinate all of it with local professionals and keep the family updated, so you deal with one person instead of six. When a question is legal or tax, I refer you to the right advisor.
55+ move questions.
Every family is different. Talk it through before you decide.
Call Mary Ellen at (619) 994-5515 →How does Prop 19 work for homeowners 55 and older?
If you are 55 or older, you can sell your primary residence and carry its taxable value to a replacement primary residence anywhere in California, up to three times. You must buy the replacement within two years of selling, before or after. If the new home costs more, the difference is added to your taxable value. You file the claim with the county assessor.
Should I sell my house before buying a smaller one?
It depends on your equity and how competitive your next market is. Selling first with a rent-back gives you cash and certainty. Buying first with a bridge loan or a home equity line makes your offer stronger but costs more. I lay out both with real numbers before you decide.
What happens to property taxes on an inherited home in California?
Since Prop 19, a child who inherits a parent's home keeps the parent's taxable value only if the child moves in as a primary residence within one year, and only up to a value limit. Otherwise the home is reassessed at market value. Talk to a CPA or estate attorney before you decide whether to keep, rent or sell.
Where do we start when a parent needs to move?
Start with the next home, not the sale. Decide where your parent will live, then work backward to a timeline. Gather the deed, trust documents and recent tax bills, choose one family member as the point of contact, and plan the move and cleanout before the house goes on the market.