You sell it the same way you'd sell any home, but first you need the legal authority to sign for your parent, and a plan for the house while it sits empty.
Families usually handle this in a few steps:
Confirm who can sign. If your parent is still the owner, they sign, or someone acting under a valid power of attorney signs for them. Have an attorney review the POA early so the title company accepts it at closing.
Talk to the elder law attorney or financial planner. Sale proceeds can affect how assisted living or a future Medicaid application gets paid for. Get that advice before you list, not after.
Protect the empty house. Tell the homeowner's insurance company it's vacant, keep the heat on through the winter, and have someone check it every week. In older Princeton homes, a burst pipe or a wet basement can sit unnoticed for days.
Sort before you clean out. Let your parent pick the pieces that matter for their new apartment, then divide family items, then bring in an estate sale company or donation pickup for the rest.
Decide how much to fix. Many Princeton buyers expect to renovate older homes. A deep clean, fresh paint and small repairs often make more sense than a kitchen remodel.
Keep siblings in the loop. One person should be the point of contact, and everyone should see the same updates and numbers.
This is as much a family transition as a real estate deal. Going slow at the start usually makes everything after it go faster.
Fred Gomberg, an SRES® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Princeton, has helped many families sell a parent's home, including coordinating cleanouts, repairs and vacant-home care for relatives who live out of state. If you're facing this now, Fred is happy to talk through your situation and suggest a starting point.
