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By Devin Davis
For seniors in the Tri-Valley, selling a longtime home represents more than a real estate transaction — it’s the beginning of a significant life transition.
“For anyone moving it can be scary and exhausting, but most of my clients that are seniors have told me they’d wish they’d done it sooner,” said Tracey Esling, 2025 president of Bay East Association of Realtors.
The transition can bring inevitable challenges like the sounds of a new space, getting around an unfamiliar area, and meeting new people. “You cannot really be prepared for something so new after being accustomed to your life for so long. It’s one day at a time,” Esling said.
Esling explained many of her senior clients may move in with family and love it, while others find it to be overwhelming.
“Every situation is different, but emotions are still high whether you’re someone moving closer or further from family,” Esling said. “I’ve had clients tell me things like they miss their old church, going to breakfast with longtime friends, or just a new sense of loneliness.”
Esling explained that the moving process itself can help seniors manage the complex emotions triggered by big changes.
“Any transaction can be difficult and for senior clients with children and possibly grandchildren, it adds extra layers of stress because there are more people to consider with lots of memories floating to the top of their minds,” Esling said. “But once things start moving quickly that stress tends to fade.”
Esling mentioned one of the best things seniors who are moving can do to manage stress and the adjustment period is for them to understand they’re not alone.
Generally, after the sale concludes, seniors will experience a huge sense of relief and find new joy in their new home. “The typical new home for a senior is a single level, less space and maybe even less landscaping,” Esling said. “The lack of maintenance their new home needs takes a world of stress off their shoulders.”
Esling recalled following up with a client who moved who had a new sense of freedom and peace as though he’d lived in his new home for years.
Esling shared that she and many other real estate professionals define the success of helping a senior move as “seeing clients thrive afterward”.
Working with seniors has deepened Esling’s understanding of what “home” means.
“It has helped me realize that home means something different to everyone,” she said. “It may be somewhere you spend more time with family, or somewhere you find peace in being alone. Regardless, being able to listen and help in that transition is worth its weight in gold.”
Editor’s note: Devin Davis is a public affairs specialist for the Bay East Association of Realtors, which is based in Pleasanton.
