Helping Aging Parents in Denver: Right-Sizing, Housing Options & What to Do With the House
When Mom or Dad needs more help, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
Should they stay in their home?
Move to a senior living community?
How do I go through forty years of belongings?
How happens to their house?
I'm Tim Stoverink, a Denver Realtor and Senior Transition Specialist. I help older adults and their families navigate housing decisions, plan moves, prepare homes for sale, and manage the details along the way. Whether staying put makes the most sense or it's time for a change, I'll help you understand your options and figure out what comes next.
Denver Right-Sizing is a free educational resource that helps families slow things down, understand their options, and make confident decisions, one step at a time.
Every family's story starts a little differently. Sometime it’s...
a fall,
memory changes,
hospital stays, or
simply the realization that the house has become too much to manage.
Whatever brought you here, you do not have to figure everything out today. You just need a clear next step.
Where are You Right Now?
Every family arrives at this point a little differently. Some notice small changes that are becoming harder to ignore. Others are already looking at senior living communities or staring at a house full of belongings, wondering where to begin.
You don't need to have everything figured out.
Start with whichever situation sounds most familiar.
Something Feels Different
Maybe Mom has fallen recently, Dad is forgetting things, or they're becoming increasingly isolated. You're noticing changes, but aren't sure what they mean or what to do next.
Exploring Living Options
Should your parent stay home with additional support, move somewhere smaller, or consider senior living? Understanding the differences can make the decision feel more manageable.
What to Do With the House Whether your parent is moving, has already moved, or is struggling to maintain the home, deciding what to do with the house can be complicated and overwhelming
Not Sure What Your Next Step Should Be?
Maybe you've noticed changes in Mom or Dad, but you're not sure whether they're serious enough to do something about. Or perhaps everyone in the family has a different opinion about what should happen next.
That's why I created the free Right-Sizing Quiz. It helps you think through your family's situation, recognize potential concerns, and identify options worth exploring.
It's a starting point, not a test you can fail. And thankfully, there's no math involved.
What Should You Do With Your Mom or Dad’s House?
For many families, deciding where Mom or Dad will live is only half the challenge. The other half is figuring out what to do with the house they've spent decades calling home.
Should you sell it? Keep it in the family? Rent it out? Or wait until you have a better understanding of what's ahead?
There's no single right answer. The home's condition, your parent's financial needs, family circumstances, and future care costs can all influence the decision.
As a Denver Realtor and Senior Transition Specialist, I help families understand their options, evaluate the property, and develop a practical plan. Sometimes that means selling. Other times, the best next step is doing nothing until you have more information.
The important thing is making a decision that works for your family, not rushing into one.
More Than Just Selling a House
Selling a parent's home isn't always as simple as putting a sign in the yard. Sometimes there's forty years of furniture to sort through, a basement nobody has ventured into since the Clinton administration, and a long list of repairs that somehow became everyone else's problem.
That's where I come in.
I'm a Denver Realtor and Senior Transition Specialist, but my work often starts long before a home goes on the market. I help older adults and their families figure out what needs to happen, connect with the right people, and tackle the practical details that can make a move feel overwhelming.
And when it's time to sell, I handle the real estate side, too.
What That Help Actually Looks Like
Depending on your situation, I can help with:
Creating a plan: Figuring out what needs to happen, in what order, and who's going to handle it.
Sorting through belongings: Helping coordinate donations, estate sales, cleanouts, and the belongings nobody knows what to do with.
Preparing the home: Identifying worthwhile repairs, coordinating with trusted professionals, and deciding what isn't worth fixing.
Exploring selling options: Comparing selling as-is with making improvements before listing.
Managing the sale: Pricing, marketing, showings, negotiations, and everything that comes with selling a Denver-area home.
Coordinating the transition: Helping families stay organized as moving dates, housing arrangements, and real estate decisions come together.
Not every family needs every service. Sometimes you just need someone who knows where to start and can help you figure out what comes next.
I Help Families Find the Right Size for Their Mom or Dad with…
A Simple Path Forward
When you're helping an aging parent, knowing where to start can be half the battle. There are housing decisions to make, belongings to sort through, family opinions to consider, and sometimes a parent who isn't particularly enthusiastic about any of it.
The good news? You don't have to figure everything out at once.
Here's how we'll work through it together.
Explore the full step-by-step timeline
1.Understand the Situation
We'll look at what's changed, what's most urgent, and what your family needs to consider before making any decisions.
2. Explore the Options
We'll discuss staying, moving, and whether selling, renting, keeping, or waiting makes sense for the house.
If you’re just starting, Start here
3. Create Practical Plans
We will identify the next steps, establish a realistic timeline, and make sure everyone understands the plan.
4. Connect With Right Resources
I'll help connect you with trusted Denver-area moving, cleanout, senior living, legal, and financial professionals as needed.
5. Handle the Home
Sorting everything and coordinating repairs to preparing, marketing, and selling the home, I help manage everything
Most Families Feel Unprepared for This
There is rarely a moment where a magical answer floats down from the sky and lands on your porch with a sign saying
“Time to sell.”
If you’re looking for where to start, Start Here
*If this box does come from the sky, there’s a 100% chance another agent dropped it for you.
Instead, families are trying to figure out:
If it is still safe for mom or dad to live at home
what level of support makes sense
what happens to the house
and how to make good decisions without rushing.
Questions Families Ask
Questions Families Ask
Once you realize your mom or dad may need more help, the questions tend to arrive faster than the answers.
Some are practical. Others are much harder to say out loud.
You may be wondering whether what you're seeing is normal aging, how to bring up the idea of moving, what happens if your parent refuses, or how your family is supposed to make all of these decisions without completely overwhelming everyone.
Start with the question that feels most urgent right now.
Is something changing?
How do we talk about it?
Everything Is Happening So Fast. What Now?
How can we slow things down, avoid burnout, and make better decisions?
What should we do first, and how long will the process take?
How much will this cost?
How is Medicaid different in Colorado and Why is Medicaid Different in Colorado?
What happens to their house?
Should we sell it, keep it, rent it out, or wait to decide?
What about me?
Is It Still Safe for Them to Live Alone?
Sometimes the first sign that an aging parent needs additional help is obvious, such as a fall or an emergency trip to the hospital.
Other times, the changes are harder to recognize. The mail is piling up. There are expired groceries in the refrigerator. Mom has stopped going to the activities she used to enjoy. Dad insists the stairs are fine, although he's quietly stopped using the upstairs bedroom.
None of these observations, by itself, determines whether someone can safely live alone. But changes in daily routines, memory, mobility, or the condition of the home can be good reasons to ask more questions.
The goal isn't to take away independence. It's to understand what support may help your parent remain as safe and independent as possible.
Falls or Mobility Issues
Near-falls
Trouble with stairs
Difficulty getting in/out of bed
Moving slower around the home
What are signs it may not be safe
Memory or Confusion
Repeating stories
Medications,
Forgetting appointments
Increased confusion
Is it time for memory care?
The House Becoming Too Much
Deferred maintenance
Unused rooms
Cluttered
Trouble keeping up
Find out what happens to the house
Isolation or Withdrawal
Less social activity
Staying home more often
Loneliness
Pulling away from routines
If you’re looking for a place to start, Start Here
It takes a special kind of person to Right-Size, so you should know more…
About Tim
In the order of their importance…
My Formal and Informal Titles
Tim Stoverink
Husband to my beautiful bride and Dad to 2 wonderful girls - or, as I call them “Denver’s cutest agents”
Proud Denver resident who loves serving families in his community.
Licensed Colorado Real Estate Agent & Senior Transition Specialist that aims to better the lives of families and “active adults*”
Why Families Work with Me
I didn’t set out to Right-Size, I kind of fell into it and have spent years helping families navigate when the home no longer fits.
Not just selling homes—but helping people figure out what to do when everything feels uncertain.
My role is simple. I help people to…
slow things down,
understand their options,
create a clear plan, and
move forward thoughtfully.
Tips on slowing down
What are your options?
I help adult children figure out what to do when…
Safety becomes a concern
A move to senior living is on the table
The house is full of a lifetime of belongings
No one wants to get this wrong
Right-Sizing is a term you may have never heard before, so here are some…
Common Questions About Right-Sizing a Parent’s Home in Denver
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The first step is making sure your mom or dad is safe. Once, you know that - Start the Conversation
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There are plenty of options. Find out what makes sense for you between…
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If you’ve started noticing some of these signs with you mom or dad, a new challenge arise as you’re
Trying to Understand Senior Living Options?
Many families hear Senior Living and immediately think it means Retirement Home or Nursing Home. These blanket terms may even have negative connotations to your mom or dad. It’s important to know what life is like in communities like…
It’s important to understand the the difference in each community
Did Something Happen Suddenly?
One thing I’ve learned in real estate is that a home eventually stops fitting a person’s life. Aging often changes things gradually, but falls, hospital stays, or diagnoses can suddenly speed up decisions about support, safety, and the home itself. You do not need the perfect answer immediately. You just need stability and a manageable next step.
You do not need perfect answers immediately.
You need stability and a manageable next step.
Learn how to develop a plan after a hospital stay
Know your options
No matter how fast the decision about your mom or dad is made, you need to know….
How to Handle Being Overwhelmed and Falling Behind
Most families think everything must be decided immediately.
Usually, it unfolds in stages.
See how to avoid burnout
Here are some things that usually happen in the First 30 Days
What is Right-Sizing?
Right-Sizing means aligning a home, belongings, and support with what life actually looks like now… not what it used to be.
It’s not always about getting smaller. It’s about getting clear about:
Their safety,
Support for everyone involved, &
the things that actually makes life easier now.
Getting your mom or dad’s house the right size might mean…
staying at home with modifications
bringing in support
moving to independent living
transitioning to assisted living
or exploring memory care.
Explore more about Right-Sizing
Every family’s situation is different and the goal is not pressure.
The goal is clarity.
You’ll hear opinions from everyone, but you need to know…
What Matters Most Right Now?
Is it still safe for them to live there?
Is the home becoming overwhelming to manage?
Are there upcoming care needs?
Is your parent better off in the house or is it time to explore option?
Read more about keeping them safe
Every family I help is different, but they generally fall into 4 groups of
Who This Helps
Families preparing a move to independent living, assisted living, or memory care communities.
Adult Children trying to decide the right next step for their mom or dad
Older adults who have a home that is no longer the right size and need guidance about what’s next.
How I Help
Together, we’ll clarify options, build a plan, and make right decisions, but I also make a commitment to you and your family:
Respect your family, the home, and everything inside…
This is a emotional ride and we go on it together. I will treat your mom or dad, their home, and all of the “stuff” that has wound up there with the respect deserved.
Honest in opinions and work hard, but get any needed help
I offer unbiased advice when asked and help with things I am good at. But, I stay in my lane If I am not the right expert, I’ll connect you with the right people.
Make every effort to have fun and enjoy the work
Your mom or dad have built a great life and the home is filled with memories. The house deserves to be enjoyed and its contents cherished -and sometime laughed at
Find out more about what I do
Your Next Step
You may feel like it's too late:
Like you missed your chance - you didn’t
You're simply at the beginning of figuring it out and do not need to solve everything today.
You just need a clear next step.
That's what Denver RightSizing is here to help with.
If it would help, here’s a simple place to start:
Or if you want to talk it through: