What Is Advanced Home Planning?

Published: September 11, 2026
By: Dave Robertson, Broker/Team Leader, LIFE Real Estate Group
Reading Time: 10 min read

Most families understand the importance of having a will, organizing their finances and discussing future healthcare wishes. However, one of the largest and most personal parts of later-life planning is often overlooked:

What will happen to the family home as needs begin to change?

Many older adults hope to remain in their homes for as long as possible. That desire is understandable. A longtime home represents much more than real estate. It may hold decades of memories, family milestones, familiar routines and a deeply rooted sense of independence.

Unfortunately, families often avoid discussing the future of the home until circumstances force the conversation. A fall, hospitalization, sudden change in mobility, loss of a spouse or caregiver exhaustion can quickly turn a decision that should have taken months into one that must be made in days.

Advanced Home Planning is intended to help families begin that conversation earlier—while there is still time to understand the options, express preferences and make thoughtful decisions together.

What does Advanced Home Planning mean?

Advanced Home Planning is inspired by the proactive principles of advance care planning.

Advance care planning encourages people to think about, discuss and document their values and wishes for future medical and personal care. Advanced Home Planning applies a similar approach to future living arrangements and family real estate.

It is the process of thinking about, discussing and documenting:

• Where and how someone would prefer to live as they age
• What independence means to them
• Whether the current home remains safe and manageable
• What assistance would be required to remain at home
• Which future housing options they would consider
• What circumstances should trigger another family conversation
• Who should be involved in future housing and property decisions
• What should eventually happen to the family home
• What information, documents and professional advice should be gathered in advance

An Advanced Home Plan is not necessarily a commitment to move or sell. It is a framework that helps a homeowner and their family understand their choices and prepare for the future.

It is not about convincing someone to move

One of the biggest mistakes adult children can make is beginning the conversation with a conclusion:

“You can’t live here anymore.”

“You need to sell the house.”

“It’s time for you to move into a retirement residence.”

Even when those concerns are legitimate, this language can make a parent feel that decisions are being made for them. The conversation quickly becomes a struggle over control rather than a thoughtful discussion about safety, independence and quality of life.

Advanced Home Planning begins with a different question:

“What is most important to you, and how can we help protect it as your needs change?”

For one person, independence may mean remaining in the current home with additional support. For another, it may mean moving to a smaller property before maintaining the family home becomes overwhelming. Someone else may prefer a retirement residence where meals, social activities and assistance are readily available.

The purpose is not to promote one particular choice. It is to help the homeowner understand the possibilities and participate meaningfully in the decision.

Planning early can preserve independence. Waiting for a crisis may eventually reduce it.

Why is the family home such a difficult subject?

A longtime home can carry enormous emotional weight.

It may be:

• The place where children were raised
• A connection to a late spouse
• A symbol of financial security
• A source of pride and accomplishment
• The centre of family traditions
• A familiar environment during a period of change
• The owner’s largest financial asset

Conversations about moving can therefore feel like conversations about aging, declining health, loss and mortality. Avoiding the subject may feel easier in the moment.

Adult children may also hesitate because they do not want to upset their parents, appear interested in an inheritance or create conflict among siblings.

Advanced Home Planning acknowledges these emotions instead of treating the property as simply another house to be sold.

When should a family begin Advanced Home Planning?

The best time to begin is before a move is urgently required.

A conversation may be appropriate when:

• Regular home maintenance is becoming difficult
• Stairs or other physical features are creating safety concerns
• The homeowner is becoming increasingly isolated
• Driving or transportation is becoming challenging
• One spouse is carrying most of the caregiving responsibilities
• The home requires expensive repairs or accessibility improvements
• Family members are regularly travelling to provide assistance
• The homeowner is experiencing changes in health, mobility or memory
• Property expenses are placing pressure on retirement income
• The owner wants to simplify life, travel or live closer to family
• Adult children are unsure what their parent would want during an emergency

None of these circumstances automatically means that the person must move. They are signs that it may be time to evaluate the current arrangement and discuss what the future could look like.

What questions should an Advanced Home Plan answer?

A useful plan should address more than the future sale of the property.

1. What matters most?

The homeowner should have an opportunity to explain what they value about their current home and lifestyle.

Important questions include:

• What does independence mean to you?
• Which routines, relationships and activities do you want to preserve?
• How important is remaining in your current neighbourhood?
• Would you want to live closer to family?
• What concerns you most about moving?
• What concerns you most about remaining in the home?

These answers should guide the rest of the plan.

2. Is the current home still suitable?

Families should evaluate the property honestly and respectfully.

Consider:

• Stairs and accessibility
• Bathroom and entrance safety
• Yard work and snow removal
• Cleaning and routine maintenance
• Transportation and access to services
• Social connection and isolation
• Major repairs that may be required
• Property taxes, utilities, insurance and upkeep
• The availability and cost of home-care support

The question is not simply, “Can Mom or Dad remain here today?” It is also, “What would be required for this arrangement to remain safe and sustainable?”

3. What are the future housing options?

Possible options may include:

• Remaining in the current home without changes
• Remaining at home with renovations or additional support
• Living with family
• Creating a multigenerational arrangement
• Renting an apartment
• Purchasing a condominium, bungalow or smaller home
• Moving to an adult-lifestyle community
• Choosing independent retirement living
• Moving to assisted living or another supportive environment

Families do not need to select one option immediately. Understanding what is available can make future decisions much less intimidating.

4. What should happen to the property?

The family home may be both emotionally significant and financially important.

The plan should consider whether the property might eventually be:

• Sold
• Rented
• Retained for another family member
• Transferred as part of an estate plan
• Renovated to support aging in place
• Prepared gradually for a future sale
• Sold as-is when the homeowner moves

Before making legal, tax or financial decisions, the family should consult the appropriate qualified professionals.

5. Who should be involved?

Advanced Home Planning may involve:

• The homeowner
• A spouse or partner
• Adult children
• Other trusted family members
• An attorney acting under a power of attorney
• A lawyer
• A financial planner or accountant
• A healthcare or home-care professional
• An occupational therapist or accessibility specialist
• A retirement-living advisor
• A downsizing or senior-move professional
• A Realtor experienced in later-life transitions

The homeowner’s wishes should remain central for as long as they are capable of making their own decisions.

6. What circumstances should trigger a review?

A plan should identify changes that would cause the family to revisit the living arrangement.

Possible triggers could include:

• A fall or hospitalization
• Losing the ability to drive
• Increasing difficulty with stairs
• A significant change in memory or judgment
• The death or illness of a spouse
• Caregiver exhaustion
• Increasing isolation
• An inability to maintain the home
• Major repairs that are no longer practical
• A change in financial circumstances
• A recommendation from a healthcare professional

Identifying these triggers in advance can make later conversations feel less arbitrary or confrontational.

The LIFEREG three-step approach

LIFE Real Estate Group approaches Advanced Home Planning through three straightforward stages.

1. Talk

We begin with an open, no-obligation conversation about the homeowner, the family, the property and what matters most.

The purpose is to listen and understand—not to assume that moving or selling is the answer.

2. Plan

Once the family’s needs and priorities are understood, we can help develop a practical Advanced Home Plan.

Depending on the situation, this may include:

• Understanding the home’s current market value
• Estimating selling costs and potential net proceeds
• Comparing the cost of staying with other housing options
• Identifying future living possibilities
• Evaluating repairs, maintenance and accessibility needs
• Discussing whether the home should eventually be prepared or sold as-is
• Establishing family roles and responsibilities
• Identifying appropriate independent professionals
• Creating a realistic timeline
• Recording the circumstances that should trigger another discussion

The plan can be reviewed and updated as circumstances change.

3. Move Forward

If and when the homeowner decides to move, LIFE Real Estate Group can help organize the real estate portion of the transition.

This may involve:

• Preparing and pricing the property
• Developing the marketing strategy
• Coordinating staging, cleaning, repairs and photography
• Connecting the family with downsizing and moving professionals
• Communicating with family members who live outside Ottawa
• Arranging showings with consideration for the homeowner’s comfort
• Coordinating the home sale with the new living arrangement
• Providing consistent communication throughout the process

Some families will have months to prepare. Others will need a faster or less demanding solution. The approach should reflect the homeowner’s health, comfort, finances, property and timeline.

Start with a conversation, not a commitment

You do not need to list the house, choose a retirement residence or make an immediate decision to begin Advanced Home Planning.

The first step is simply to talk.

What matters most? What is working today? What is becoming difficult? What options should the family understand? What would the homeowner want if circumstances changed?

Those conversations may not always be easy, but having them early can protect the very things many families are trying to preserve: independence, dignity, security and choice.

LIFE Real Estate Group helps Ottawa homeowners and their families understand the real estate and housing considerations involved in later-life planning. Our role is to provide information, help organize the options and support families at an appropriate pace—without pressure or obligation.

If you would like to begin an Advanced Home Planning conversation for yourself or an aging parent, contact LIFE Real Estate Group to arrange a confidential, no-obligation consultation.