This is the week we expected to be moving south, and we are still at home in the north. It has been twenty years since we made a major move and sold a home. Much has changed since then in the world and in real estate. We made some mistakes early on, but with the help of many, we have corrected these things.
A plethora of comments have come our way on how to improve our chances to sell quickly. One is that we need to try to remove all, or at least as many as possible, vestiges of disability from the home.
Wow!
Not only is this our home, but we both work from home, and disability is very prominent in our life. We had our MLS (Multiple Listing Service) pictures cleaned up 
of disability. I’ve come up with a plan of what I can easily move out of the house when we have an open house or showing. My husband understands, but sees this as another form of discrimination toward disability. People want new homes built with universal design, but don’t ever expect to need to use it. Encountering a home that does throws people off.
Because it has been so long since we’ve sold a home, we did a search on disability resources in real estate From our exploration we have not found any standard training that is offered to realtors to help them understand disability and accommodations. Nor is there any clearinghouse or single reliable site to share homes that do have disability accommodations. It is a check box on the MLS, but that may mean that there is one grab bar someplace in the bathroom.
So, dear readers here are my two questions for you. I would really love to get your thoughts!
- Have you sold a home while living in it with disability (physical, intellectual, or any other type of disability)? If so please share a tip, or two or three or four that you employed. I’d love to compile a list to share with others who sell an accessible home.
- Are you aware of any resources (aside from MLS, or Craig’s’ List) that does serve as a clearinghouse or publication of accessible homes for sale?
I am excited to hear from you! 