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As your clients grow older, change can be challenging. Established routines provide comfort and familiarity, making transitions difficult. For Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, housing transitions such as downsizing or moving to 55+ and senior living communities are often anticipated. Both options involve financial and emotional challenges. Retirement housing navigators help clients navigate these decisions by providing clarity amid numerous choices.
What Is a Retirement Housing Navigator?
“Retirement housing navigator” is an umbrella term for professionals who simplify one of life’s most daunting transitions. They are also known as geriatric care managers, aging life care managers, or senior placement facilitators. Some are affiliated with financial advisory firms or local agencies, while others are licensed real estate professionals who specialize in downsizing and senior living transitions.
No matter the title, these experts provide tailored guidance through planning, research, and even on-site visits—helping ensure that every decision aligns with your personal needs and lifestyle goals.
The Role of a Retirement Housing Navigator
A skilled navigator can help you reimagine your next chapter. Their expertise goes beyond recommending housing options; they clarify your vision, establish realistic goals, and accompany you on facility tours to ensure transparent pricing and service quality.
“As with any kind of move, there’s often a fear of change and the difficulty of imagining what one gains when considering a move,” explains Meg Stoltzfus, a retirement coach and housing navigator at Financial Council, a wealth management firm in Towson, MD.
To ease the transition, she advises clients to conduct a series of experiments by staying overnight (there may be a fee) in a few of these communities and ask: Would I feel at home here?
Key questions include:
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Do you have personal connections in the community?
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Are the residents content?
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How responsive and engaging is the staff?
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Is the location convenient for visits from friends and family?
These thoughtful queries help balance both emotional and practical considerations.
The Qualifications of Retirement Housing Navigators
Navigators offer a range of expertise, backed by certifications and extensive experience. For instance, realtors can earn the Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES®) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®, which equips them to meet the unique challenges faced by older adults—from selling or downsizing their homes to identifying alternative housing solutions.
Linda Kody, a veteran realtor from North Andover, Mass., pursued her SRES certification in 2018 after realizing that her own needs, as she grew older, mirrored those of her clients. Today, she partners with both 55+ individuals and their families to chart the “next best step.”
Another program for realtors is the one offered by the Seniors Real Estate Institute. Some firms like Capital Senior Solutions serve the Washington DC area focus on both 55+ communities and senior housing needs.
Beyond real estate, professionals such as Certified Senior Advisors or Aging Life Care Experts bring specialized knowledge in gerontology, social work, and nursing. These experts can connect clients to networks that include elder law attorneys, health professionals, and social service providers. The highest-level certifications in this field are reserved for those with advanced expertise and extensive hands-on experience in elder care.
How to Work With a Retirement Housing Navigator
One way to support your clients is to start by tapping into your community. Help them reach out to local Councils on Aging, neighbors, or others in your professional network. From there, your clients might need you to help them clearly delineate their priorities.
Have them begin by listing what matters most to them:
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Location preferences and proximity to loved ones
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Desired amenities and social opportunities
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Long-term community prospects, such as staying within a Life Care Community
An easy way to get started is to develop a simple pros-and-cons chart along with a ballpark budget. Help your clients clarify their “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” before meeting with the navigator. With these parameters in hand, the navigator will handle the research, filtering a variety of tailored housing options to suit your client’s lifestyle.
What Is a Life Care Community? A Life Care Community is a comprehensive, often multi-phase living option designed to cater to residents’ evolving needs over time. Residents typically begin in an independent setting and may seamlessly transition to assisted living or skilled nursing care within the same community, ensuring continuity of care and comfort as they age.
The Cost of Working With a Retirement Housing Navigator
One of the most appealing aspects of using a navigator is that—often—clients won’t pay out of pocket. Many navigators receive compensation directly from placement agencies or senior living facilities. For instance, organizations such as A Place for Mom, Caring.com, or Senior Living Navigator operate on a commission basis (but generally don’t charge end users for services). Others, like Stoltzfus, integrate their services into broader financial planning packages offered by wealth management firms.
Before you commit, however, ask for clear details on how compensation is structured to ensure there’s no conflict of interest in the recommendations.
Can Realtors Help With a Downsizing Strategy?
Absolutely. Many older homeowners find that a large suburban home no longer meets their evolving needs. With adult children gone, rising maintenance costs, and shifting neighborhood demographics, it might be time to re-evaluate what “home” means.
Experienced realtors like Kody guide clients through every step—from deciding if selling a full house versus undertaking a major cleanout is best, to coordinating with local professionals for repairs, staging, and landscaping. These ongoing relationships help ensure a smoother transition by connecting you with trusted local vendors.
“Although few people like the idea of moving, we encourage our younger retirees to experiment with different housing choices and locations,” notes Stoltzfus. “Spend some time in Florida or the Carolinas, explore vibrant communities, and weigh factors like affordability, location, and lifestyle fit. It’s all about finding the right community for you.”
The Importance of a “Test and Learn Approach” to Transitions
According to Ryan Frederick, CEO of Here and author of Right Place, Right Time, changing the place you choose to call home requires a lot of energy and resources. “It’s more involved than hiring a personal trainer to develop a personalize exercise routine, now that you just turned 65.” He suggests taking a “design thinking” approach to housing transitions. “If you are considering downsizing from the big house in the suburbs to condo living in the city, find a friend who has a place downtown that you could use for a weekend – or search short-term rentals. Find something close to the location and layout you desire. Try it and take careful notes about your experience and how it differs from your expectations,” suggests Frederick.
If there was a mismatch, try again, advises Frederick. “For example if you thought you could live in 1,200 square feet but found it too small, identify a larger space that you think could work better and then double check with your financial advisor to see if it still works with your budget allocation for housing,” he adds.
Summary: A Strategy for Smart Transitions
Moving can be daunting at any age, but it becomes even more so as life evolves. The right housing navigator can transform an emotional trial into a strategic and empowering opportunity for growth.
Kody encapsulated an essential lesson from her SRES training: “Empathy, listening, and patience are key. Moving is an emotional process, especially in retirement.” Stoltzfus adds, “You have to weigh practicality and cost vs amenities and extra services. Depending on where you live, a pool and pickleball court may be a priority, but you may not care if the facility doesn’t have a resident-run TV studio or Japanese Zen Garden.”
Ultimately, clients can appreciate how advisors collaborate with retirement housing navigators to tailor their next move to their unique lifestyle—allowing them to transition confidently into a future that aligns with their aspirations and values.
Related: National Association of Realtors Reports Groundbreaking Trends in Retirement Living