Raleigh, NC · Wake County, Durham County
Senior Transition Advisor for the family home in Raleigh, NC
By Ryan Riggins, Senior Transition Advisor for the family home, NC broker #361546, eXp Realty
Updated
If a parent in Raleigh is moving to assisted living, don't start with a listing agent. Start with who can legally sign, then the funding math against the community's fee sheet, then the sell, rent or keep decision. Almost all of Raleigh is in Wake County, so Wake's tax office, register of deeds and Health and Human Services are usually the ones you'll deal with.
I'm Ryan Riggins, a licensed North Carolina broker with eXp Realty. I'm based in Greensboro, and the Triangle is part of where I work. The first call is by phone or video, and I never take the listing.
What I do, in one sentence.
A Senior Transition Advisor for the family home helps a family decide what happens to a parent's house before anyone lists it: the funding math against the community's fee sheet, who can legally sign, and sell, rent or keep. If selling, one vetted local agent. Not a mover, not a placement agent, never the listing agent.
More on what a Senior Transition Advisor for the family home is, and isn’t.
Wake County, with a small piece in Durham.
Raleigh is overwhelmingly a Wake County city, but a small part of it crosses into Durham County. If the tax bill comes from Durham County, use the Durham numbers instead.
For most families, though, it's Wake: Wake County Tax Administration for relief programs, Wake County Health and Human Services for Medicaid, and Resources for Seniors as the local aging hub.
What’s specific to a Raleigh house.
When the community is the problem, there's an ombudsman.
The fee sheet drives the funding math, so surprises there matter. Central Pines Area Agency on Aging, the regional aging agency for Wake, runs the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program for nursing-home and assisted-living complaints. It's free: 1-800-310-9777.
The Homestead Exclusion can survive the move.
North Carolina law keeps the exclusion through an extended stay in a rest home or nursing home, as long as the house is empty or only a spouse or dependent lives there. Wake County Tax Administration (919-856-5400) is the office to ask before you rent it out.
Who signs, and where the paper gets recorded.
If a child is signing under a power of attorney, North Carolina requires the power of attorney to be registered with the register of deeds before the deed is recorded, in the county where the parent lives or where the house is. For most Raleigh houses that's the Wake County Register of Deeds.
None of this is legal or tax advice. Signing authority, deeds and Medicaid belong with an elder law attorney, and the tax side of a sale belongs with a CPA. I tell you when you need one and what to ask.
Local help worth a call.
From my Wake County Senior Help Directory. Confirm details before you rely on them.
- Resources for Seniors, 919-872-7933
The Wake County aging hub, including the family caregiver program and home repair for income-qualified seniors. - Wake County Health and Human Services, 919-212-7000
Medicaid, energy assistance and food benefits. - Wake County Tax Administration, 919-856-5400
Homestead Exclusion, Circuit Breaker and Disabled Veteran Exclusion. Deadline June 1. - Central Pines Area Agency on Aging, 1-800-310-9777
Options counseling, benefits help and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. - Senior CommUnity Care of North Carolina (PACE), 919-425-3050
The PACE program serving Wake County, for people who could stay home with full care coordination. - Legal Aid of NC, Senior Law Project
Legal Aid of North Carolina's Senior Law Project: free civil legal help for anyone 60 or older, including powers of attorney and Medicaid. Senior Legal Helpline 1-877-579-7562, weekdays 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
The full lists: Wake County Senior Help Directory, Durham County Senior Help Directory.
How working with me goes.
- 1. A free 20-minute call. Phone or video. Bring the community’s fee sheet if you have it, and the power of attorney if there is one. You’ll leave knowing what to do first.
- 2. The funding math. The fee sheet next to what your parent actually has: income, savings, and what the house would really net. How many months does the money last, with the house and without it?
- 3. A written plan, if you want one. The Senior Transition Roadmap is free, by application: an intake form, a call with me, a written plan we build together, a follow-up call and 90 days of email support.
- 4. Sell, rent or keep, on purpose. I lay the three side by side. Here’s how sell, rent and keep compare.
- 5. If selling, one vetted local agent. I refer one agent I’ve vetted for this kind of sale and tell you why that one. I never take the listing.
What it costs: nothing to your family. If you sell, the agent I refer pays me a referral fee at closing out of the commission, through eXp Realty. If you rent, keep or wait, I’m not paid at all.
If your mom or dad is moving right now, start with what to do with the house when Mom moves to assisted living.
Common questions
Questions from Raleigh families.
What do I do with my parent's Raleigh house when they move to senior living?
Don't list it yet. Confirm who can legally sign, run the funding math against the community's fee sheet, and then decide sell, rent or keep. An elder law attorney handles Medicaid and deeds, a CPA handles taxes, and if you sell, one vetted local agent handles the listing.
Who do I call about a complaint with an assisted living community in Wake County?
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman through Central Pines Area Agency on Aging, 1-800-310-9777. It's free and it's their job.
Do you work in Raleigh if you're based in Greensboro?
Yes. The Triangle is part of my service area. The first call is a free 20-minute phone or video call. If your family sells, I refer one vetted agent who knows the Raleigh market, and I never take the listing myself.
Can Mom keep her Wake County property tax relief after she moves out?
Possibly. North Carolina law keeps the Homestead Exclusion through an extended stay in a rest home or nursing home if the house is empty or only a spouse or dependent lives there. Ask Wake County Tax Administration at 919-856-5400 how it applies to her.
Other cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill. Or see every city I serve.
Talk to me before anyone lists the Raleigh house.
A free 20-minute call. It costs your family nothing.
Ryan Riggins, NC Real Estate Broker #361546, eXp Realty. Not legal, tax or financial advice.