--- title: Selling for Retirement | David Zadareky, Compass description: Selling your Northern Virginia home for retirement, whether you stay in the area or move. Plan the timing, the price, and the next home. --- [Skip to the main content.](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#main-content) [![David-Zadareky-White-Logo-588x164](https://www.davidzadareky.com/hubfs/David-Zadareky-White-Logo-588x164.svg "David-Zadareky-White-Logo-588x164")](https://davidzadareky.com?hsLang=en) [![David-Zadareky-Black-Logo-588x164](https://www.davidzadareky.com/hubfs/David-Zadareky-Black-Logo-588x164.svg "David-Zadareky-Black-Logo-588x164")](https://davidzadareky.com?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.davidzadareky.com) - Who I Help - [Rightsizing](https://www.davidzadareky.com/rightsizing) - [Retirement](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement) - [Helping a Parent](https://www.davidzadareky.com/helping-a-parent) - [Estate Sales](https://www.davidzadareky.com/estate-sales) - Services - [Selling and Buying](https://www.davidzadareky.com/services) - [Home Audit](https://www.davidzadareky.com/home-audit) - [On-MLS vs Off-MLS](https://www.davidzadareky.com/on-mls-vs-off-mls) - [Insights](https://www.davidzadareky.com/insights) - [Contact](https://www.davidzadareky.com/contact) Search Toggle Menu Search Toggle Menu - [Home](https://www.davidzadareky.com) - Who I Help - [Rightsizing](https://www.davidzadareky.com/rightsizing) - [Retirement](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement) - [Helping a Parent](https://www.davidzadareky.com/helping-a-parent) - [Estate Sales](https://www.davidzadareky.com/estate-sales) - Services - [Selling and Buying](https://www.davidzadareky.com/services) - [Home Audit](https://www.davidzadareky.com/home-audit) - [On-MLS vs Off-MLS](https://www.davidzadareky.com/on-mls-vs-off-mls) - [Insights](https://www.davidzadareky.com/insights) - [Contact](https://www.davidzadareky.com/contact) - Example Link - Example Link - Example Link [Facebook](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) [Instagram](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) [Linkedin](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) [X](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) [YouTube](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) [Medium](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement#0) **Retirement** # Make the Right Move at the Right Time Retirement can mean moving closer to family, starting somewhere new, or staying near the life you’ve built here. Whichever direction you choose, the sale of this home and the purchase of the next one are planned together, so the timing works and you move once. [Let's Start Yours](https://www.davidzadareky.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Request a Home Audit](https://www.davidzadareky.com/home-audit?hsLang=en) ## Three Directions Retiring may or may not mean leaving the area. We start with where you want to be. #### Stay in the Area Keep your friends, doctors, and routines, in a home that fits how you live now. See [Rightsizing](https://www.davidzadareky.com/rightsizing?hsLang=en). #### Move Closer to Family Near children and grandchildren, in another neighborhood or another state. We plan the move around the people you’re moving toward. #### Start Somewhere New A new state, a new climate, or a 55+ community. We weigh the lifestyle against cost, distance, and what you leave behind. ## Two Sample Scenarios These are composite examples, not specific clients. They show how the decision comes together. ### Moving Closer to Family A couple is retiring after 30 years in the same house. Their daughter and grandchildren live in another state, and they want to be there for the everyday, not just the holidays. **What we weighed:** Buying near their daughter right away, or renting there first to learn the area. Their [Home Audit](https://www.davidzadareky.com/home-audit?hsLang=en) showed which few fixes were worth making before the sale. **The order:** They sold here first, then bought there with the proceeds in hand. I connected them with an agent in their new city and coordinated both closings. **The plan:** A home fifteen minutes from the grandchildren, bought without carrying two homes. ### Staying Local in a 55+ Community A retired couple is in a four-bedroom house they no longer use. They want to stay near their church and friends, with less upkeep and neighbors at the same stage of life. **What we weighed:** Staying and hiring help, a condo nearby, or a 55+ community ten minutes away. The community gave them single-level living and a social life already in place. **The order:** Homes in that community sell quickly, so their house was ready to list before they made an offer, and the sale was timed to the purchase. **The plan:** A single-level home in a 55+ community, with the same church and friends. ## Moving Out of the Area? I sell your home here and help you find the right agent where you’re going. Then I coordinate the timing so the sale here and the purchase there line up. **I never charge a referral fee.** The agent I recommend is chosen for you, not for what they pay me. [Buy First or Sell First?](https://www.davidzadareky.com/services?hsLang=en) ## Where to Start A retirement move follows the same path as every move I work on, and you can stop or pause after any step. [See the Full Path](https://www.davidzadareky.com/services?hsLang=en) ##### 1. Start With What Matters Where you want to be, who you want to be near, and who’s involved in the decision. ##### 2. Explore Your Options Stay, move closer to family, or start somewhere new. We compare them side by side. ##### 3. Understand Your Home’s Value How condition and competing homes shape what buyers will pay for your home here. ##### 4. Work the Numbers Preparation costs, selling expenses, likely proceeds, and the cost of your next home, here or there. ##### 5. Decide What’s Best Choose your path and the preparation worth the time, money, and effort. ## Start With a Conversation Tell me where you want to be, what you want to keep, and who’s involved. The first conversation commits you to nothing. [Email David](mailto:david.zadareky@compass.com?subject=Retirement%20Move) [Call 202-552-1628](tel:+12025521628) **Who I Help** **Who I Help** - [Rightsizing](https://www.davidzadareky.com/rightsizing) - [Retirement](https://www.davidzadareky.com/retirement) - [Helping a Parent](https://www.davidzadareky.com/helping-a-parent) - [Estate Sales](https://www.davidzadareky.com/estate-sales) **Services** **Services** - [Selling and Buying](https://www.davidzadareky.com/services) - [Home Audit](https://www.davidzadareky.com/home-audit) - [On-MLS vs Off-MLS](https://www.davidzadareky.com/on-mls-vs-off-mls) **More** **More** - [Insights](https://www.davidzadareky.com/insights) - [Contact](https://www.davidzadareky.com/contact) [![David-Zadareky-Black-Logo-588x164](https://www.davidzadareky.com/hubfs/David-Zadareky-Black-Logo-588x164.svg)](https://www.davidzadareky.com?hsLang=en) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.davidzadareky.com/privacy-policy) © 2026 David Zadareky [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/davidzadarekycompass/)[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/davidzadarekycompass/)[Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidzadareky)[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@david.zadareky.compass/) ![Compass\_Logo\_H\_B](https://www.davidzadareky.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing/Compass_Logo_H_B.png?width=200&height=27&name=Compass_Logo_H_B.png)   David Zadareky | Associate Broker | 202-552-1628 | [david.zadareky@compass.com](mailto:david.zadareky@compass.com) Compass | 3001 Washington Blvd Suite 400 | Arlington VA 22201 | Office Phone: 703-266-7277 Firm License: 0226029518 | Broker License: 0225225537 Compass is a licensed real estate broker, licensed to do business as Compass in Virginia. 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