Big real estate decisions, sell the family home, keep it as a rental, move in together, or never get made when nobody is running the meeting. This guide is that meeting structure, with roles, questions, trade-offs, and a way to decide by the calendar, not by the loudest voice.
Wiz's tip
Set the date of the family decision meeting two weeks out and send the agenda ahead. The family that plans the conversation argues half as much.
Name the decision and the players
Write the decision in one sentence, list everyone with a stake, and assign each person one role: decision lead, numbers person, research person, and point of contact with Michael. People cooperate better with roles than with opinions.
The three questions every family decision needs
What matters most to each person involved? What is the honest financial picture, not the hoped-for one? What is the deadline, and what happens after each option by then? The three questions answered in writing turn a fight into a plan.
Run the real numbers for every option
For sell: net proceeds after the sale, taxes, and commissions. For rent: monthly cash flow, management, vacancy, and what the equity could do elsewhere. Michael provides the honest spreadsheets for each option so the family chooses markets, not moods.
Decide, then assign the next steps
A family meeting with no next actions is a conversation. The guide ends with the decision, the owner of each next step, and the dates, and Michael's team handles the real estate execution while the family handles the life.
Asked and answered
Family Decision Guide: Asked and Answered
Should we sell the family home or keep it as a rental?
There is no one-size answer, only the honest numbers for your family. For selling, look at the net proceeds after the sale, taxes, and commissions. For renting, look at monthly cash flow, management, vacancy, and what that equity could do elsewhere. Run both sets of numbers with a Certified Real Estate Planning Advisor, and the choice usually makes itself.
How do we decide what's fair when siblings disagree?
Fair doesn't mean equal, it means each person feels heard and walks away with something they can live with. Sit down together, give everyone a role, such as decision lead, numbers person, or research person, and answer the three questions in writing: what matters most, what the real financial picture is, and what the deadline is. When opinions clash, the numbers and the calendar settle the argument, not the loudest voice.
How long does it take to sell a family home?
Every home and every market is different, so no honest advisor gives a single number up front. What I can do is be clear about what affects your timing: condition, price, and how ready the home is for showings. On your first strategy call I will walk through what is realistic for your specific home in your market, from the Treasure Coast to South Florida.
What should we do with the proceeds?
Protect them first, then put them to work. Options include buying the next home, funding long-term care or a new living situation for a parent, paying down debt, or investing to build generational wealth. A Real Estate Planning Advisor helps you look at the tax picture, trusts, and your family's long-term goals so the proceeds serve the family for years, not months.
How do we start the conversation with a parent about moving?
Start with listening, not planning. Ask how your parent is really managing the home and what worries them most, then share your own concerns as a family, not as a list of demands. Frame the move around what they gain, more time with family, less upkeep, easier access to care, and suggest a family meeting with every decision maker in the room. The Family Decision Guide gives you the exact agenda to get that conversation started.
Do we need to talk to an advisor before deciding?
You don't have to, but families who bring the real numbers to the table before they decide make calmer, smarter choices. A Certified Real Estate Planning Advisor looks beyond the single sale and helps you see how this home fits your family's long-term wealth, taxes, and legacy plan. That 15-minute strategy call is free, and it will cost you nothing but time.