Reserve Your Free

Virtual Meet & Greet Session with

Smilie G. Rogers, Esq.,

or

Mary Kathryn Brennan, Esq.

Allow us to introduce you to ourselves and the basic concepts surrounding estate planning. Learn more about Revocable Trusts (“Living Trusts”), Transfer on Death Deeds (aka TODD, which you can also read about in Smilie’s Blog), Advance Healthcare Directives, Powers of Attorney, Wills, and their importance under normal circumstances, but more so now during the pandemic.

*During a Virtual Meet & Greet, our lawyers cannot give specific legal answers or advice, and sessions shall not constitute the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Sessions last for thirty (30) minutes. 

Please visit https://brennanrogers.com/zoom-session/

 for more information!

Private Session Availability with

Smilie G. Rogers, Esq.

Request your session with Smilie by completing this form in its entirety. 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Private Session Availability with

Mary Kathryn Brennan, Esq.

Request your session with Mary Kathryn by completing this form in its entirety.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

5:00 pm- 5:30 pm

The Seacoast real estate market is infamously hot right now, but some homeowners are choosing to stay put and directing their pent-up pandemic energy into home improvement projects in their existing space. A recent national survey revealed an astonishing 90% of adults over 50 want to age in their homes, however, a majority of the housing stock in New Hampshire and Maine were built prior to 1980.

Many features of older homes make aging at home difficult and sometimes dangerous. Modern homes have been built to Universal design standards, which simply describes creating an environment that can accommodate the widest array of people. Houses built thirty or forty years ago did not consider the need for wider doorways or barrier-free bathrooms. Stairs, carpeting, and inaccessible kitchens also create unfavorable living conditions for less mobile folks.

NAHB Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist Len Bogh, of Great Northern Builders in South Berwick, ME, meets with homeowners to help them envision how they can remain in their home for as long as they choose. Len Bogh describes the key area for many homeowners to consider as: ”Access in and out of the bathroom including the ability to maneuver yourself in and out, particularly with showering.” Most recently Great Northern Builders worked with a homeowner who wanted to make a complete home transformation happen far in advance of facing the limited mobility that comes on in later years.

Bogh says “One of the most important aspects of these renovations is being proactive. “Aging-in-place accommodations are very difficult to pull off when you have reached a point where you’re in an immediate need to have those adaptations. Regardless of the age of a client, we want them to look at what their changing circumstances might be down the road.”

This type of forethought is not always common because many people take on a large remodeling project once the kids have left the house, but before the physical limitations of aging have set in, so it can be easy to lose sight of the value found when you include aging in place elements during a home update. “In the kitchen, you take for granted being able to reach certain surfaces in your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, but when you’re in your 70’s and 80’s it’s not so easy to reach upper cabinets.” However, from a logistical and cost efficiency perspective, the best time to incorporate accessibility features is when you are already making an investment into home modifications.

The 2021 average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in a Maine and New Hampshire senior living community is $6,000 - $6,500 per month. One year of senior living rent could pay for a sizable home modification. Additionally, homeowners who experience a fall, an illness, or a prolonged medical condition could see a significant return on investment when recovering at home compared to the cost of staying in a rehabilitation center.

Great Northern Builders Business Manager Maya Bogh says, “When we remodel a home we are thinking about doorways, accessibility, and what’s going on the main floor. We ask ‘Could this be something adapted to age with you?’ ‘Can we bring the laundry upstairs and the bedroom downstairs?’” Barrier-free showers and first-floor laundry are both high on the wishlist for a majority of homeowners - not just the 55+ community, so this investment is smart for the needs of today, as well as when the home is sold to a future homeowner.

A Before and After Comparison of an Aging-in-place bathroom remodels!

Before

After

Here are two examples of completed aging-in-place bathroom remodels!

Great Northern Builders are Founder Len Bogh, President Maya Bogh along with their talented team. They can be reached at (207) 615-0479 or by emailing Maya at maya@greatnorthernbuilders.info.

Check out what our clients have to say!

Brennan & Rogers, PLLC

279 York Street

P.O. Box 467

York, Maine 03909

(207) 361-4680

Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm

Saturday: By appointment

Sunday: Closed

*Satellite office located in 

Kennebunk, Maine 

is staffed for scheduled appointments made through the York office only * 

Although we are trying to resume in-person meetings with clients, we still encourage clients to consider meeting with us remotely, particularly if they have health concerns. Our office staff has been vaccinated, and we practice social distancing, but remote meeting through the use of technology like Zoom is safe and convenient, so we continuee to encourage its use.

The information and/or materials appearing or contained in this newsletter of Brennan & Rogers, PLLC, has been prepared for and made available for informational purposes only. The transmission and receipt of information contained in this newsletter, to clients or otherwise, do not constitute the giving of legal advice, professional advice, and/or services, nor does it constitute the formation of an attorney-client relationship. No recipient of this newsletter should 1) act or 2) refrain from acting based upon any information contained herein without seeking legal advice. Links on this newsletter may lead to other websites. Brennan & Rogers, PLLC does not necessarily endorse or approve of any materials or information on linked sites and is not responsible for any contents on such linked websites. 

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Brennan & Rogers, PLLC

279 York Street (PO Box 467) 

York, Maine 03909 (207) 361-4680 

www.brennanrogers.com