After tossing and turning until 2 a.m. for three nights, my friend dropped by, slumped in our red easy chair, sighed, and with two words cut to the chase.

“It’s time,” she said.

In her case, she felt it — the right time to rent or sell her brick ranch home in Berthoud with its broad porch and mountain views.

About a year ago, all three of Annie Mann’s kids had grown up, moved out, and made her an empty nester. Before that, her parents and, later, her stepfather all lived there until they became the dearly departed.

Six people and one renter gone changed how Mann related to her home. The space eventually seemed both too empty and too crowded — especially with everyone’s leftover belongings stuffing closets and cluttering the basement.

No wonder that troubled sleep this week led her to

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