What families ask me first
If your question is not here, call and ask. I am always happy to talk it through.
Getting started
Call me before you hire anyone. The first decision is where she is going, and that comes before packing, before listing the house, and before an estate sale. I will connect you with a senior placement advisor at no cost to your family, and we will work backward from there.
Every family's needs are different, and the work and the price are shaped around your unique situation. The first visit is always free and I will be upfront and transparent with costs as we move through the process.
Yes, that is part of it. A senior move manager helps an older adult through a move, from deciding what comes along to unpacking it in the new place. I am also a licensed real estate agent, so the house is mine to look after too. That way one person knows the whole story instead of three people each knowing a piece of it.
Usually within a few days. Most families call me during a crisis, so I keep room in the schedule for exactly that. Call and tell me the timeline you are working with, and I will tell you honestly whether I can meet it.
Yes. I work with families, estates, personal representatives, and powers of attorney when a loved one has passed. That usually means sorting through the house, handling donations and the clean out, and selling the home when the family is ready. There is no hurry, and we go at whatever pace feels right.
Your parent, with you in the room. Most of the time an adult child makes the first call, but the person moving is the one whose life is being packed into boxes. They get a say in every decision that is theirs to make, and that is usually what makes the whole thing go smoothly.
The move and everything in the house
A placement advisor tours senior communities with your family and helps you compare what is available. They are paid by the community your parent chooses, so the service costs your family nothing. For most families this is the right first step, and I will make the introduction.
Often, yes. Resistance usually comes from feeling like the decision is being made about them rather than with them. I go at their pace, room by room, and I have found that people part with far more once they trust that nobody is going to throw out something that matters to them.
We start with the new space and work backward. Once we know what actually fits, the conversation stops being about giving things up and starts being about choosing what comes along. I do this in person, one room at a time, and I do not rush it.
Donations first, always. I know which organizations take what, and I will guide you on where each thing is best off going. What cannot be donated gets hauled, scrapped, or cleared out. Very little has to go straight to a dumpster if we plan it properly.
Only if there is enough there to make it worthwhile, and I will tell you kindly either way. Families often hope for more than a sale will bring, and I would rather you know early. If a sale makes sense I bring in a company that runs them well. If it does not, we clear the house together instead.
Yes, and I am there for it. I pack, I line up movers who suit the situation, whether the move is small, large, or somewhere in between, and I unpack on the other end so the new place is ready before your parent spends a night in it. The hauling itself is arranged, and the coordination is mine from beginning to end.
Selling the house
All of it, handled together. The move and the sale are planned alongside each other, the house is cleared and made ready without you arranging it piece by piece, and you have one person to call the whole way through. Many people I work with appreciate the single source of contact and support.
No, and there is no need to wait. As soon as the interior rooms are ready I can have photos taken and the house listed, while the garage or the basement is still being worked through. That often saves several weeks, and it takes some of the pressure off the sorting.
Sometimes, but far less than people assume. I will walk the house and tell you what is worth doing and what will never earn its money back. Families frequently spend money on updates that do not move the sale price at all, and I would rather you keep it.
By what the market will truly bring for that house in its current condition. A house priced well sells, and the season matters much less than most people expect. If a number you have heard somewhere is not realistic, I would rather talk it through with you at the beginning than have you wonder about it later.
Yes. The house has to sell at fair market value and the file has to show how that number was reached. I photograph the condition of the home before anything is cleared out, so the price is defensible if it is reviewed later. I have handled these alongside elder law attorneys.
Still have a question?
Call and ask. I would rather answer it on the phone than have you guess.
Call Lisa: 402-850-56607:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Sunday