Downsizing: Maybe You Need to Hire a Move Manager
Category: Downsizing
October 20, 2022 — Moving at any age is bad enough. But baby boomers have spent decades acquiring all kinds of stuff, adding to the challenges of age. Moving at our age usually means downsizing, when we realize we have 1,000 pounds of stuff (furniture, knicknacks, collections, etc.) that we can’t possibly fit into the 600 pound bag our new home represents.
Enter the “senior move manager”, a new job that can take so much of the pain out of downsizing and moving. This person can help with every aspect, from helping you sort what to keep, how to get rid of the rest, to planning what will fit in your new home – both size wise and stylistically. They can do it all, down to getting your kitchen equipment into the right cupboard in the new kitchen.
There are several companies offering this new service. One is Lets Move by Wayforth, which is geared for seniors. Another is Smooth Transitions, located in Mass. Yet a third is Home Transition Pros in Virginia. While you will pay for their services (often between $60-$125 and hour), the peace of mind and saving of labor and time can be well worth it.
One of the most important helps that companies like this provide is in downsizing, even if you are not moving. Doing this job by yourself is so fatiguing that many people give up or make poor decisions. An experienced pro can figure out what can be sold (and to whom), where to donate other items, and what will work in your new home, sizewise and stylistically. Even if you don’t hire an established company, many people have good luck paying a friend or acquaintance who is organized and decisive to help with these chores.
Bottom line. Getting help with downsizing makes sense to help manage this tedious and marathon job. Please share your thoughts about it in the Comments section below. For more on this topic, see the Washington Post article: “How a Move Manager Can Help You Trim“.
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Comments on "Downsizing: Maybe You Need to Hire a Move Manager"
RichPB says:
I hate the idea of paying that hourly rate, but after a couple of years in stasis over trying to downsize (whether or not we move), this appears to be pretty attractive. Or once my daughter gets settled in her new place, we should just ask her. She doesn't really appear to put any real value on stuff -- certainly not our stuff.
Linda says:
When I retired my husband and I moved from Florida to North Carolina. We hired a local women who specialized in helping seniors move. The nice thing about her was that we chose what we needed her to do and we only paid for the things we needed done. We were fine sorting and packing stuff, but she helped us with things we were having problems accomplishing - getting rid of a piano, donating a car, etc. This was at the beginning of the pandemic and she had connections to people and organizations that we just didn't have.