Frozen About Downsizing – You Need a Move Manager
Category: Downsizing
June 7, 2023 – Now in their 80s and 90s, our friends Jane and Jack knew that they were going to have to downsize from their 3 bedroom townhome. They both had health problems, and the stairs to the upstairs MBR was becoming a problem for Jack’s knees. But, they had a LOT of stuff, which pretty much kept them frozen for years.
Jack had hundreds of tee shirts from tennis tournaments he had played in. Thousands of recordings — in vinyl, CD, and cassette. Hundreds of books. Cases and cases of nice wine. And confidential records from his psychology testing practice. Every wall of the home was crowded with original artwork. Did we mention that Jane was a successful potter, with a basement full of beautiful pottery? It was hard to part with anything. Downsizing was not going to be easy.
Then the health problems got really serious. Both of them fell, and one or the other had a cancer scare and cardiac issue. They simply could not live there anymore. Fortunately, a nearby Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) accepted them.
Problem solved!
But how can you move and downsize a colossal amount of stuff when you are 95 and 85 years old respectively, and using a walker? Children could be an option, if they are willing. But in this case the offspring lived too far away. Solution – hire a Move Manager!
The couple found one through the CCRC they were moving into. And she turned out to be just the solution. One place to start in solving this puzzle was figuring what was going to fit in the new place, a 2 bedroom unit with combined kitchenette, dining room, and living room. At around 1,000 sq.ft., not everything could make the move. The Move Manager assessed the couple’s furniture and suggested what should be kept, and what went to Goodwill. Likewise with the art, since there was only so much wall space. Favorite paintings of the right size were going to come with them, the others donated or put on consignment. Some art, including some special pottery, was put on display in the hallway outside their new home.
A great retirement gift!
The wine was a disappointment. It must have been too warm in their basement, because many extraordinary wines had turned to vinegar. Very few were worth keeping. Books and recordings were offered to dealers or donated to the local library. The tee shirts were given away, either being worn by someone, or eventually turned into paper. Confidential records of all types were safely shredded by an onsite provider.
A Good News Story
The good news is how easy the downsizing process, which had been a source of anxiety for years, was with the help of their manager. She identified options and made recommendations. She involved them in the process, but kept them from being overwhelmed. When the townhome was emptied out, cleaned, and staged with her help, it looked great, and sold quickly for a good price. Then she helped them arrange everything in their new apartment and made it feel like home.
How to find a Move Manager
Perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance that has experience in downsizing. The cost might be quite reasonable and well worth the frustration and exhaustion saved. Often your real estate agent can give you a referral to a reliable move manager. Likewise the assisted living or CCRC can give you names. There are many companies offering this 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.
Bottom line
You don’t have to downsize by yourself! Although setting goals and whittling away at it every year is by far a better plan, eventually even the accumulations in even the neatest home will be a source of anxiety. Save yourself that worry by hiring a competent move manager. The Essential Guide to Downsizing by Dennis Wheatley seems to be a useful book, 71% of Amazon buyers gave it a 5 star rating (Topretirements gets a commission from this link).
For further reading:
Comments on "Frozen About Downsizing – You Need a Move Manager"
Admin says:
I have seen the advantages of a Move Manager many times. Often it is the real estate agent who can make a referral that really helps get things moving. The process of clearing out a house can be daunting. We are trying to get rid of old tax returns, junk, stuff in drawers and bookcases, but it seems like for every two things going out, one thing comes in!
Steve Tracewski says:
This article is minimally helpful at best. It's obvious that cherished things had to go. You make it sound like it was a very easy decision. The question is how did the move manager convince them to get rid of nearly all their cherished items? He just said "get rid of all this stuff" and they said"ok"?
Ric says:
I beg to differ. Of course parting with cherished things is a gut wrenching process. It will never be easy. But, if you wait long enough, or your health deteriorates to the point where you have to move, the decisions have to be made. And that is the magic of a move manager, whose job it is to make that process as easy as possible. Just as you use professionals in other aspects of your life to do things you can't do yourself, a move manager can help here.
Larry says:
Vinyl albums, paintings, coin collection, baseball card collection, antique furniture our kids don’t want (“Ugh, oak?”)…the Move Manager we hire had better also be adept at the art of selling a wide range of heirlooms and collectables. Or know those who can. Getting fair value for the things you love but must say goodbye to can ease the pain — a little.
Sharon L Alexander says:
It is very difficult. On top of that, I have no children and my brothers had very small families. Most people when they know how old you are, try to take advantage of you. I agree with Larry. Finding someone who is just looking how much they can charge you and not how important things are to you is tough. In my case, it is little by little.
Marcia says:
We hired a Move Manager to help Mom who needed to downsize from a large house to a two-room apartment in a CCRC. We gave them a floorplan and dimensions, and they went through the house measuring furniture, then made suggestions to Mom on the basis of her favorite pieces. They packed everything she was taking, moved the furniture and unpacked/set everything up according to plan so Mom knew where everything was. For the remaining items, we hired someone to have an onsite estate sale and that company also did online sales and used consignment shops for leftover items. Having companies do this with her help took some of the emotion out of the situation but she was still very upset, as many people would be. Their work was exceptional and I hope if that time comes for us, we'll hire professionals like these teams. We've all learned that things we pay a lot for are not worth much when you sell them but you have to look at it as the price we pay to have things we have liked for years.