How Downsizing Companies Make Selling Your Home and Moving into Senior Living Fast and Easy

You’re ready! You’re looking forward to the social, maintenance-free, active lifestyle in a retirement community. But the thought of moving is so daunting. The effort of sorting, downsizing, packing, schlepping, unboxing, arranging not to mention the emotional impact of parting with possessions and leaving a much-loved home leads many older adults to put off their move to an active older adult community. But what if you had professional help? As a growing number of baby boomers consider moving to retirement communities, a new profession has arisen the professional move manager.

What Does a Move Manager Do?

Unlike professional movers, who handle the packing, transporting, unloading and unpacking of your belongings, a move manager (sometimes called a downsizing home specialist) can coordinate the entire moving process. Their services typically include:

• Project management: Developing a plan for the entire move, from deciding what to keep and what to give away, to booking movers, and helping you settle into your new life.
• Downsizing: Sorting through your belongings to help you decide which items to keep, give away or sell.
• Visualizing your rightsized space: Creating a floor plan of your new home to help you envision how your furniture and other possessions will fit.
• Arranging for the disposal of unwanted items: Determining the most appropriate way to sell and donate the belongings you don’t want to take with you.
• Preparing your house for the market: Recommending a reputable real estate agent and helping get your home ready for selling, including cleaning, waste removal and decluttering.
• Hiring movers: Choosing a moving company, and overseeing packing, shipping and storage.
• Unpacking and arranging your new home: Unboxing your belongings, setting up your furniture, and hanging your favorite pieces of art to help you feel at home right away.

Benefits of Using a Move Manager

Moving is stressful, but when you hire a professional move manager, you have a partner and ally to help you navigate the challenges. Working with a senior move management company, you can tap into their:

• Connections. A move manager will have a reliable professional network, so you don’t have to personally vet every service provider the real estate agent, moving company, cleaning service, etc. involved in the moving process.
• Compassion. Many move managers have experience in senior living, social work, or similar caring professions, so they understand the emotions that often underlie relocating and how to be supportive.
• Objectivity. Less emotionally involved in the process, a move manager can offer fair-minded advice, simplifying the decision-making process.
• Efficiency. Having done this before, a move manager can streamline the process.
• Flexibility. Most move managers have a menu of services to choose from, so you can get help in the areas where you most need it.

How to Find a Senior Move Management Company

To begin your search for a reliable move manager, you may want to ask friends for referrals. Or search for a Senior Move Manager® who’s been accredited through the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASSMM). You can use their search feature to find a move manager in your area.

To narrow your choice, consider asking the managers you interview for testimonials, and check their Better Business Bureau profile to see if there have been complaints against them. Also, be wary of any move management companies that ask for full payment upfront.

Make the Move to FellowshipLIFE

With a professional to help you downsize, pack, organize and relocate, moving to a senior living community can be simple. If you’re ready to make the move, we have a network of Senior Move Managers who have moved many of our residents. Take a look at Independent Living homes at Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. With a 72-acre wooded campus, 5-star dining venues, spacious floor plans and luxury amenities, we think you’ll find what you’ve been looking for. Contact us to schedule a visit or to learn more about the offerings of FellowshipLIFE’s other senior living communities!