Moving is challenging, especially for seniors. There’s nothing easy about leaving a familiar neighborhood, considering your age-related housing needs, downsizing into a smaller space, and getting rid of things you’ve long held dear. There’s a lot to do and many people to coordinate—service providers, movers, and family members included. Instead of handling this stressful process on your own, consider hiring a professional who specializes in helping seniors move. A senior move manager can make your life a lot easier! Here are a few impactful ways they can help.
Developing Your Age-in-Place Plan
At Smart Strategies for Successful Living, we know how important it is for seniors to feel empowered to live the life they want. Developing an age-in-place plan will ensure you get to live out your retirement on your own terms instead of residing in a care home. Your senior move manager can help you evaluate your housing options and come up with an age-in-place plan that works for you, whether this means moving closer to the city or house sharing to reduce your expenses.
Regardless of where you plan to move, be sure to research the national and local housing market. Understanding certain real estate metrics can help you make the best decision. Remember to look at median home prices, housing supply, housing demand, and the median number of days houses sit on the market.
Decluttering and Downsizing Your Things
Getting rid of stuff is often the hardest part of moving, especially if you’ve been living in the same place for a long time. Hiring a senior move manager will make the decluttering process much easier! Your move manager will help determine how much of your stuff will fit in your new home, decide what to keep and find a new home for everything else. Because senior move managers are decluttering experts, they can help you sell your things online or host an estate sale so you can get some money back for your stuff.
Scheduling and Overseeing Professional Movers
Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, hiring professional movers is a no-brainer. But you will still need to pack up all of your stuff and coordinate your moving professionals. Feeling overwhelmed? Sit back and let your senior move manager handle everything! They’ll make sure all of your stuff is packed and prepared for a safe move, schedule movers, and oversee the entire moving process. Your moving manager may even be able to get you a discounted rate through partnerships with professional movers.
Getting Settled After Moving
The work doesn’t end when you and your stuff finally arrive in your new home. You still have to unpack and set up your house! Again, leave it to your move manager. Your move manager can help you unpack, clean, arrange furniture, and tackle all those other tasks on your to-do list. For example, they can arrange to have the locks re-keyed by a reputable locksmith to ensure your new place is secure. The average cost to re-key a door ranges from $50 to $150, but your cost may vary depending on your location. Check out home service websites like Angi to find a residential locksmith near me!
How to Hire the Right Move Manager
Move Coordinators recommends asking senior move companies a number of important questions to determine whether they’re the right fit for you. Find out how long they’ve been providing move management services if they have formal training and what services they offer. Make sure they provide all the services you need help with, from packing to minor home repairs. Remember to also ask questions about their rates and how they arrange billing with moving companies.
Are you anticipating an upcoming move? Do yourself a favor and hire a senior move manager to coordinate the process for you. With a professional organizing and overseeing your move, you’ll be able to relax and get settled into your new home more smoothly.
Written by: Alyssa Strickland
Alyssa Strickland created millennial-parents.com for all the new parents on the block. Alyssa believes the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, but she also thinks it takes a village to raise a parent! Millennial-Parents is that village. Today’s parents can be more connected than ever and she hopes her site will enrich those connections. On Millennial-Parents, she shares tips and advice she learns through experience and from other young parents in three key areas — Education, Relationships, and Community.