Client Profile
“Brad” is 80 years old and lives in a large home alone. He lost his wife several years ago to cancer. His adult children live out of state, have children of their own but do visit often. Brad’s health is diminishing and his adult children are growing concerned about him living alone. Brad’s adult children would feel more at ease if they knew their father was in a safe place getting socialization and consistent care. Brad and his family researched senior communities in the area and put a deposit down on a local senior community they liked. Brad is not 100% on board with moving. He loves his home and his independence. However, he realizes the home is too big and he can’t maintain it as he would like.
Problem
- Brad will have to move from a home he has lived in for over 30 years. Lots of memories surround the home as well as 30+ years of belongings. Brad has to pack and move from a home that is 4500 sqft into a cottage apartment that is 750 sqft. He is unsure what will fit in the new space and he doesn’t know what to do with the items he doesn’t keep.
- Brad can’t do the packing and moving because it would be physically too difficult for him.
- Brad needs support keeping appointments with contractors, doctors, realtors, etc. because he is forgetful. His children can help somewhat but need to work and have families of their own.
- Brad’s home is not only full of items that belong to him and his late wife but his children have items in the home as well. Brad doesn’t know what to do with their memorabilia, clothes, sports equipment, etc.
- Brad’s realtor suggested several fixes before putting the home on the market. Brad is overwhelmed with what has to be done to sell his home.
Brad’s son “Ian” called Abundance Organizing to discuss service offerings. Ian wants to help but his job limits his availability. He knows his father will have a difficult time going through items and making decisions and it will cause frustration and arguments. He worries the process of moving and selling the home will be too much for his father to handle. Ian wants a trusted partner to help throughout the entire process of Brad’s move.
Abundance Organizing, Ian and Brad develop a plan.
Phase 1
Abundance Organizing and Brad meet in his home and walk through the house room by room. Abundance Organizing identifies a plan and sets goals, prioritizing rooms/areas according to Brad’s stamina, his punch list from the realtor and contractors, his children’s schedules, his move-in date at the senior community, and so on. The plan includes:
- Decluttering and Organizing Services
- Donations, Consignment, and Online Auction Services
- Move management services (Includes a floor plan)
- Packing services
- Unpack Services
Phase 2
Due to the volume of items in the home and Brad’s difficulty making decisions Abundance Organizing assists Brad with determining what to donate, consign, sell, throw away, etc. Abundance Organizing handles the labor involved in getting items to their final destination and coordinating hauling services, antique appraisals, donations of unique items to nonprofit organizations, etc. Every drawer and closet, the attic, the basement, every area of the home is consolidated and cleared.
Abundance Organizing also coordinates with the adult children virtually. This entails snapping pictures of items and sending them to each child to determine what to mail to them and what to toss.
Simultaneously furniture and items are packed and marked for Brad’s new home. Abundance Organizing designs a floor plan according to the apartment Brad is moving into at the senior community. Everything Brad wants to keep is included in the plan. If an item doesn’t fit a plan is developed to make decisions on what to do. Brad is aware of exactly what he is taking, and is not taking with him to his new home.
Phase 3
Brad decides to place several items on our online auction platform. Items are photographed, details of each item are noted and auction lots are created to post online for his auction. A pick-up day is scheduled and items are posted live online for sale.
Abundance Organizing facilitates pick up day and distributes all the items that sold at auction.
Movers are scheduled and move all of Brad’s packed goods to his new home.
Phase 4
Abundance Organizing begins unpacking items at Brad’s new home. Abundance Organizing packed and labeled everything so the unpacking is quick and easy. Items are set up in the new space to mimic his previous home. Empty boxes are broken down and recycled. Brad is able to sleep in his bed in his new home the same evening he moved. The kitchen is unpacked so Brad is also able to wake up to his usual routine.
The Result
The house is empty for the contractors so they can easily do their work fixing and painting the home. The realtor is able to take clean, and updated pictures for the sale listing. Brad is able to sell his home for a good price. He takes comfort knowing he was able to go through items and know where everything ended up. His family appreciates not arguing over the stuff, and not taking on the stress of such a large project.
The process was painless.