Covid has brought innumerable challenges to us, but folks who need to move, especially folks over 60, find themselves in a particularly precarious situation. They need to hire professionals who will regard them with care, and come up with creative solutions to keep everybody healthy. Read Beth’s story for an account of settling an estate in a week. Mary, another client, needed assistance downsizing before her move, but also has COPD. We were able to work out a schedule where she would sequester herself in her room while I sorted items in another room. Another client Lucy needed to relocate from one assisted living community to another, but found out the morning of her move that they had a case of Covid, and so she had to wait to move in until the community was clear. Nancy’s mom had a quick deterioration in her cognitive ability, and they needed to get her moved to a memory care unit fast, but they weren’t allowed in to her space to help her pack. We coordinated for her mom’s care while we went in to get her possessions packed, moved, and unpacked in the same day. All the family had to do was approve the arrangement of the furniture in her new space!
Most recently, Sandy, a client who had gone out of state to stay with friends at the beginning of Covid, had decided to relocate permanently. Unfortunately, due to her medical status, she wasn’t able to come back to Denver to sort, organize, and pack up her home of 15 years. This was proving to be a challenging situation, and one that felt both overwhelming and intimidating to her. How was she supposed to accomplish this? She didn’t want to pay someone to pack up and ship every little thing she had collected over the years. She didn’t want to have to sift through boxes and boxes of items she didn’t really care for. Being an entrepreneur herself, she knew that the cost of shipping heavy items from her home would be greater than buying them new. She was thrilled to discover that our organizing service would meet with her virtually to go through her home, one drawer at a time, to discard and donate unneeded items.
As we went through the initial consultation she expressed one concern, the cost. I explained that we have a pretty good idea of what sells and what doesn’t, and are always on the lookout for items that could help offset the cost of our service. This information is provided as we sort through each room, and clients get to decide if it’s worth pursuing or not. As we went through her closet, we pulled out all of the clothing of a particular brand that has a buy-back program. There were also some brand name items with tags still attached that we put up for consignment online. These, paired with the sale of some antique furniture, paid for 90% of our service!! She off-loaded over 500 pounds of items, which lowered her relocation costs, and saved her the stress of sorting through extra boxes once they arrived.
2020 has been a challenging year for us all, but we’re so happy we have the flexibility to meet each client where they’re at. If someone you know is experiencing challenges in their home or office organization, or are planning a move, consider linking us up for a consultation!
