What Have We Been Up To At Integrated Move Management?
By Mary Holmes
We have had a very busy summer and fall at Integrated Move Management both helping seniors downsize and move and cleaning out and staging homes for real estate sales. We are grateful for all the referrals we have received from friends, past clients and other business professionals. I thought it would be a good idea to write about several of our recent jobs – which will show the diversity of the types of services we offer.
Estate Clean Outs
We received a job in South Portland from a local estate attorney to clean out a home of a deceased senior so it could be sold. The home was jam packed – to the point of being unable to enter many of the rooms. It was complete with a solidly full attic, basement, and garage. The attorney and the children of the senior preferred the house to be completely empty prior to putting it on the market. We methodically and efficiently went through each room to determine if there was anything of value or sentimental to the family that needed to be set aside. We were able to sell many items in the home to a local store. We were also able to donate many truck loads to a local donation site. Unfortunately, there were a great number of items in the home that were damaged, moldy, or worn out – so there were also quite a few trips to the transfer facility with both recycling and trash. And the best news – the house sold nearly immediately when it hit the market!
Senior Moves
We always enjoy helping seniors move to a new, typically smaller home. We recently worked with a lovely couple who were downsizing from their home in South Portland to an apartment a few miles away that were referred to us by a past client. They were very comfortable doing their own downsizing – finding new homes for many of their items and taking many trips to donation sites and the transfer facility. What they needed help with was packing for the move and unpacking at their new home. They also wanted recommendations for local movers. As much as I love packing up a household with the goal of all items arriving safely, I really love unpacking and settling in my clients to their new home. This type of transition can be very stressful for a senior – so it is such a great feeling to be able to help my clients complete this transition by helping them unpack and get ready to really enjoy their new home!
Downsize, Declutter and Stage
We have worked with two clients in the last month, both in Cape Elizabeth, who needed their home downsized, decluttered and then staged for a real estate sale. One was referred by a local estate attorney and one was referred by a realtor. The realtors in both of these cases wanted the home to have some furniture, but no clutter or personal items. Our process for this type of job is to clean out/downsize attics, basements, garages, closets, etc. first since typically these spaces contain items that are not necessary for daily living. We will sort to look for items of value, sentimental items, items suitable for donations, and recycling/trash. After this, we work our way to the living areas of the home to determine what furnishings and decorative items would be best for staging. We declutter these spaces and arrange the furniture, etc. in an appealing way. Both of the Cape Elizabeth homes we worked on this month sold within a week. Once the closing is scheduled, our team will go back and remove the items we used for staging.
If you need help with any of the service we offer or you know someone who might, please CONTACT US.
