Relocation/Downsizing

The very thought of moving has been known to make strong men and women cringe.  Beyond the losses that come from saying goodbye to old friends and familiar places, there is a great deal of work involved in a move.

What are the many steps involved in a move?

1. Locate a new home.  You have to find a new home, whether your desired new residence is a new house you will purchase, a new house or apartment you will rent, or an apartment or room in a residence that offers health care.  You will need to purchase a home or enter into a lease or care agreement. 
2. Sell your current home.   If you own your current home, you may need to sell it, which involves doing needed maintenance, sprucing up the home to make it attractive to potential buyers, determining the current market value and bringing buyers in so that you receive an acceptable offer.  You will need to negotiate offers and enter into a sale agreement.  You will then have to sign legal paperwork to transfer your home to the buyer and you will want to collect the sale price.  If you have an existing mortgage or liens, those will have to be paid off as part of the title transfer.
3. Choose what to take with you.  Once you locate a new home, you have to decide which of your possessions you will take with you and what you may want or need to buy new.  If you are moving to a smaller home, obviously not everything can go with you.  Moving to a smaller space is often called “downsizing” and is quite common for older adults, who may no longer need or want the large homes they maintained while their children were young.
4. Pack and move. The possessions you will take with you must be packed carefully to withstand the move and then must be physically moved to the new location.
5. Dispose of possessions that won’t go with you.  The possessions you don’t wish to take must be sorted.  Some you will undoubtedly give to family or friends, some you may give to charities, some you may wish to sell at an estate sale or garage sale and some may simply be discarded.  For large items that you have decided to discard, you may have to make arrangements to have them hauled away.  Hazardous materials, such as electronics, paints and fuels, may require special arrangements for disposal.  Check your garage and basement well before move day to make sure there are no hazardous materials there; movers generally can’t take those and you can’t leave them in the home when you move out.
6. Repair and update your existing home for sale.  You may need to make repairs or to update the décor of you existing home in order to sell the property.
7. Stage your current home.  You may want someone to ‘stage” the property to help it show well so that it sells more quickly; this is becoming common in home sales, especially in today’s slower real estate market.  Stagers are experts who come in, help you get rid of the clutter and quickly make needed changes in your current décor that will help make your home more attractive to today’s buyers.  We all tend to think our homes are beautiful just the way they are, but sometimes getting objective advice from a professional on the appearance of a home can speed up a sale.
8. Terminate utilities and deliveries at the old/order at the new.  You will need to terminate utilities and services at your old home and start them at your new home.  Don’t forget to cancel newspapers and other regular deliveries and services (such as Meals on Wheels, home health services, lawn services or pest control companies).  Remember to forward your mail.
9. Modify your new home.  You may want to make alterations or change the décor of your new home before moving in, or immediately upon your arrival.
10. Travel to your new home.  You need to physically travel to your new home (or arrange for your loved ones who are moving to arrive there).  If you or your loved ones do not drive, have health concerns that affecting travel, or must journey a long distance, moving the people can be almost as complex as moving the possessions.
11. Unpack and decorate.  You will need to unpack, arrange your possessions and decorate your new residence so that it feels like home.  You will also need to stock the pantry and refrigerator.
12. Remember your prescription medications.  If moving to a new community, have your doctor order a month’s worth of prescriptions for you just before the move.  Have those filled and bring them with you (personally, not in the moving van) so you won’t run out before you establish new medical care.  If you use a national pharmacy chain with a branch in your new location, you may be able to have your prescriptions filled in your new location, so it may not be necessary to carry a month’s supply with you – check with your pharmacy before you move.  As soon as you arrive in your new home, find a new doctor, establish care, and have your prior physician forward your medical records to your new doctor right away.  Take a complete list of your medications and dosages to your new doctor at your first visit.  Have the new doctor order your needed prescriptions from your new pharmacy of choice before you run out of the medications you brought with you.  WARNING:  If moving to a health care residence, ask them how they will handle your prescriptions.  If they will dispense the medications to you, then they will order the new prescriptions for you.  Check with residence staff to see who is responsible for getting the medication orders from your doctor (or theirs) to ensure there is no confusion that might interrupt regular medication schedules.

When the move is to a new community or to a new state, moving can be even more difficult than usual because you may not have friends, family or trusted professionals to help you at your new destination.

You may not be moving yourself, but may be helping a loved one with a move, perhaps from out of state, in which case you probably are also working and caring for other family members at the same time.  Traveling back and forth to meet your responsibilities in both locations can be exhausting (and hard on your family and career).

The move may be urgent because of changes in your own health or in the health of a loved one.  Not only may it be necessary to physically move the ill family member quickly, but a quick termination of a lease or the speedy sale of a home may be needed because of the changed financial circumstances caused by a serious illness.

You may be forced to close out a home after the loss of a family member.  You may be trying to handle the sale and appropriate distribution of furnishings long distance.  It may be emotionally difficult to be in the home or to sort through your loved one’s possessions while your grief is fresh.

Any or all of the above concerns may be a part of your move.  While it can be overwhelming, there is help available.

PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN HELP YOU

Learn more about downsizing and moving services by taking our course on Relocation and Downsizing (see Classes/Videos). 

• Real estate professionals are trained and licensed to help you sell or buy a home.  Seniors Real Estate Professionals (SRES) have special training to assist them in meeting the needs of older adults who may be downsizing or moving to meet health care challenges.
• Professional movers physically move your possessions to your new home.  For additional fees, they will often pack your possessions at your old home and unpack them in your new home.  Movers should be licensed by the state and should be insured, both for damages to your possessions and property and for injuries to their own workers.
• Senior move managers provide a wide range of move assistance.  They can help you sort, distribute and dispose appropriately of possessions that aren’t going to the new home, deal with repairs to the old home and alterations to the new home, pack and unpack and even decorate the new home.  They can also manage the physical move for you and can often transport you, or your loved ones, to the new location.  They can help you find real estate agents, movers, stagers and repair contractors.  Move managers are professionals who understand older adults and their concerns, know the many details of a successful move, and have the time, energy and desire to focus on making your move go smoothly.
• Auctioneers and estate sale professionals can help you sell the possessions you won’t be moving with you and, when appropriate, may actually sell your real estate as well.
• Stagers make your current home look appealing to potential buyers.  Their objective eyes and creative ideas can help make your home look so good that you rethink leaving.
• Senior housing locators help older adults and their families locate active adult communities, independent living apartments, assisting living residences, dementia care homes and skilled nursing facilities.  Most locators are paid by the residences, not by the seniors.