If you’re moving out of your house of 30 years, where do you even begin? Donna Rae lifts the veil of the professional packing, moving and liquidation service as the franchise owner of Caring Transitions in North Dallas. With 200 offices across the U.S., the business partners with seniors and their families to declutter, pack, move, and settle into their new home. Many seniors benefit from such a service especially as they downsize into smaller homes and senior living communities.

Donna shares her top tips for approaching a move and simple ways to get started - even if it’s intimidating. Her team’s strategy even works with seniors who have decades’ worth of belongings. She’ll also explain why it’s important to work with people who understand all aspects of the business and have strong knowledge of the senior population and this stage of life.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Tips for downsizing and decluttering
- Packing and moving seniors
- Online auctions and estate sales
- Moving into a senior community
- Packing service for seniors
- Liquidating belongings: Donating, gifting and selling

Takeaways from this episode:
· Start grouping your belongings into 4 categories: keep, donate, gift, and recycle. Use different types of bags / packing for each, like a trash bag for donations and a tote for gifts.
· Floor planning helps with layout and visualizing the new space. Measuring furniture will help give a greater idea of what will fit into this layout.
· A good moving service will help empower seniors to make decisions about their furnishings and what to leave behind while advising on what’s critical.
· Caring Transitions will “mirror” a home setup, so they’ll recreate portions of the space to make it feel like home for when you move in (like a nightstand setup).
· It’s important to communicate with adult children during the process, especially if the packing service finds legal documents or hidden cash (which is common with seniors with memory loss).
· Check pockets and furniture to make sure there’s no important items hidden away.
· With COVID-19, online estate sales are an increasingly popular way to help liquidate belongings from the comfort of home.
· In-home consultations (free) are a great way to determine how much the service will cost and to tailor individual needs.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Online Auctions/ Caring Transitions Bids:
https://ctbids.com/
Caring Transitions Brochure and next steps:
https://2c62c2be-18b3-4bab-b584-5c844cba4b48.usrfiles.com/ugd/2c62c2_7721ea8ebfde434e8ffe37d4027ba022.pdf

Learn more about Caring Transitions:
https://www.caringtransitions.com/home/fbclid/iwar1rvfazs2yxudguvcemblsski4x9u0pj3mx7enn5-wzxkhsaim1bjlkjda

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