Who You Gonna Call?
I remember moving into my first place with a couple of apple crate tables, glass brick and plank shelving, a mattress and two very attractive, exceedingly uncomfortable flat pack chairs from Idomo. It was so simple then! Fast forward over 40 years to where many of us are now … our houses—never mind our waistlines—are fatter than they’ve ever been. We’re encumbered by decades of accumulated stuff, memories and miscellaneous baggage at a time in our lives when we are being urged to ‘downsize’ and simplify. I’m all for it—happy to ‘let go’ but, like many of my contemporaries, I’m overwhelmed by a process that is both physically and emotionally demanding. It’s hard work … culling, sorting, selling, redistributing, dumping … whatever it takes; not to mention the exciting, but daunting, process of actually finding a new home, moving and resettling.
So, who you gonna call? Well, I recently came upon an article in a real estate publication about a company who takes care of all these things I’ve mentioned … and more! Meet the Transition Squad, est. 2006: “We help clients downsize (typically seniors, their executors and empty nesters) and work with families going through a parent transition. We specialize in helping with ‘what do I do with the home and everything in it’". Brilliant! Why didn’t I come up with this idea myself?
Just reading their ‘menu of services’ had me salivating like I was studying the à la carte fare at a fine dining establishment:
Getting organized
Cleaning up & clearing out
Managing sale of contents (they even have their very own consignment outlet!)
Preparing to sell the home
New home space consultation and set up
“There are so many different emotions that appear when we are working with clients - anxiety, fear, overwhelming feelings, sadness, confusion, hysteria, mourning, you name it. A transition is such a huge undertaking for the senior, and even for the family, be it a downsizing to a retirement home or even after their passing. From our standpoint, we have put in place the mechanisms to deal with most of the physical components of the transition from selling the contents to selling the home,” writes Transition Squad President, Viraf Baiwalla.
So far, the Transition Squad operates only in the Toronto area but has plans to expand across the country as a franchised operation. Meantime, you can learn more at: www.transitionsquad.com
Or, contact me if you need some help to get started on your own downsizing, relocation, or estate management project. Trust me, as a Nest Building author and consultant, I’m far better at working on other people’s projects than I am on my own!
Photo: Where there's a will, there's a way ... how to get your bed home if you don't own a vehicle!
