When people ask me how long it takes to downsize and move, I say: That depends. How big is your home? How much stuff is inside it? And, most critically, how quickly can you make decisions?
Whatever the particulars, having a Senior Move Manager who oversees the project and wrangles the details always eliminates hours of exhausting time and effort in getting the job done.
Since every project is different, we sit down with our clients and go over our list of common downsizing and moving activities to determine what needs to be done before we get started. With a clear view of what the project entails, the clients can decide what they’ll handle themselves and where they’d like our help.
Here is an example of some of the things we discussed with a recent client – a 92 year-old woman moving from 2-BR independent-living apartment to a 1-BR assisted living suite. The services she chose are in bold.
Scope of Work Hours Estimated
- Moving Consultation — 1 hour
- Decluttering
- Interior Design Consultation
- Space Planning
- Sorting/Downsizing — 2 hours
- Last-minute packing — 4 hours
- New home set-up — 3 hours
- Donating un-wanted items
- Oversee moving crew — 2 hours
* If 4 hours doesn’t seem like much time to pack, you’re right. Over the course of several months, and with lots of help from her family, she downsized and packed the majority of her house herself. We estimated four hours to do the last bits of packing before the movers came.
We estimated 12 hours in total, and the actual time it took was…12 hours.
A move day that could have been confusing and exhausting for the client proceeded smoothly and efficiently. We escorted her out of one home and set up the new one in in a day-and-a-half.
If you know someone who is moving or downsizing, you can assist by letting them know about us.
We’ll be there to help every time.
