Downsizing Done Delightfully
(Augusta's newest senior living community...Thrive, on Fury's Ferry)
This week, I toured Augusta's newest senior living community, "Thrive", pictured above, located on Fury's Ferry Road. I was delighted by the gorgeous decor, the huge entryway and stone fireplace, the attention to detail and the happy equestrienne theme. I sat with the staff and talked about my skills in assisting with these moves.
Downsizing is difficult. We did this as a family just a few months ago, leaving a home we've had for 20 years and moving to a smaller home. We simply didn't need that much space and we were ready for a change, ready to move into a new journey.
As we talked about the complications many clients have when coming to a retirement community, I focused on the sentimental. It's a challenge to decide what goes with a person in physical terms, and how to handle the many things that have to stay behind. I've worked with clients, creating solutions. The 300 piece ceramic chicken collection often cannot come to the new space. But five chickens can, and the rest we can put in a photobook and house on the shelf with the five chickens. It's a win-win. We get to move forward with what we love...just in new ways.
We also have to face the fact that many children don't want the beloved dish collection, grandfather clock, antique beds. Their lives are fluid, their jobs change regularly, and they don't have the lifestyles to house the things we've loved.
I've helped people to move forward through this. Some clients want to sit with me while I go through their belongings...retelling the stories behind the items. Some just want to choose what goes to the new space, and leave the rest behind for others to deal with . Some families don't live here and the idea of decluttering, staging the home, holding an estate sale and then listing the home is simply MUCH too daunting.
As I shared with Thrive, I can assist with any and all avenues of the process. As a home stager, I take beloved homes and edit them into homes that younger people find welcoming. Below are photos of a home I updated with a much more youthful look.
Preparations may mean hiring an estate sale company to sell what is not going to the family and will not be used in the staging of the home. I can hire painters and repair persons to assure that the home will sell at it's highest price. And as a realtor, I can list and market the home for sale.
Whether you are moving to a smaller home, or assisting a parent in doing so, I'd love to meet with you and create a plan for a seamless move toward your new dream.
- Laurie Easterlin
Laurie Easterlin is a realtor with Keller Williams Augusta Partners, a home stager with Staged2aTee, and a Golf Rental Preparation specialist. You can view her work and reach her in the links below:
706-836-1546
laurie.easterlin@gmail.com
