One of the best things about being a move manager is that no clients are the same. No two days are the same. There is no standard client, standard family or standard move. Such an abundance of variability sounds terrifying to some. But not to us. It’s part of what makes this such a great job.
We tailor our move management services to meet each client’s needs. We are part of our their “transition team,” working with them, their family, the realtor, the mover and the new community. Stress and worry about a transition have their roots in the things you don’t know. We work with our clients and the rest of their team to clear up those unknowns and make sure there’s a plan so that everything that happens is a step ahead, not backwards or sideways.
We do that with a blend of experience, a Rolodex full of other tested and trusted service partners, some sweat, and above all a good sense of humor. We have one other thing: we know that the move will end well, because we have eight years of good endings to look back on.
It’s hard to imagine how someone you don’t know can come in and help you make such a big life transition. That’s why the majority of our new clients come to us on the recommendation of others we have worked with–people who have worked with us can explain what we do and how we do it. But if you’re new to the idea of working with a move manager, here are descriptions of three moves that might share some similarity with your own planned transition.
Case Study 1: The Full Move
Client couple had been in their home 45 years and were moving from a 3 bedroom cape home to a one bedroom apartment in a community.
Constructed a move plan and timeline with the clients.
Worked with clients and their realtor to stage home by packing items being taken with them and by sorting, packing and removing no longer needed items to be sold or donated.
After agreement for sale of home, worked with client to identify items being taken to the new apartment, being taken by family members, being left for the new owner—and by process of elimination the things that are no longer needed.
Packed items being moved.
Sorted and delivered items to be sold at consignment and/or auction.
Sorted and delivered items to be donated.
Arranged for the safe disposal of hazardous materials.
Arranged for disposal of refuse.
Coordinated with movers on move day to prioritize order of items being brought up to the apartment and to insure that furniture was positioned according to space plan (which was done with impeccable accuracy by the client)
Unpacked essential items as they were brought to apartment: kitchenware, linens, clothing, lamps, bathroom goods and anything else that could be placed quickly to eliminate the majority of boxes.
Stowed less urgent items like books and art for unpacking the next day.
Nested in: hung shower curtain, placed extension cords behind furniture, made bed and other things to make the first night comfortable.
Returned next day to complete unpacking, make adjustments to furniture placement and hang art.
Case Study 2: The Medium Move
Client had been in four bedroom multilevel house for 51 years and was moving to a two bedroom apartment condo.
Constructed a move plan and timeline with client.
Decorator drafted a floor plan with client.
Real estate agent handled staging.
Sorted and delivered or arranged for pickup of items to be sold at consignment and/or auction.
Sorted and delivered items to be donated.
Arranged for disposal of refuse.
Packed all small items, movers packed art and lamps to be moved.
Coordinated with movers on move day to prioritize order of items being brought up to the condo and to insure that furniture was positioned according to space plan.
Unpacked essentials.
Stowed non-essentials strategically.
Nested in.
Returned next day to finish unpacking and make adjustments.
Returned after sale of home to remove all items belonging to the client left for staging.
Case Study 3: The Essentials Only Move
Client had been in her two bedroom condo for 30 years and was moving to a one bedroom apartment in a community.
Constructed a move plan and timeline with client.
Drafted a floor plan for new apartment.
Real estate agent handled staging.
Client handled dispersal of no longer needed items.
Packed items being moved.
Coordinated with movers on move day to prioritize order of items being brought up to the apartment and to insure that furniture was positioned according to space plan.
Unpacked essentials.
Stowed non-essentials strategically.
Nested in: hung shower curtain, placed extension cords behind furniture, made bed and other things to make the first night comfortable.
Client and family finished unpacking.
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While none of these moves exactly describes your upcoming transition, you probably spotted some tasks in all of these moves that would help make your move faster and less stressful. As we said before, no two moves or clients are the same. But that’s not exactly true. There’s one thing that’s the same about all the moves we’ve ever worked on. Because our clients had a great move team that we were happy to be a part of, they all had moves that ended well.
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