Becky Bywater, ASP

Senior Move Manager Can Help Mom & Dad Downsize

Our parents have always been there for us to kiss a scratch or wipe away a tear. So now it's our turn to give back and help them make their senior years as pleasant as possible. When the time comes that they no longer have the desire or energy to care for the family home, here are some helpful tips to make some hard decisions.

Whether you are 25 or 65, moving can be stressful. When you are a senior and leaving your home of many years, it can be a traumatic experience. Exchanging the family home where many fond memories were shared with family for smaller living quarters is labor intensive. Remember to be patient and a good listener.

Family can help decide on the best location

The best place to begin is to research the life style choices available in the community which they wish to live. With family, decide what best fits their needs.

What will fit into the new home?

Start by asking ‘what are their favorite things' and then see how they fit into the floor plan. Having as much as possible of your existing décor moved to the new home will ease some of the loss of leaving the old home place. Furniture and belongings should then be labeled with their specific room location.

Work slowly when packing and organize by room

Prepare for the move by securing the proper amount of packing materials. Take one room at a time and be realistic about the new space. Label each box for the new room location.

What to do with what is left?

Many times children or relatives will want to take favorite furniture and accessories. They should have the first choice. After that, consider what can be sent to a consignment shop, sold on line or donated to a favorite charity.

When to move?

They may be faced with whether to sell first and then move or move then put the home on the market. If there is no mortgage and the finances are such they can move first, this would be less stressful. Trying to prepare for a move and having to have the home available to show to potential buyers can be very disruptive

For any aging person, moving is a loss of familiarity and personal things - and it's tough emotionally. One of the best ways to avoid much of the stress is to plan, plan, plan. If it is overwhelming, accept family help or hire a professional who offers a personal touch to the task ahead. Everyone will have a better nights sleepJ

Affordable Decorating & Staging offers a Senior Move Assistance service, which includes Move Preparation, Getting Settled, Home Closure and Home Staging® should the home go on the market. Services can include as much or as little as needed.

Becky Bywater

Affordable Decorating & Staging

863 838-1079

bbywater@tampabay.rr.com

www.affordabledecorating-staging.com

With the current economy and glut of homes on the market, it is not the best of times to be selling your home. However, if you must due to foreclosure or a pending move, there are things that you can do to make your home more marketable and give you a seller's edge. With today's environment a seller cannot afford to have a home that does not show its best features. Reality is, if the buyer does not see what they like, they can go down the street and find many more to choose from.

How you decorate to live in your home and how you decorate to sell are very different. Whatever degree of staging you do can make a significant difference in how quickly and for how much your home sells.

Listed below are ten tips on staging your home to sell.

1) Curb Appeal - Flower beds and scrubs should be manicured. Shrubs should not be covering windows and walkways. Invest in a few colorful plants to grab attention. Look around at your neighbors and find a most attractive landscape and make sure yours looks a good. Buyers will perceive a well kept yard is also how you keep your home.

2) Declutter - This is the golden rule. In staging, less is more. You want the potential buyer to be looking at the home and not your stuff. If bookcases and countertops are cluttered and closets are messy, the buyer will perceive that is how you have kept the overall structure of your home.

3) Depersonalize - You want the buyers to be able to walk in and see a home that they could enjoy and move into immediately. Remove all those personal photos, trophies and all those vacation souvenirs. You want the buyers to perceive the home as their home and not your home.

4) Think Spacious - Buyers are buying space and a dream. Make sure your pathways are open and all floor clutter is removed. Scale down and store extra furniture or any oversized furniture.

5) Destroy Odors - If you can smell it, you can't sell it! Light odors can be handled with neutralizer odor product. If the odor is very offensive, find the source and remove the problem. The worst odors may require painting the walls and cleaning the carpets.

6) Light Up Your Home - If you can't see it, you can't sell it! If your home is dark due to lack of windows, compensate by adding lighting wherever possible. You should have three kinds of light, overhead for general, task for reading/crafts and accent for setting the stage. When showing make sure you open all the window treatments and let the natural light in.

7) Take Care of Needed Repairs - Most buyers want to move in and start enjoying their home, not face repair work. A smart move would be to hire a Home Inspector and let the professional tell you what needs to be done.

8) Kitchens & Baths Sell Homes - Heard this one before! These are important areas and should be given extra attention. In the kitchen brighten up countertops with a bowl of colorful lemons and plates or cookbooks on stands. Add a colorful biscotti jar. Bathrooms should display colorful towels and where room permits, silk plant, bowls of potpourri and/or candles.

9) Cleanliness is a Must - Who wants to look at someone else's dirt, much less move into it. Give your home a thorough cleaning and if necessary, hire a cleaning service. Make sure your windows are clean inside and outside.

10) It's Show Time - Lights, Music, Action. When showing your home turn on all the lights and add some soft music. Buyers tend to stay longer when they are listening to a great tune. Remove all toiletry items, toilet brushes and garbage cans.

You have 30 seconds to make that first impression!