Finding a Trusted Senior Move Manager

Finding a Trusted Senior Move Manager 

If you found your way to this blog post, you’ve probably heard of senior move managers. You know they help older people move. 

You may not know what sets one senior move manager apart from another. What makes someone a good senior move manager? How do you know if a senior move manager is the right one for you?

These are important questions. Moving is especially challenging when you’re older. You want to work with someone who’s knowledgeable and understands your situation. 

Read on to learn how to find a trusted senior move manager.

Where to Find a Senior Move Manager

Once you decide that you want to work with a senior move manager, turn to your network for recommendations. You have more people than you realize who can offer suggestions.

• Family and friends Nothing beats a recommendation from people you trust. If your brother or your childhood friend had a positive experience with a certain senior move manager, start there.
• Your primary care physician Chances are good your primary care doctor has seen other patients in your situation. Some primary care offices even have a dedicated senior advocate who’s familiar with local resources for seniors. That includes movers and senior move managers. Ask them for recommendations.
• Local senior center Reach out to the staff at your local senior center. They know a range of service providers for seniors. Plus, they know what other seniors have to say about the quality of those providers. Also, if you take part in any of the center’s events, you’ll meet people you can ask.
• Your moving company Many moving companies partner with senior move managers. They recognize that senior move managers fill a need they can’t meet. These partnerships make the process run more smoothly—and that means a better experience for you.

When you ask for recommendations, look for people to say things like:

• They made my life so much easier!
• It went so much faster than I thought! 
• They knew how to handle everything!
• We love the way our new place looks! 

Top senior move managers have former clients singing their praises. Those are the people to call!

Finding the Right Senior Move Manager or You

Working with a senior move manager is a very personal experience. This person or team of people will be with you during a stressful time. They’ll be walking with you through your memories. They will help you envision how you want to set up your new home. You want to feel at ease with their approach. 

Think about the way you like to interact with people in general. Do you enjoy chatting with people? Are you more reserved and appreciate quiet? Do you get annoyed when you feel rushed or when things drag on? 

Consider these things ahead of time. They’ll help you recognize when a company matches your preferences.

What Qualities Should You Look for in a Senior Move Manager?

Whatever their personal style, great senior move managers have a few essential qualities. Look for these when you meet with prospective companies. 

• Compassion Good senior move managers enjoy helping other people. They genuinely want to be of service and ease the burdens of others.
• Patience You’ll get a sense of how patient a potential senior your move manager is pretty quickly. Do they take time to walk you through their process? Do they welcome questions and answer them patiently? That’s something you should expect to see. If they make you feel rushed or are impatient with questions, keep looking.
• Empathy As we mentioned before, moving house later in life can be difficult. You want to work with people who, even if they haven’t been in your shoes, can put themselves there. They can imagine what it feels like. More than that, they’re willing to sit with you through the experience.
• Organized Moving house is hugely complicated. There are many things happening at once. There are timelines and deadlines and phone calls and paperwork and STUFF—so much stuff! You may be good at staying organized normally, but the sheer volume of moving tasks can throw anyone off. A senior move manager should be able to see the big picture, keep track of deadlines, and know where everything needs to go.
• Knowledgeable Experienced senior move managers should have extensive, practical knowledge about the costs, quality, and availability of various local community resources. This knowledge makes the nitty-gritty of your move—such as what to do with unwanted, but still valuable items—easier.

Think About What Services You Need

Senior move managers offer a variety of services. Most offer organizing, sorting, and downsizing in preparation for a move. Those services can look different, and be priced differently, from company to company. Be sure to ask what’s involved in a given service, the price, and how many hours they anticipate for your home.

Beyond the basics, different companies offer different services. These include a lot of things you might not have thought of yourself. Ask about these services:

• Creating customized floor plans for the new living space.
• Making recommendations for moving companies. Scheduling and coordinating with movers.
• Making recommendations for realtors.
• Move-in services—unpacking and setting up a new home. This can include hanging pictures, draperies, setting up TVs, and installing electronics. 

Additional services:

• Organizing estate sales or auctions.
• Decluttering and aging in place services.
• Photo organizing.
• House cleaning.
• Arranging for waste removal, recycling, and donations. 
• Staging the home for real estate photos and open houses.

You may not need all of these services, but it’s good to know what’s available. 

Check for References and Certifications

You’ll be able to tell a lot about a potential SMM when you meet with them. It never hurts to dig a little deeper, though. Especially when it comes to something as personal as moving. 

Ask potential senior move managers if they can provide you with references. If not, look at recent testimonials on sites like Yelp! or Google or on social media. Some companies will have reviews on their own website, though you’ll only hear the good reviews there.  

Another way to ensure you are working with a reliable company is to look at the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) website. All companies with full membership to NASMM are vetted by the organization. Companies must pass the NASMM’s course on ethics and accountability. 

Are you looking for senior move managers that are patient, empathetic, and know how to make your move much, much easier? Contact us. We’re happy to answer all your questions!