A Tale of Three “Lucy”s – Lucy Three
You have probably heard from several sources to plan ahead
when moving. It’s never too early to
start thinking about what to pack and how it will get to the new facility. This past November, I was faced with three
moves at the same time. I will call my clients
Lucy 1, Lucy 2 and Lucy 3.
Lucy 1 lived in an apartment on the 15th
floor. The view was wonderful, the space
was large. But there was this pesky
little issue of persistent leaks that the property manager shrugged off as a
small problem. But mold growing under
the carpet for years, and several trips to the hospital were hardly small
issues for my client, retired from her teaching position. It was time for a move.
Lucy 2 lived in a maintenance-free townhouse. At 89 years old, her memory was failing and
she had caregivers coming every day to help her dress and eat. As her disease progressed, it became clear to
the daughter that her mother needed someone watching her 24 hours/day.
Lucy 3 lived in development specifically for residents over
55 years of age. The homes were single
family, but maintenance-free. A widow,
she lived there alone, but had children and grandchildren in the area to help. She was able to drive, but when her multiple
sclerosis and the weather got worse, she was unable to go outside. She had to rely more and more on others, and
began falling more frequently. When she
fell, she couldn’t get up on her own. She
decided to move to assisted living.
Over the next few posts, I will tell the stories of each of
my clients and the unique challenges each faced.
Here is the story of Lucy 3:
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| Bedroom 2 Before Staging |
Lucy Three is a widow who moved from her lake home in Wisconsin
to a senior community for residents 55 years of age and over. It was ideal for her. There was no maintenance, and she could keep
her independence because she was still able to drive. Several children lived nearby, as did
grandchildren. She was able to function
quite well for years, driving herself to doctor appointments or the
dentist. But as her MS progressed, she
began falling more.
The community had an alarm system for health emergencies,
which Lucy was able to use. But when the
falls became more frequent, she decided she either had to get some help or move
to assisted living. After weighing her
options, Lucy decided to move to assisted living.
Once the decision was made, the family sprang into action
under my direction. Rooms were measured
in the new apartment, and floor plans drawn to see what furniture could go with
Lucy. In addition to the furniture, Lucy
had to choose which of her personal belongings she wanted to bring with, as it
wouldn’t all fit in the new place.
The family then got together to pack what Lucy needed. As they packed, they sorted through the rest
of Lucy’s belongings, claiming what they wanted. The family also took photos and posted them
on Flickr so the children who lived out of state could select what they
wanted.
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| Bedroom 2 After Staging |
In Lucy 3’s case, the family overpacked, boxing items up
that could have been left out for staging.
Also, they used the spare bedroom as a holding place for anything Lucy
wasn’t taking with her, and was available to the family. That’s what I was faced with when I came in
to stage the home.
Lucy moved the middle of November. I was to start staging the home soon after,
but a toilet sprang a leak, and flooded the house. Luckily, it wasn’t anything that moving the
furniture and professionally drying out the carpet couldn’t handle. The water from the master bathroom didn’t go
any farther than the main bedroom and part of the living room. Then the carpet had to be re-stretched.
I awaited word from the family for when the rooms were ready
again. They put the furniture back where
it had been, then called me. My job was
to clean out the front bedroom, pack up the extras, and stage the home. As I was packing, I put aside some items I
knew the family did not claim. I dropped
off a load at Goodwill after clearing out the bedroom. Items that were questionable with the family
remained boxed up and stored in the closet.
Once the staging was done, I let the family know it was
ready to list. This was early
February. I had time to move on to the
next project. Not! The home sold in ten days! So back to work!
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| Living Room After Staging |
The next task was to completely empty the house. That meant the family had to pick up everything
they wanted. And I had to find outlets
for the rest. I called a dealer, Bob,
who buys collections, to see his interest in the Lladros, Madame Alexander
Dolls, and Wedgwood Lucy Three was parting with. I met him at the
house on a Sunday morning. While there,
he gave me the name of an auction house in Chicago that might be interested in
the furniture. I took photos of the
furniture and sent them to the auction house owner, Roger.
Bob bought the Lladros, Wedgwood and the dolls. Roger made
an offer on the furniture, and I arranged it so he could pick up Lucy 3’s
furniture the same day as Lucy 2’s furniture.
It would save him a trip. He not
only loaded up the furniture, but took most of the other donations with him on
the truck. It saved me phone calls to charities,
and trips to Goodwill.
Once all the big pieces were out, the family came and picked
up their items. My next task was to
clean out
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| Dining Room After Staging |
I dropped off the key with Lucy Three so she could give it to
her real estate agent. The house closes
in April. Another empty house! Another success!
Next?
