SENIORS REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST® (SRES®)
When you list your home with me, my services include:
• Landscape/yard cleanup
• House Cleaning/General Cleanup
• Garage Sale/Estate Sale
• Hauling to donation centers
• Handyman Services/Contractors
• Professional Home Staging.
You may be wondering what this designation is all about. Basically, it is an understanding of how to work with our retirees and the choices they will eventually need to make as far as their future housing choices.
An SRES® agent has special training in providing counseling, a good listening ear, and lots of patience. The key is not in the books we read, or classroom hours we put in, but in the day-to-day experience we receive when working with our senior clients. Here are some of the people I have helped:
Madeline’s Story:
I received first-hand knowledge when my father passed away in 1997, and I saw how difficult it was for my mother to make life-changing decisions. My parents had a wonderful retirement life in Las Vegas, full of excitement and always something to do. However, my two sisters and I lived in the Bay Area, so it was necessary to move my mother here with us when my father died. After being married for over 50 years, my mother did not want to live alone. (She will celebrate her 88th birthday in November)
It became my job to organize the move- what treasures would be taken; what would be left and discarded. Most retirees who lived through WWII saved everything! Nothing was ever thrown away as it might be needed someday, by someone. It was quite a job but I accomplished it in about two weeks. The final outcome – we moved everything to my house, my garage, my closets, anywhere we could find room. Whew!!! So much stuff!!
Little by little, my mother gave things away, to her grandkids, or anyone in need.
Since that time I have helped hundreds of seniors, helping them downsize, and organize what they will really have use for in their retirement years.
Jeannie’s Story:
What a wonderful lady! Full of life! So organized! So positive and firm in her decisions. Jeannie is a person who has complete control of her life and doesn’t want to leave anything to chance, or any decisions to be made by her adult children. Her husband passed away 6 years previously and she stayed alone in their home until she realized it was a very lonely existence.
When the Heritage Estates Retirement apartments opened a new building at the end of 2006 she decided to check it out. All the amenities were there – the social atmosphere, lots of activities, a bus to take her to any doctor appointments or to the Senior Center where trips and shows are always on the schedule.
That’s when Jeannie called me. She had already made up her mind, all that was left was to sell her home, and of course, for top price as this was all the money she would have to live on for the rest of her life. Her house was in tip-top shape. You could eat off the floor! All she needed was some help getting the landscaping in shape and referrals of movers she could trust. We worked together, prepared the home & yards and her home sold in less than 30 days at a price she was happy with.
I still visit Jeannie and we have lunch together occasionally. She will be 84 this year.She is living a happy life, traveling and enjoying the company of other retirees.
Ann’s Story
I knew Ann for 10 years. I met her when she needed a Notary Public for a rental property in Southern California that her and her husband were selling. I counseled and advised them on what all the documents were about. A couple of years later, her husband passed away and she stayed on in their home. She was always busy with luncheons, clubs, and committees but we stayed in touch and spent time together. She had rooms of crafts, sewing room, holiday items, made favors for any type of party. Eventually her home and garage were packed from top to bottom and not much room for walking. She was a great cook too! With thousands of books and recipes. Whatever party you were going to have, she could come up with the recipes and decorations for you. She was exceptionally talented.
She had two sons, both living out of state. She told them both, that if anything happened to her, that I was to sell the house for them. I offered to help her go through her things, one room at a time, as it would be overwhelming for her sons someday. She said No, they would have to deal with it after she was gone. She labeled everything, who was to get what, the history of each item, where she bought it, what she paid.
Ann passed away last summer, in her sleep, peacefully. She was 83. I called her sons who came, and sorry to say, ransacked the house looking for money, valuables, antiques, jewelry, etc.
The photos you will see are shocking. They ordered a debris box and proceeded to throw everything away. I begged them to let her friends come over and take something of hers, a memento, a memory. But they continued to pull up carpet and looked for safes behind book cases. It was shocking! She would never have expected this treatment!
Then they left the mess for me to clean up, which I did for Ann.
My message to all of you reading these true stories, is to prepare for your next move. Even if it is 5 years away. Donate your items, have garage sales, sell to antique stores,etc. Give your treasures to your children and grandchildren now. The best thing we can do is to be organized and prepared. Most people wait until their health is suffering before moving to a retirement community. Retirement is a time to enjoy life, and to be with people who have the same interests and memories as we do. Don’t wait until you have to move. It is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new lifestyle!
Enjoy life, every day.
I am always here to answer any questions you may have and to offer my assistance.
