It’s always interesting when I explain what we do at The Downsizers. Yes, we pack people’s belongings. Yes, we also unpack people’s belongings. We also help to guide them through what to keep and what not to keep. We help them to get where they are going.
But it’s more, much more. We know that a successful move entails feeling safe, in control, and having a well thought out plan.
Downsizing Managers are part therapist, part daughter, and part magician.
From the very first meeting with a potential client, we sit down and talk about their current needs and situation. Are they getting ready to sell their home? Have they already sold their home and need to quickly prepare for a move? Are they thinking about selling down the road and want to know how to plan for it? Or maybe they have no choice. They have to move due to a job relocation, health concerns, or death of a spouse.
We go through their belongings, sometimes 40 to 50 years of things. We help our clients make difficult decisions about those belongings. We hear:
“Our children don’t want any of the things we had planned on passing down to them. We’re devastated. Now what?”
“This box is filled with letters that my great uncle wrote in the 40s. I can’t get rid of them but I have no space in storage.”
“I ran my own company for 40 years, but I can’t seem wrap my head around this move. I feel helpless and paralyzed with frustration.”
“My new condo doesn’t have the window seat where I love to read. It doesn’t have a garden for me to work in. I don’t know if I’m going to be happy there.”
ALL of these conversations are critically important to work through for that individual to feel safe through their transition.
Some say we’re part therapist.
Our business is about moving people, not moving things. We have the privilege of working with incredible individuals and their belongings every day.
One thing we hear most often is “we don’t know where to start” or “we’re overwhelmed and don’t know how to get everything done.” Knowing this, we offer our clients a Downsizing Guide, which includes information about local resources. We design a Move Plan which includes a timeline built specifically for their individual situation.
We realize that every one of our clients need to go at their own pace. Some of our clients contact us to let us know their progress on any given day or some of our clients need to tell us a story before they let go of something that was important to them. We have a connection with our clients. We guide them when they get stuck and we follow them when they are ready to lead.
Some say we’re part daughter.
We are there for our clients during the entire process. Some need us for weeks during the sorting process and some don’t need us at all until we show up to pack them. But when our clients leave their homes, often with 200+ packed boxes ready to be moved, and arrive in their new home a day later with linens on their beds, their refrigerator stocked, and their drawers outfitted with their clothes, they feel safe, energized, and in control of the situation.
Some say we’re part magician.