When
talking to people about my job I am often asked “What is a professional move
manager?”.
To
answer that question I first explain the evolution of a move manager. Originally we were called Senior Move
Managers. Our function evolved from a
need to have professionals, who could assist seniors in their transition from
their homes to independent or assisted living facilities, to a need for move coordinators
to assist not only seniors but every day individuals who don’t have time to
pack themselves up for a move whether for business or for a change in
residence.
So
what is it we do? Basically we are move
coordinators and packers, not movers.
This means that we coordinate all the activities related to a move:
Change
of Address notifications
Cable
TV/Telephone move
Downsizing
if moving to a smaller residence
Coordination
of determining items for possible auction or sale as well as donation of items
which are not sellable
Packing
up items which will be moved
Mover
coordination
Trash
removal
House
cleaning
We can also help in clearing out and/or organizing garages.
For
those moving locally we will:
Do
floor plans for new residence to determine which furniture can be accommodated
Unpack
all packed items
Set
up the new residence making sure phone/cable TV and computers are all working
Hang
art work
While
this may seem simple there is a lot more to being a move manager than meets the
eye. Depending on the size of the job we
may take days to work with our clients going through all their belongings, with
them one on one, whether furniture or clothing to determine what can be sold,
auctioned donated or simply disposed of.
In many cases we are working with clients who have collected years of
memorabilia which cannot be accommodated in their new residence.
So
what does it take to be a move manager?
We often laugh about this as we feel that we must be proficient in many
different functions; Psychologists, Electronics, Interior design, Packing and
Patience. The jobs can be both
physically and mentally challenging as we find ourselves dealing with many
clients who are either ill or suffering from varying levels of dementia. We try our utmost to treat our clients like
family which softens the trauma of the move.
One
of the rewards of our job is that we often get to meet some very interesting
people.
To find out more about our services visit our website at www.atimetomove.com.
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