Retirement Relocation Downsizing, Decluttering, Preparing Properties - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Retirement Relocation

Downsizing, Decluttering, Preparing Properties for Sale and Moving House

By Christine Starr of Blue Lighthouse Relocations

Barriers to Downsizing and Relocating

 Anxiety and stress surrounding a move can be overwhelming  Some people can’t find where to start from  Uncertainty about where to go to

 Do you have care needs to consider?  Is location important to you?

Benefits to Downsizing & Decluttering

• A safer and more appropriate living environment

means you are more likely to live at home for longer

• A decluttered living space means a better mental

health outcome

• Do you have a home care package or have applied for
• ne? You can move house and have the home care

package pay for it with the right relocation consultant

Where do we start?

 How do we work out what we can afford?  Understand what your assets are i.e. what your home

is worth and therefore what you can spend.

 Use a vendors advocate to get a valuation.  Find out where you want to go.  Use a placement broker to ensure you find the right

place to suit your care, social and location needs.

Where do we start?

 Do we need to sell our house before or after we move?  How do we buy a new residence without having already sold our existing

• ne?

 How do we go about selling our house? Vendor’s advocate.  How do we present our house for sale when we need to continue living

there?

Where do we start – planning your move?

 Focus on the end result – your new home and its setup is your starting point

 Which items of furniture do you definitely want to take?  Which items of furniture will definitely fit in the new residence?  Which items of furniture will definitely not fit in the new residence?  Use a relocation consultant that can do a scaled floorplan of your new residence to make

these decisions easier.

Example Floorplan

Preparing Your Property for Sale

• Decluttering before photos are taken – the most important step
• What to do with items that need to be removed:
• Items to be kept for your next residence that are not required for photos should go into storage:
• It may be an option to store these items within the property
• Or, store items in a commercial storage facility
• Items that are excess to requirements at the next residence can be:
• Sold – through private sale, 2nd hand dealers or auction houses
• Donated to worthy charities
• r disposed of

The Most Confronting Decision

What will happen with the items I am not taking to my next residence?

• Sell
• Private sale – Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace
• Secondhand furniture dealers
• Auction houses
• Donate
• Domestic violence and homeless people assistance charities
• Men’s sheds
• Schools and kindergartens
• Ozharvest
• Charity sewing and knitting groups
• RSPCA
• Organise for the transport of items to family members

Moving Into Your New Residence

• Choose a relocation consultant that can pack, move and unpack in the same

day.

• This should be a smooth operation that should not take more than a day

unless necessary.

• Evaluate the costs associated with your move i.e. will you be charged for

boxes and packing materials you will never need again as well as your relocation consultant and removalists?

• Will your relocation consultant connect the TV, make the bed, unpack

bookshelves & display cabinets as they were, hang the paintings, connect the washing machine as well as unpacking all boxes?

After Moving House – Preparing for Settlement

• After you have moved house there may be items that were required to stay

for the sale of the house but you don’t want them at your new residence

• These can be dealt with in the same way as items in excess to your

requirements i.e.

• Sale
• Donation
• Disposal

What to look for in a good relocation consultant

Relocation consultants vary in the type of work they actually perform

• Look for a consultant that:
• Will allocate you one point of contact who will always be present
• Are insured to perform all services they offer and oversee
• Who do not accept or pay kickbacks or referral fees
• Does not require payment up front
• Have their own staff so that you are not dealing with subcontracted companies
• Provide at no extra charge, all packing materials and remove them at the end