“Life is a team sport”! This concept has been reintroduced to me through Jim Bunch CEO/Head Coach of TUG (The Ultimate Game). My coach Phil Black has greatly assisted my implementation of this concept as I’ve launched The Living Planner. If you have an interest in learning more about the impact of environments in your life, click on the badge below to take the Nine Environments Assessment from TUG, free of charge.
We all meet and do business with numerous professionals. The Advisory Perspective Series will feature professionals who guide us during our day to day life in the following areas: accounting, attorneys, banking, elder care facilities/service providers, estate planning attorneys, fiduciaries, financial advisors, funeral planners, health care advisors, home organizers, insurance agents, investment advisors, mortgage specialists, tax advisors and more!
Amazing, isn’t it, when we consider how many professionals touch our lives through their influence, perspective, advice and direction? Consider these professionals as your “life team” concerning what you have now and what you will pass along to others.
Is your full team in place?
I’ve developed a series of questions so you will have a better idea of what to consider when meeting or selecting professionals for your team. Let’s have a look “behind the curtain”!
The professionals I feature in this series are dedicated to their fields, to their clients and to you being prepared in all ways best for you.
I am delighted to introduce this month’s featured professional: Deborah Moyer – Your Organizing Answer
Inspired by her own personal experiences while transitioning her parents to a smaller, more manageable home, Deborah Moyer realized an increasing need for highly specialized services in organizing, downsizing and transitional assistance for seniors and their families. In creating Your Organizing Answer in 2009, Deborah merged over 25 years of corporate project management experience from her previous career in the new home development field with her lifetime passion for organizing and dedication to assisting seniors throughout Southern California. As a nationally certified senior relocation and transitions (CRTS) and Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), Deborah and her team offer a wide range of transition services such as general organizing and pre-move de-cluttering/disposal options, space planning, packing/unpacking, move oversight and other personalized concierge services. Your Organizing Answer services San Diego, South Orange and South Riverside Counties. Deborah is a proud member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).
Description of current position – Owner/Founder of Your Organizing Answer – Specializing in Residential Organizing and Certified Senior Downsizing Assistance
Question 1. What do you enjoy about working with your clients? Moving can be one of the most stressful things we experience at any age, but trying to downsizing to a much smaller home when you are older can really be traumatic and difficult, both emotionally and physically. They aren’t just moving some furniture from one home to another, they are going through a true lifestyle transition. With kids grown and out of the home, less interest in formal entertaining, higher costs for maintaining extra square footage in a home that you haven’t used in years are all factors in the decision to downsize. The anticipation of all that is involved in this type of move is why so many seniors put off making the downsizing decision, even though it would make their lives safer, easier, less expensive and more fun. I truly love being able to help my clients through each phase of the downsizing process and have made it my life’s mission to make it a stress-free and much more enjoyable experience for them. Seeing a client settled and happy in their beautiful new home is extremely rewarding for me.
Question 2. How would you suggest a potential new client prepare for a 1st meeting? I provide a free in-home consultation for all of my clients as our first meeting. It allows them to get to know me and what type of services I can provide that would be most beneficial to them. It helps when clients can narrow down important items in their home (furnishings, artwork, etc.) that they know they want included in their new home and if they have a floor plan of the home, condo or retirement community space they are moving into. With this information, I can prioritize items while doing their space planning, planning move day strategies, etc. and make sure that they have as many of the things that they truly love around them in their new home.
Question 3. When someone agrees to become a client, what can they expect immediately? Over time? From our first initial consult, my clients are provided with a clear transition plan that we can begin implementing immediately, even if a move date is months away. It can be more intimidating to face sorting through a lifetime of possessions before a move than the physical move itself. So, not only do I give them options that will make it easier for them in making decisions as to what to keep and what to dispose of, but we can help them physically tackle the sorting/purging process as well. Most clients also really appreciate that we are one point of contact for them and relieve them of having to manage all the tedious details involved in a move process.
Question 4. What is your service philosophy? To provide the highest quality in heart-centered, supportive downsizing services to seniors and their families. We treat every client as if we were moving our own family.
Question 5. What resources do you provide to assist “laypeople” with understanding what is being discussed? Every person’s situation is different as to the type of assistance and information they need before or during a move. We have a wide range of move related resources we share with our clients (if they require it) including estate sale specialists, Realtors, donation sources and consignment store options. Typically though, visualizing their existing furniture or décor in the new home is the most challenging for most people because of the significant difference in scale. A couch that looked great in an oversized family room with vaulted ceilings may look twice the size in a smaller, more traditional room. To help alleviate any surprises on move day, I offer a specialized three dimensional space planning service where I recreate the floor plan of their new home and place furnishings in exact scale using 3D computer technology. I can then show them, in the comfort of their own home, what their living spaces will look like, discuss potential concerns or make changes in layout in real time. This service is not only affordable, it actually saves them money in mover time and alleviates stress on move day because they know exactly what will fit.
Bonus Question! If you were to relay one piece of advice to anyone reading this, what would it be? It would be to start the purge process now! Even if they don’t plan on moving for several years, life circumstances can change dramatically with no warning, as many of my clients have unfortunately realized. By starting with small areas (a dresser, a closet, a section of cabinet space) and being honest with yourself about whether you really DO use an item can make a huge difference, both emotionally and physically, when it comes time to make that decision to move.
May you live life fully, Lynn