Changing Spaces
A CARING TEAM TO HELP YOU MOVE INTO YOUR NEXT PHASE OF LIFE
Moving at any age is difficult, especially when you are older. For seniors who have lived in their home for decades and have made the decision to move, they can feel completely overwhelmed with what goes, what doesn’t, packing it all up, and moving it. That’s why Changing Spaces in Lincoln is there to reassure families they don’t have to do it alone.
We asked owner Jeannine Bryant to share with our readers the senior relocation services that Changing Spaces provides and how they assist families with “detaching” from items without feelings of guilt.
What is Changing Spaces?
The heart of our business is helping people through the “move out to the move in” process. They know they need to get rid of half or more of their belongings and they don’t know where to start. It’s physically and logistically a challenge, but also emotional for them. We come in with a lot of compassion and guide them through that process, from start to finish. We also do estate sales and online auctions when they have items to be sold.
What is the typical age of your clients?
Our clients are 55 years or older, with a majority of them in their 70s to 90s. They have lived in their home 20 to 40+ years, raised their kids, and are now ready to downsize to a townhome or retirement community.
Explain the “move out to move in” process?
Our team helps our clients determine what existing furniture will fit best in their new place. We go through cabinets and closets to determine what smaller items get moved. We bring the boxes and do all of the packing. We’re not the movers, but we’re onsite and manage the move day for our clients. We start the unpacking process and settling clients at their new residence. Then we come back the next day to finish unpacking and we take all the boxes with us.
What happens to the items left behind?
After the move, any items left behind can be sold at an estate sale or online auction. About half of the estate sales and online auctions that we do come from people we have helped move. The other half of the estate sale business is from families whose loved ones have passed away.
What is the most important part of the process?
The impact it has on a family or a couple leaving the home they’ve lived in for decades, relocating to a new place and settling in, and starting a new chapter in their lives – it’s a big change. We understand how having a group of caring and compassionate professionals by their side can be very beneficial.
What drives your passion to help seniors?
I really love working with older adults and have compassion for the precarious situation that they are in sometimes. It’s a very vulnerable time and we are helping them get through it.
Tell us about the books you’ve written.
I’ve authored two books, available on Amazon. I wrote Ready to Rightsize for people who don’t live in Lincoln but we can still help them. It’s a step-by-step guide to rightsizing and moving. If you are a senior (or you love a senior), this book is the essential guide to rightsizing and moving.
Keep the Memories, Not the Stuff is an honest, direct yet caring approach to our loved one’s stuff and the memories attached to it. I talk about the mourning process, and that the amount of things we keep has nothing to do with how much we love them and miss them.
Stuff, love, and memories are not the same thing. We say, “keep the best, let go of the rest.”
- Jeannine Bryant