19 Companies To Help Seniors Downsize and Relocate

Downsizing and relocating can be a difficult task at any age. But it can be even more daunting for senior citizens who have a lifetime of accumulations to sort through or special needs and health concerns to keep in mind when searching for a new home and community. Yet another challenge facing is lack of help from family members. Some may have no children, while others have children living in far-flung locations who are unable to be of significant assistance. These types of considerations have given rise to a cottage industry of movers and personal assistants focused specifically on helping seniors. Here's a closer look at some of the companies around the country that specialize in senior downsizing and relocations as well as important questions and considerations to keep in mind before hiring a professional to assist with a senior move.

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The National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) is one of the best starting points if you're looking for help with a senior relocation. NASMM is among the most reputable resources in the industry, says Rick Lauber, author of two caregiving-resource books "The Successful Caregiver's Guide" and "Caregiver's Guide for Canadians." NASMM members specialize in helping older adults and their families with downsizing and moving to a new residence. All NASMM members are required to pass courses in ethics, safety, liability, and risk. In addition, NASMM members must abide by the organization's strict code of ethics.

Related: For Seniors — How to Decide When to Move From Your Home?

A senior move manager specializes in helping older adults and their families with the various challenges often associated with relocation. These can range from emotional and physical challenges to organizational issues. Senior move managers provide coordination support and handle practically all aspects of a move, thus saving family caregivers considerable time and stress, said Lauber, author of "The Successful Caregiver's Guide" and "Caregiver's Guide for Canadians." Many move managers will do both the before-and-after chores associated with a major move, from packing and coordinating donations to even arranging furniture in the new home.

Related: 14 Tips for Downsizing Your Parents' Home on a Budget

By many accounts, the prices for senior move managers can vary greatly depending on the size of the project and the amount of possessions a senior may have to deal with. In addition, senior move managers may charge by the project or the hour, Lauber said. Project based rates on the other hand may fall between $3,000 to $5,000, Lauber said. "These are approximate amounts," Lauber added. "It is impossible to pinpoint an exact amount as each moving project will vary dramatically."

On the East Coast and West Coast, the current hourly price ranges from about $125 to $150 per hour, according to Mary Kay Buysse, NASMM's executive director. In the middle of the country and the South and Southeast, it is between $60 to $150 per hour. "It can be made affordable for everyone," she said. "Even if you see $100 per hour, a senior move manager will their tailor services to what you can afford ... Every job is customized for the customer."

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Even when considering a move manager from a reputable organization, it's important to ask some questions before hiring. "It would be advisable to personally meet with a senior move manager, explain your project, and request a written quote for services to be provided. Caregivers or seniors can then make a better and more informed decision," Lauber said. It's also a good idea to ask the company or mover about references, liability insurance, and how long they've been in business. Following are 19 companies in the U.S. and Canada that can be of assistance when it's time to downsize or relocate.

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Among the well-known and highly regarded companies specializing in helping seniors relocate is Moves for Seniors. The company received 4.05 out of 5 stars from the senior-resources and review site Retirement Living and provides support with local and cross-country moves. Services offered by Moves for Seniors run the gamut from senior community relocation, downsizing and decluttering to legacy services. The company will provide as much or as little assistance as is requested. Specific tasks the company offers include labor-only for loading and unloading a moving van to full-service, concierge-like moving support that includes a specialist who is present to supervise every detail of a relocation effort. The company has offices in every state except Alaska.

A company with an extensive network of 200 franchise locations in 40 states, Caring Transitions was also recognized by Retirement Living as one of the top choices in the country. The company provides free consultations. Its specific services fall into three distinct categories: relocation and move management; downsizing; and estate sales and online auctions. Within relocation and move management, the tasks the company performs include organizing and sorting belongings, packing and unpacking boxes, and even planning space allocation in a new home. With each client, Caring Transitions develops customized service plans.

With more than 835,000 Americans opting to live in assisted-living facilities, Moving Station focuses on helping seniors move from their home to senior-specific communities. The company has been in business for more than two decades and offers support with selling a home, sorting and organizing belongings, and moving. The company offers a detailed list of tasks within each category, including such things as developing a moving timeline, supervising your move as it progresses and even helping to break down decisions associated with the move into more manageable choices.

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Florida-based Welcome Home Senior Services and Placement Co. provides extensive support helping seniors identify an appropriate assisted-living community for their specific needs. This includes a face-to-face consultation to discuss such things as the senior's income and assets; required level of care; whether the senior wants to be in a small "home-like" setting or larger campus; how close the individual wants to be to family; and more. The company seeks to help seniors identify a community that works for the individual financially and alsomeets their lifestyle requirements. Welcome Home will provide clients with a qualified list of options to explore and even schedule and accompany seniors on community visits. The company also offers move coordination including helping to determine which belongings will fit into a new residence.

MaxSold provides support for relocation downsizing and estate sales. The company has team members in 20 states. Specific locations include Georgia, New England, the New York Tri-State area, D.C. Metro (Maryland and Virginia), and Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania, Delaware), as well as Texas, Arizona, Washington, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, California, and Ontario and British Columbia in Canada. Prices start at $300 and go as high as $700, and there's an additional 30% commission fee.

Founded in 1994, Gentle Transitions serves the entire state of California. The company will plan, coordinate, and supervise every element of a move. That includes everything from sorting through belongings, making mover arrangements to professional packing, unpacking, and resettling. In order to help its clients get settled in a new location, Gentle Transitions will even make beds, hang pictures, put clothes in closets, connect televisions, and remove all shipping boxes. Every move is directed by a move manager who is engaged in every step of the process.

JK Moving has specific expertise in senior and accessible-living transitions. The company also notably specializes in helping customers with disabilities to make transitions into a new home. Support services include helping clients downsize or move to an adult- or assisted-living community and offering a senior move manager who can develop a plan and manage all the details. The company supports both local and long-distance moves from coast to coast.

A company based in and focused on serving San Diego County, Senior Move Masters provides professional relocation support including planning, packing and resettling seniors in a new home. Senior Move Masters staff will help clients assess their belongings and make choices about what to keep and what to discard. The company also provides customized timelines and checklists that address such tasks as packing, moving, and unpacking. After a complimentary consultation, some of the specific tasks the company will perform include space-planning assistance, help selecting a moving company, packing and labeling of all household possessions, and unpacking in the new home, including arranging items in cupboards, reconnecting electronic equipment, and hanging artwork.

For seniors in Ontario, Canada, Sage Relocation Services provides move management, downsizing, decluttering, packing and unpacking and will help find new homes for unwanted belongings. The company's support begins with a complimentary in-house consultation designed to understand the client's needs. After an initial meeting, develops a custom proposal that includes timelines and pricing. The company can provide full or a la carte support and specifically serves the following areas in Ontario: the Durham region, Oshawa, Whitby, Bowmanville, Peterborough, Lindsay, Port Hope, Cobourg, Colborne, Grafton, Trenton, Belleville, and the communities stretching east between Toronto and Kingston.

Serving the north Boston, greater Boston, and New Hampshire areas, Home Transition Resource provides help with downsizing, listing a home for sale, moving, or settling an estate. Home Transition Resource staff manage the details of a move, including floor and space planning; home inventory; packing and unpacking; and resettling. Additional specific services include staging prior to a home sale; sorting and organizing; and dispersal of a deceased loved one's belongings.

The Move Managers provide support for seniors in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and southern Ventura counties. The company helps families with both the emotional and physical aspects of a move. That effort includes planning, coordinating, and organizing the entire process, as well as arranging, sorting, and labeling what will be kept, donated, discarded, sold, or given to family and friends. The Move Managers staff will also assist in securing a dependable moving company and professional packing services; coordinate shipping, estate sales, appraisers and storage facilities; and clean and make a former residence ready for the next user.

A licensed, insured, and bonded company focused on helping seniors and people with disabilities relocate, A Move Made Easy services the south Florida area. The company works with clients who are homeowners, as well as retirement communities, and even health care facilities. Specific communities served include Florida's Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties. Move Made Easy also has affiliates throughout the United States allowing the company to also coordinate long-distance moves. A Move Made Easy offers senior move managers and personal move coordinators, its services range from pre-move preparation to packing and getting your new home ready.

Located in Colorado, A Move Handled With Care has been an NASMM member since 2007. The company's owner, Cierra Olmsted worked in a retirement community as the move-in coordinator before starting her own business. The company provides a full spectrum of services associated with downsizing, moving, and even aging in place. Specific support services include developing custom move plans that include detailed tasks and associated timelines, sorting through belongings, and even organizing important documents and paperwork. A Move Handled With Care will also communicate with family members on behalf of seniors. The company offers free consultations.

Changing Places has been assisting older adults and their families with relocation since 2005. The Harrison, New York-based company (which received A+ Accreditation from NASMM) is run by professionals who have backgrounds in social work, nursing, and project management. Like many other senior move managers, Changing Places services range from creating customized floor plans to organizing, sorting and downsizing and unpacking and settling. Changing Places will also coordinate auctions and sales.

A company based in Beaverton, Oregon, Soft Landings, Solutions for Seniors has also received NASMM A+ Accreditation for its outstanding senior move management services and support. Like many other companies on this list, the services provided by Soft Landings for Seniors range from move management to estate services. The company's move-management support can include helping seniors to decide what they can afford in terms of a future home or community, as well as even developing cash-flow models to outline what their income flow might be once relocated.

Missouri-based Golden Bridges will provide packing and moving support, as well as liquidation management and organization. The company's range of packing and moving services include developing and planning the overall move, as well as screening moving companies and supervising packing. The company has locations in Adams and Sangamon counties.

For those looking for help decluttering in order to downsize, a professional organizer is yet another option. Virginia's Easy Living Solutions, which serves Beaufort and Jasper counties in South Carolina and Chatham County in Georgia, offers a discard-and-donate program designed to help customers prepare to put their homes on the market, says owner Ginny Underwood. "I pay particular attention when downsizing, as this can be an emotional time," said Underwood, who charges $60 per hour for her services, with additional fees for dropping off donations and arranging for items and furniture to be consigned. Underwood will also manage estate and tag sales to help dispose of unwanted property when downsizing.

Another certified NASMM member, AZ Transitions is based in Arizona and offers estate sales and estate clearing, new-home planning, household inventory services, professional packing, organizing and sorting, and more. The company is run by Tom and Melissa Moody, a husband-and-wife team who spent many years involved in the customer service and hospitality industries in both for-profit and nonprofit leadership roles. After managing their parents' downsize and relocation, the couple decided to start their own business helping other seniors.

For seniors who may need to get out of a lease quickly, such as when their health is deteriorating, Flip provides another useful option to keep in mind. The company, which has assisted numerous seniors, helps people get out of their leases fast. Flip takes over a lease and pays the rent, allowing for an immediate move if need be. "In exchange for a one-time fee, we take over their lease, work with the building's management or a landlord to do it all legally, find a new tenant, and guarantee that the renter can move out and stop paying the rent within 30 days," explained Rachel Bell, from Flip. The price for this service varies but is typically between 100% and 150% of one month's rent.

To find a senior move manager near you, the National Association of Senior Move Managers has created a helpful interactive map of the United States. The map allows for simply clicking on your state, and it provides a list of all the NASMM-affiliated movers in the area.