How to make downsizing easy for your kids

A few weeks ago we closed on the sale of my parents Florida condo.   We successfully listed it in early March and it sold on the first day to market.  We had a cash deal and closed on March 31.  All this sounds like it was easy but to get to the point of being ready to sell culminated an almost two year process.   In this blog post I will detail each phase.

My brother and I inherited a 1600 square foot condo in the Tampa Florida area complete with over 100 years of collectibles from our parents and some that were passed down from each of their respective families.  As a "depression era baby"  Dad had very little as a child.  He became a hoarder and collected things of all sorts.  Many were highly valuable and some were only of value in his eyes.  He collected things ranging from pencils and steak markers from the Hilltop to a wide collection of historic memorabelia.  He thought his greatest gift to us would be to pass down a material collection which included books, albums, cds, State of Israel items,  Judaica, coins, stamps, ephemora, fossils, ancient tools, documents, autographs of politicians and celebrities, antiquities, political buttons, newspapers, paperweights, beer steins, Presidential dessert plates, postcards, and hold to light viewers, antique tools, small consumer electronic items, National Geographic and Playboy magazines,  Thomas Jefferson, Civil War, Slavery and other Americana,  and much much more.  Please see the photo at the bottom of this blog as it was his motto.

Initial Cleaning
Before we could even begin to go through the collection we needed to go through all the personal items.  When my Dad had passed away my Mom and I had donated much of his clothing and personal items to hospice to resell and I followed the same steps for my Mom's things after she passed away about 21 months later.  We donated clothing and unused medical items there and then blankets and old towels to a nearby pet shelter.  I disposed of all medications at an authorized disposal site.  Once this was cleared out the fun would begin.

Next the small stuff
The six room condo had bookshelves lining each room from floor to ceiling.  In addition when these became full there were stacks of books on the floors, under beds and piled in any open space possible.     Before one could even view the books, the shelves had to be cleaned because each shelf displayed chatkes or small collectibles in front of almost every book.  Each shelf had its own display of things.  It took a week just to sort through this and began my quest for storing them.  At Staples I found foldover display boxes and ended up filling about 30  In them were items of Judaica, postcards, models, small glass apothecary bottles, paper weights, and small antique cars for example decorating each shelf.  There were a lot of things to put it mildly.

I needed to sort and label items by like type.  Initially I set up a company to try to sell things online through both Amazon and Ebay seller accounts and at first thought this would be a fun venture.  I would try to sell some of the collectibles.   Then came the reality that the cost to ship things up North and the time involved would not be worthwhile except for easily transportable high value items.

The Books
On rough count I estimated about 6000 or more books.  Greg, my son came down one weekend and took over 100 for himself as he is the one grandchild to follow my Dads love of reading.  The cost of shipping was high and made me realize we had to just sell as many as we could in Florida.   The complexity came in the organization of the books.   Dad interspersed rare signed books with off-the-shelf current editions.  Often within a book one could find inserted a rare document or autograph.  Each book had to be manually examined and reviewed.  We ended up putting the very rare books aside in my parents bedroom and sorting through books that we thought we would sell.  We were able to donate a significant group of Holocaust related books to the St. Petersberg Florida Holocaust Museum where one of my Moms friends was a dossier.

After compiling over 250 bankers boxes filled to the brim with books one could not move around the place and it became impossible to go much further.  Through my network of Amazon sellers I found a local bookseller that was interested in buying my boxes of books.  He came with a huge truck and took the bulk of these boxes.  The condo seemed to have so much more room after this.

The Antiquities
Now we could see the glass display cabinets that were each lined top to bottom with hundreds of antiquities ranging from 1000-5000 years of biblical and world period history.  At first we thought we would be able to get a curator in to help us go through the items or they would be of interest to a museum but due to the UNESCO development to preserve World Heritage sites it became difficult to do this.  Items acquired between the 1980s through now require extensive documentation to show they weren't obtained through illegal black markets.  Much of Dads items were purchased during this time period but it would take a lifetime to physically match each document with each item something neither my brother or I had the time or interest in dealing with.  Of note,  it became hard for my brother to visit the project as often as I did due to his full-time job and having younger kids. I was able to go down to Florida about every 60 days.

We decided to have the antiquities professionally packaged and shipped to my house as Tampa Florida did not have the market for these items.  Fortunately we were able to work with a friend of my Dads at a later point to bring many to auction.

The Rest
Once the books and antiquities were gone one could start to see some light.  It took another month of sorting and categorizing things and then the realization that we needed to work with an estate sale company to sell the rest.  Through my work at my office and learning more about downsizing I researched and found a company called Organizing Life to help with this project.

The Estate Sale
After an initial assessment they were able to guide me with the steps we would need to do to run a sale.  The largest hurdle would be getting approval from the condo association which prohibits commercial sales onsite.  We fortunately were able to explain that we lived out of state and needed to have a sale to be able to clean the condo and sell it.  They were very nice and allowed us to do this while working within their parking guidelines.

Before they would be ready to sell they told me to put anything I didn't want sold in a locked room.  I had to go through each drawer, cabinet and closet and found many old items of personal value that I ended up shipping to Boston such as photo albums and birth certificates of great grandparents.  I still have about 10 boxes of stuff to sort through now in my house.

Hiring a professional company was extremely worthwhile and they were able to come in over the course of a week and organize, display, market and run a successful 2 day event.  At the end of the sale the condo was broom clean as they sold everything from the remaining collection to potholders in the kitchen.


Preparing the Condo
Now that the condo was empty it looked like a distressed property.  It needed a major paint job and new carpeting along with a few new amenities like light and electrical plates, a few light fixtures and window blinds.  I found a great local company Partners in Grime to help me with this process.  The did all the work and readied the place to sell in one week.

The Sale
Once the place had a face lift it was ready to go and we listed and sold it within one week.  Using my company Coldwell Banker was a huge plus as they have a strong worldwide marketing strategy.  We sold with no contingencies for cash and closed within 3 weeks.

The Lessons Learned
Less is more.
Collections are for the collector, not the next generation.
Its never too early to purge.

All our life our Dads greatest pride was his collection and it was the legacy he wanted to leave all of us.  He meant well and wanted us to have an inheritance that he thought he didn't have when his Dad passed away at age 16.   It is better to give away things when you can and not to expect the next generation to have the same interests.  A collection is for the collector and is hard to pass down. With each generation things become diluted.  The collection would first be split two ways to my brother and me and then six ways to the next generation.  None of us had the means or interest to keep it in "whole".  This required a permanent space.  It was better for us to let things find new homes where they would be better appreciated.  His legacy was more than his material things.

Both of our parents were very passionate and Dad shared his love of history and culture, while our Mom shared a strong ethical and Jewish faith in the home we grew up in .  They both were seen as educators and volunteers to make the world a better place.  I think my brother and I have learned a lot from both of our parents and the values they shared and we have in turn shared these with our children.   This is much more valuable than the material things they wanted to pass on to us.  Times have changed and people are living more minimalistic lifestyles these days.  No one wants a big home filled with stuff.   Children often move out of state and the average person stays in a home for seven years or less these days.  With each move is time to get rid of things vs acquiring more.  While we may cherish some of the material things passed on, I think their values are what will sustain us the longest.

Summary
The condo is sold and most of our parents things have new homes.  Their memories will last forever.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more. 

Retirement comes in all colors and forms

This week Crayola Crayon announced that they would be retiring one of their colors.  Today it was announced that the notorious color "dandelion yellow" would be retired.  For Crayola this means the end of using this iconic color from their standard box of 24.  To learn more this click here. yellow Many young artists will always have fond memories of the coloring books and drawing they created using this color and may have some of these masterpieces in their bedrooms or adorning their parents and grandparents refrigerators.

I also retired my car known as BIG RED this week.  I too have many wonderful memories of this vehicle.  I have owned BIG RED since 2004 and it was the family carpool vehicle through my kids middle and high school years, the CRCAP camp pick up truck,  the moving van to and from NYU, Dartmouth and Tufts as well as the vehicle used for family vacations over the past several years.  This car has over 140,000 miles and was well enjoyed by our family.  My kids each learned to drive using this car and they definitely gained a sense of confidence having one of the larger cars on the road.  The time to retire BIG RED came after it began to show severe signs of old age on the underside.  Rust began to spread like a disease and could not be reasonably repaired.  Fortunately though she did not have to become a salvage vehicle and has found a new home with someone who will take gentle car and fix her up as needed.  Although sad to say farewell to my loyal BIG RED it was time to move on and buy a newer car.

Retiring can mean different things to different people.  It can mean ending your current job or role and resting or it can mean changing your job to do something new.  Often retirees find a brand new career or area where they can volunteer their talents.  It can also be a time to change a living situation by downsizing and moving to a new location or retiring to a new community.  During each phase of life we go through many transitions.  As we go through these changes it is always good to find others who understand and can support you in your new ventures or help you go through the transition.

As part of my real estate practice this year I realized helping others go through this process was a niche I am interested in working with.  Thus this prompted me to get my SRES which is a real estate designation to help more senior clients transition from their possibly large family home to a more appropriate living situation for the current life phase.  I enjoy working with clients who are thinking about retiring and downsizing and hope I can help others with this process.  If you are starting to plan for this stage or know anyone who is please have them reach out to me or check my blog and Facebook page @wendybcb where I enjoy sharing relevent content on this subject.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

How to appeal to the buyer when listing your home

Many of today's buyers are first timer buyers and likewise many of today's sellers have gone through the process of being both a buyer and a seller.  It is important to remember that the buyer is your customer and your goal is to sell .  Surprisingly many first time buyers may be the ones who are entering the housing market and may ultimately buy your home, particularly if it falls in the competitive market of my area in the under $1M price range.  For existing homes on the market there is competition and the seller must be positioned to have the best house to offer in the desired price range.  It is a good idea to do an assessment of both visual and structural updates that can make your property appealing to the market.  I always recommend decluttering as much as possible and doing simple upgrades where you can to make the property look fresh and new.    Click here for a great article to get a better understanding of how to prepare your home for this market.  First Time Buyers

I just went through this process myself to sell my parents condo in Florida.  My brother and I inherited our recently deceased parents condo with 80 years worth of life contents.  Finding a home and emptying the contents of the condo to prepare it for the market is worthy of a few other blog entries and you can read much about this in prior posts.  After 18 months of going through this phase we finally had an empty unit on March 1st, 2017 and now wanted to get it on the market.

We met with a local realtor friend of my parents who suggested we could try to sell it "as is" but after careful analysis feared this approach would limit our buyer pool to the lower end of the market.  Although my parents thought the place was immaculate and well kept after completely emptying its contents after an estate sale it became obvious that the place needed serious spiffing up to appeal to someone who would want to move in quickly.   I decided to do a little homework and price out the cost to repaint and recarpet the 1600 sq. ft. condo in the Tampa area.  I found a great painter and he referred me to a few carpet places.  In total, I ended up doing a complete makeover by painting the entire unit ($2200), replacing all the light and outlet covers (total $160) , replacing an outdated bathroom mirror fixture ($60) , replacing a vertical blind for a sliding door at Home Depot ($168) and recarpeting the entire place ($2175) .  I spent close to $6000 and an extra week doing these repairs.

Finally the place was ready to list.  I did a bit of competitive analysis and saw that there were a few condos that were similar to mine and they all sold this past winter.   I learned these had all been on the market for a minimum of 300-450 days.  We wanted to price it to sell quickly and felt that the realtor we were working with perhaps wasn't the right fit.

Thus, I met with a different broker from my company and learned her strategy was similar to my own.   We listed the condo with her and one week later held an open house and got a cash offer within one hour.  The offer was accepted that night.  The feedback we got confirmed that it showed really well.  Although not totally updated with new appliances and cabinets it appeared very well maintained  The money we put in upfront made the sale a quick success and we quadrupled that amount in our selling price.   The buyer was excited to see a place that was in move in condition where everything looked fresh.  The best part is that we got a cash offer with a two week close.  We close now on March 31.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

When traveling its best to look and sound like a local one

When I went on my first trip to Spain in 9th grade I was warned to blend in and not wear plaid or bright color tops.  My teachers said it was best to not stand out as a "loud" American and to quietly assimilate into the crowds of people.  This advise was given primarily as a safety tip to avoid pick-pocketers in crowded areas such as the Gran Plaza in Madrid.

Today with increased threats of terrorism and xenophobia worldwide this is still sound advice.  In today's Boston Globe travel section there was an article "Lost In Translation" that emphasized the importance to blending in, particularly in this current era of populism.  Travelers fare best when they are able to avoid the image of the loud American Tourist.   Click here for to read the article  Don't Talk Like An American Tourist.  It always makes an impression when you try to speak the local language and although it can be comforting when someone answers you back in English.

I advise anyone planning an international trip to do a bit of homework beforehand.  It is a good idea to have a translation app on your phone and learn a few key phrases.  It is also useful to download the cities you plan to visit on Trip Advisor or maps on another app called Here We Go.  You can save these downloads on your phone for times when you don't have wifi.  Also be familiar with the climate and types of clothing the locals wear.   In some cities people may dress more casually, while in rural areas shorts and t-shirts may be the norm.   Also  in certain religious areas it is inappropriate to wear bare shoulders or short skirts.

It seems like everyone uses plastic to pay for things.   No more are the days of carrying travelers checks.  Also in most places you don't need the local currency so it is not worth exchanging money or changing it back at the end of your trip.  You may be able to get a card that doesn't charge a withdrawal fee if you take out money abroad.  It is a good idea to have some small pocket cash to pay for drinks and small items.  I would use your bank card vs travelers cheques as you will be paying the way the locals pay for services and then don't risk the need to pull out your identification in public.  On this idea though,  I have learned from experience to be cautious when using a bank card.  You may want to open a new credit/debit card with enough money for the trip or the ability to transfer money to this account.  I have had my debit card number stolen a few months after my trip.  Fortunately this was caught and stopped by the fraud department but it is best to try to not risk this in the first place.

Finally when you do travel abroad try to take in as much as you can about the local culture. I often try to read a book about the destination ahead of time.  When I went to Cuba a few years back I read a book called "Finding Mañana" to learn about Havana prior to the revolution and this gave me an insight into the local pre-Castro history.  Speak to the locals and have real conversations to gain their perspectives on their homes and place in the global world.   This is how we can all learn to better understand the culture and history of areas we aren't exposed to on a daily basis.  Take lots of photos and try things that look,taste and smell different.  Buy a local cookbook to bring home and try some recipes to prolong this experience and share it with your friends when you return.  Expanding one's horizons is how we can all learn to better appreciate the world around us and gain a better understanding.  This is the best way to prevent the growing xenophobia surrounding much of the U.S. these days.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.   Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Let the Moonlight shine

This blog is about letting go while letting some light into the process.  I returned to my parents condo in Florida last week after completion of the estate sale. The place was empty albeit a few items left to ship north. My original intent was for this to be my last visit, to meet with the realtors, sign, list and just let it go.  

I was shocked to see the bare bone walls and the condition of the carpeting once empty. It became apparent that the place needed major cosmetic work before being put on the market. At first I was extremely stressed and upset at this prospect and thought we would list it "as is". But after further examination I saw that the estate sale company had pulled bookshelves nailed to the walls out of the studs instead of unscrewing them and there were 3 major holes in the wall. The wall in one bedroom needed to be re-plastered in 3 places. In addition, the carpet condition had many dark stains and areas that had been cut around the bookcases. It looked deplorable and would be embarrassing to show it "as is". The condo was built in the mid 80s and had original fixtures and appliances (all in working order).  

If cosmetic work was done the age of the appliances and fixtures would be less of a concern. However, coupled with the condition of the carpeting and the walls, at this point it would really only appeal to the bottom end of the market. The price after fixing it up would potentially command a price in the low $100s but without any work it was suggested that it should be listed in the high $70s. We would only attract those interested in a fixer upper.

After thinking it over, my brother and I, agreed that in the long run it was better to fix up the condo and make it the best we could at a reasonable cost before putting it on the market. I spent a few days lining up a painter and carpeter knowing this work ultimately required another trip down to Florida. As luck would have it my realtor helped me find a few great contractors and I arranged to have them work the following week.  

It became obvious that it was well worth sprucing things up ourselves. Particularly because the condo is empty it needed to appear to be in move in condition.  Ideally the condo would appeal to a retired couple or an investor who may want to rent it out.   After leaving the condo and heading to the hotel, I thought to myself I should make this opportunity a positive.

Because we had sold all the furniture I needed to stay in a hotel and I ended up staying at a nearby spa. This ended up being one of the best choices. The Spa had a health club, Jacuzzi, very good restaurant and nice amenities. In the end I decided to take the opportunity to make this a positive. I realized I have to come back one more time to oversee the work and booked another stay at the spa.  My last night on this trip was Oscar Night and thus inspired me to tie the theme into this blog.

One week later, the condo looks great and is now in move in condition!!! I spent a few days at the spa and was able to relax and gain confidence that the decision to fix up the condo before listing it was the right move. By turning what originally seemed like a negative to a positive reminded me of the movie Moonlight. As in the Academy Awards when there was a weird twist of events when La La Land was originally announced as the winner and then it was declared Moonlight actually won, I felt that originally the condo had very dark prospects but now that we let some light in and fixed it up it now deserved to be well prepared to attract Moonlight and hopefully a great buyer.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Moving on Up or Moving on Out? What are the best options for Baby Boomers or their older family members to consider?

As baby boomers begin to approach retirement age the trend toward downsizing and purchasing retirement homes has become increasingly commonplace over the past several years.  Like all other long term planning the ideal situation is when there is both time and ability to navigate all available choices in the local marketplace.  Unfortunately however, often times the decision can be forced upon suddenly due to an impending health situation.  In these cases there may be less choice out there as a move may need to be expedited.  Either way it can become overwhelming to explore the many available living options.  Click here for a Checklist of typical things Boomers look for when searching for a new home.

I have put together a brief overview of the types of housing choices below.  Since earning my SRES designation I have been visiting and getting to know a bit about communities available to my senior clients in the marketplace.   I primarily serve both metro-west Boston and the Mashpee/New Seabury area on Cape Cod.  One of my goals is to comprise a referral base of places I am aware of and I am happy to share this with my clients.  I am constantly posting relevant articles as I read them on my Facebook page @wendybcb.

In yesterday's Boston Globe there was an article exploring the choices in over 55 communities which you can read by clicking.  55 Plus.   Beyond the communities mentioned in the article there are many other types of communities available for our aging population as noted below.  In my previous blog on 2/12/17 titled "Keeping It Local While Aging in Place" I discussed the age in place concept so I will not cover this option now but instead have listed alternative Senior Housing Options below.  


Senior Housing Options (*)
Senior housing is categorized by the level of care available to residents. At one end of the spectrum, there are communities that offer little or no care; at the other, facilities that provide continuous care. Between those extremes are a wide range of housing choices that can meet changing needs.

Independent Living: Condos, townhouses and single family homes that are smaller and more maintenance free than large family properties are frequently people's first choice, especially if they're healthy and active.

Active Adult Senior Retirement Homes and Communities: Active adult senior retirement homes and communities aim to service the interests of active adults over the age of 55. Housing types often include condos, townhouses and single-family properties, and all are designed with an eye toward delivering a maintenance-free lifestyle for residents. Such communities offer a vast array of on-site activities, including exercise, social clubs, art instruction and lecture series.

Assisted Living Senior Retirement Homes and Communities: Residents live in their own apartments, but have the benefit of an on-site staff, meal service in communal dining spaces, and planned activities and outings. Some assisted living communities also offer access to nurses and daily living assistance. Others may offer more extensive medical and personal services.

Adult Family Senior Retirement Homes: Such properties are licensed to care for up to six residents in a home setting. Services typically include meals and housing maintenance and attending to residents' safety and care. Facilities may specialize in addressing specific health concerns and provide care and an environment tailored to those conditions.

Alzheimer's and Dementia Care: Facilities specialize in caring for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's disease offer programs that address residents' needs and provide an environment where they can live safely. Housing services typically include personal care, such as bathing and dressing and administering medicine, along with dining and housekeeping. In addition, many buildings incorporate over 50 design features, such as safe wandering paths and color coded areas to help with way-finding. Such designs provide comfort and ease residents' anxiety.

Continuing Care Retirement Living Communities: A Continuing Care Retirement Living Community offer progressive levels of assistance, depending on a person's needs. They include independent and assisted living and nursing care.

A realtor who has earned the SRES designation has studied and is very familiar with all phases related to assisting and guiding more senior clients as they prepare to transition from their family home setting to their next phase.  If you have or know anyone who may be thinking about moving or is approaching this decision point please feel free to reach out to me as a referral.   My email is wendy.bornstein@nemoves.com.

* Source SRES.ORG

The Challenge of Inheriting an Estate Collection... What Do You Do, Especially If Its Not Local?

Coincidentally as I was proof reading this blog an article came across my news feed regarding an MIT Professor who recently passed and had a massive book collection.  I too have recently confronted this dilemna with my parents estate in Florida.  Boston Globe article 

This weekend we are holding an estate sale at my parents condo in Florida.  This is the culmination of close to 3 years and multiple visits by my brother and me to Florida since our Dad passed away in October 2013 to sort his massive collection of historical items.  When our Mom passed last July the collection became ours.  A small amount of the collection included items my Mom cherished and many of these items will be preserved.  Since we both live up North and each have homes already filled with our own things, it would be impossible for us to retain the collection in full.  Although initially the thought of getting rid of things brought sadness to both of us the reality was that we are both nearing the time to downsize our own homes and between us none of our six kids want much.  Collecting is great for the person who is the collector but it is difficult to pass on in integrity to future generations.

The song "Let It Go"  Let It Go from the movie Frozen has particular meaning to me.  When I think of Frozen I think about the art of collecting.  Collecting allows someone to mentally remain in a particular period of time by holding onto items that bring that period to life.  The collector becomes "frozen" or paralized in their own reality world of the collection.  To my Dad,  this basically encompassed all of western civilization.   He was a compulsive collector of antiquities, coins, books. postcards, American ephemera, historic documents and newspapers, autographs, postcards, stamps, Judaica, Native American baskets and pottery, fossils, ancient weaponry, bone china, historic reproductions of ancient museum pieces, lps and cds, dvds, Civil War memorabilia, World War II collectibles, presidential and celebrity autographs, political campaign buttons and much more.

A close to 2400 square ft. three bedroom condo was filled to the brim from floor to ceiling with rare collectibles.  Many items were located on bookshelves or behind glass showcases as well as in file cabinets.   When these became filled the floors, closets and all visible and undersurfaces became home to the overflow.  Items of value where interwoven with items of relative intrigue.  To an outsider  the collection would appear to be a hoarders paradise.  To my Dad it was all part of in his legacy.

Dad's passion was the art of collecting and he went to all lengths to amass his habit.  He was always on the prowl.  Some say there is a fine line between collecting and hoarding and often this came into question as we sifted through many of his items.  To my Dad though, there was a purpose in every item purchased.  His brain was wired to be the original internet.  He collected in a manner that hyperlinked items to other items in the collection.  To better explain this if he owned a book on Thomas Jefferson,  he would also have an item he invented, a photo of that item,  a book with a reference to it, possibly the patent and then maybe a related item by a similar inventor.  The items would be crossed referenced in his head and located in several places throughout their home.

The complexity of the collection was "mind boggling", a favorite expression Dad used.   Because he spent close to 60 years putting this collection together it was much more than just stuff.  It became very important for us to find a right home for everything.  This became a project that truly is culminating after 18 monthes.  Because neither of us lived locally to the property it became more difficult a challenge to manage.  My brother works full-time as a Professor so it was harder for him to spend the time necessary to manage this process and thus it became primarily my project.  I had more flexibility as a realtor to be able travel when needed.  It took several trips to grasp and go through the inheritance.  It was necessary to cull through each and every items, sort it, select and distribute items of sentimental or intrinsic value to family members and then decide what to do with the rest.

The first step of the process involved going through each book in the collection.  The books were the bulkiest and took up a majority of space throughout the condo.  It would be impossible to ship these to Boston as there were so many and the cost and space would be prohibitative.  There were close to 8000 or more books.  Many were rare, autographed and first editions.  A larger portion were new books that one would find at a Barnes and Nobles type store.  The books were interspersed and I had to go through and separate the rare signed books.

I researched how to sell books online and set up Amazon and Ebay accounts as I first thought I would attempt to sell them on my own.  I also joined a Facebook group dedicated to advising online sellers.  Because I don't live in proximity to the books it became obvious that it would be hard to sell these online unless they were shipped somewhere for fulfillment.  I would not be local to ship things with a quick turnaround. Realizing this I asked for advice through the Facebook group and subsequently a Tampa area bookseller reached out to me to buy some books.  Through her she referred me to a an area bookstore seller who was interested in buying many of the books in bulk.  (I think he actually also may be a hoarder type).  After sorting through the ones I wanted to keep  he bought over 3000 books.  My son,  who also has a similar passion to my Dad ending up with about 500 books that are in my basement now.

Next I had to deal with the collectible items.  For some guidance I read Maria Condo's book,  The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  It became apparent that keeping much would only add to the clutter I was trying to rid in my own home.Although I ended up shipping several boxes of old photos, memorabilia and collectibles north to later diceminate, I tried to reduce this and will similarly re-sort things on my own turf.  As best as possible we located specialty dealers or auctioneers for rare items, donated books to a Holocaust museum in St. Petersburg,  donated consumer goods to a hospice resale shop,  and finally got the condo down to the point of doing an estate sale.

Last summer I went online to research estate sale companies and found a few near my parents place that specialized in high end estate sales.  After interviewing them we ended up choosing one that markets to end users and collectors and was well known in the area.   It is best to hire a professional company to come in and handle this process.  They will bring in specialists to appraise each item, set up and market their sale, run the actual days of the sale and then help the owner dispose of any unsold items by either donating or giving things away at the instruction of the owner.    It is important to find a reputable dealer and to obtain references and permissions to hold a sale, particularly if it is in a condo or apartment building.  The estate sale company has a following of consumers in Florida who often seek out these sales for their own collections.  As part of the process they require the owner to stay away from the property during the sale.  Although hesitant at first it is easier to not be there when strangers are going through your property.  My hope is that the items being sold will find buyers who will appreciate them as much as my parents did.

I now totally understand the emotional and physical challenge of preparing a home for an estate sale.  Although at first it was very hard to let go of many items, you just have to make up your mind to finally do it.   About three weeks ago my brother and I went down to Florida together to finalize the details of the sale with the estate sale company and handed over the keys.  We agreed to sell it all as it was time to move forward and let go of any freeze holding us back from selling the condo.  As an SRES I now have firsthand experience that I can share with my clients and their families.   I can be the local person to help if a client lives out of state but needs help with the process of selling their parents estate in the areas I serve as a realtor.  If you are a baby boomer or have parents who may need help preparing to downsize their home feel free to reach out to me as I am building a team to help clients with each stage of this process.  You can email me by clicking here  wendy.bornstein@nemoves.com.   Feel free to visit my Facebook page @WendyBCB Wendy Bornstein, @Realtor, SRES, MBA

Of note,  I am now getting ready for my next blog which will be about preparing the real estate listing for my parents estate.  Stay tuned.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Keeping Local While Aging in Place

A great book I recently finished reading was "Being Mortal" by Dr. Atul Gawande.  In his book, he looks at American society and how we deal with end of life issues.  His focus in not just on the finality of life but on how our society helps or should help all families prepare for this chapter of each individuals journey.

One aspect discussed in depth is where our elders live towards their end of lives. While many American's age in place, many do not have family or a support system nearby and need to depend on a residential community.   This is a sharp contrast to his native homeland (I believe in India) where families are tied to their communities and elders are highly honored as a part of the community through their last days of mortality.  He discusses the contrast of keeping an elder at home and compares alternative options that have evolved in the latter part of the last century through today with first nursing homes, then the development of assisted living facilities to memory care.  Many of these venues allow for professional care of our elders as facilitated by a residential communities.  If possible it is great to find a facility in the same local community where the senior has lived but often he or she is moved to be close to family members.

A growing trend now is the development of local villages. Villages are communities organized geographically to provide services that would allow seniors to continue to age in place in their local communities with the support of an organized administrative staff and volunteers.  Often a per person fee is paid to support needed programs.  This is ideal as it allows the person to continue to live a familiar environment and remain as part of their "community".

I have recently gone through the end of life phase with both of my parents and was fortunate to be able to help them as needed. It was extremely important for both of them to age in place and stay at home until absolutely impossible due to failed health.  Home was their comfort zone and having their personal surrounding was of utmost importance.   I am a strong advocate of aging in place if it is a viable option.

In today's Boston Globe there was an informative article discussing aging in place in Massachusetts communities and there is a list of Massachusetts Villages with their emails and contact information. I was pleased to learn there are several local villages nearby and other parts of the state.  This allows seniors to remain as locals in their neighborhoods.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/real-estate/2017/02/10/neighbor-helping-neighbor-community-programs-help-people-age-place/PUXOAmGQ9phwbs5q3Hu0hO/story.html


The area of senior aging is near and dear to me.  As mentioned previously both of my parents faced end of life issues before passing and I had to deal with both the personal side of things as well as the business end of settling their estates.  In addition, during this same time period I helped my in-laws downsize and move first to an assisted living and then memory care facility in the Needham area.  My in-laws moved less than a mile from the local neighborhood where they raised their family.  Being local was extremely important to their decision to move where they chose.


 I wanted to be able to put this experience to positive use to help others going through this process and it was suggested for me to get my SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) designation.  In December I took a 2 day class to learn more about the services available to help seniors and their families with the  transition of moving from a private residential home to the next stage of care.  After passing an exam I earned my SRES designation and am a realtor at Coldwell Banker Needham. I am constantly networking and inquiring about the many services available to my clients and welcome the opportunity to help anyone who may have a family member who is approaching this stage.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Footnote: click here for some  Tips for aging in place

It all starts at the local level

I started this blog to talk about local life in the area in the place I call home.  I have been immersed in the "local" Needham, Newton, Dover and Metrowest area most of my life albeit a detour to New York City for a few years.  I am proud to call Massachusetts my home and have been involved in all aspects of community life since birth. The values my parents instilled in me and my brother included respect, honestly, loyalty and a high level of ethics.  They always said we need to be able to look ourselves in the mirror each morning.   In fact, my mother told this to my daughter as one of her last words of advise while near death last year. This philosophy has always resonated with me and perhaps sparks much of my inner MO.  I am not one to sit back and let things happen around me, particularly if I am bothered.  I need to get involved and have been told that the word "rest" is not in my vocabulary.  That is why I am proud to be a local one.  I am constantly reading local newspapers, blogs and social media in my community and embrace opportunities to volunteer and participate in events as deemed interesting or important to better daily life.

Although this blog is not a political focus,  since the 2016 election I have learned that our voices start at the local level and we need to speak up if change is warranted.  It is our freedom and first amendment right to speak up but it is also our obligation to keep informed.  I have expanded my reading habits to include the New York Times, Twitter feeds, the Slate, CNN and other forms of social media to keep a balanced informed overview of what is going on in our rapidly changing world.  

Many changes are initiated at the top level but in a democracy, citizens at the lowest level have the right to be heard.  Town Halls and local representatives want to know their constituents concerns .  They are our representatives and their jobs are to represent our interests.  It is up to us to keep informed and be able to advocate for our interests in a well informed respectful way.  This means engaging in conversation.  Violence and rudeness to our opponents is not only harmful but it also makes it difficult to work together toward progressive change. 

One easy way to make your voice heard is to subscribe to the DAILY text feed.  A DAILY text each morning informs readers of relevant issues impacting U.S. policy and then based on your zip code  will connect you to your local government representatives where you can voice your concern.  As a result of this activity Senate offices are getting an avg of 1.5 million calls/day.  This week alone Senate offices have cited calls as an influencer in their votes. Local voices are being heard and this only takes about 5 minutes a day.  If you would like your voice heard text DAILY to 228466.  Join the "locals" to make a difference.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Out with the Old, In with the New

Are you thinking of making a change this year.  Is moving to a new home or renovating an existing property on your to do list? Although conceptually this may sound like an easy thing, often this morphs into a much larger project than expected.  It is important to know the local permit rules if you want to do a renovation.  This may entail approval by a local building department or conservation commission for example to add a room to an existing home.  Permitting is always required for home improvement projects to be up to code.

If instead you decide to buy a new house,  it is important to become familiar with the areas where you want to live, as well, as the financial requirements to be positioned when ready to make an offer.  You may be a first time buyer and if yes, it is good to understand the process of searching, finding and making an offer on a property.  If you are an existing property owner you will need to consider preparing your own property to sell or rent in addition to starting your own research on new properties.

Before one makes a major change it is always a good idea to start with a plan.  First I recommend writing down a few notes of what your goals are.  Next identify the steps you need to make to reach these goals.  Analyze the costs of if doing a renovation and if they will add value if you decide to sell the property in 5 years.  Do a bit of market research.  This can include reading articles, reviewing local building regulations, driving around neighborhoods to identify things you seen done to other properties,  looking online at magazines and property listing and then learning who the local specialists are in your area to help you make these changes and determine the costs.

Renovating can often take longer than planned and sometimes more money than anticipated.  You may want to weigh the cost benefits of this vs a move.   I would use the location as a major guide.  If you love where you are and there is limited property available a renovation that can add value is definitely worth considering.  If the renovation is very specific to your taste consider if you will be there long enough to enjoy the change as it may be hard to recoup your cost if you do plan to move in the next few years.

I am constantly reading local periodicals to keep on top of new trends and ideas for myself and my clients.  When seeking a new home the attached is a good preparation guide.  http://blog.coldwellbanker.com/new-year-new-home/  As you begin the process remember the local ones are the ones who know the area best.  If I don't know an area well I have a great network of locals in other areas I can refer you to.   I pride myself in being born, bred and now a resident of the metrowest area and am here to help once you are ready to tackle the spring market of 2017 in my area.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.