Moving and Logistical companies coordinate various services to make the move go smoothly. These can include real estate agents, movers, storage facilities, caregiving services, and estate liquidators.

Services

Movers arrange for distribution of assets to the appropriate destination points

They will help through most phases of the move: planning and preparation, packing, coordination and supervision on the moving day, and getting settled in the new residence.

Some movers specialize in designing and organizing the new home to accommodate the physical needs of the elder population.

Often a broker or agent will be acting on behalf of a moving company. It is vital that you realize your rights when dealing with a broker. A broker does not work for the actual company and does not own trucks. They can give you an estimate, but the actual moving company may or may not agree to that estimate

Specialization

Movers are required to give written estimates, but they are not required to give binding estimates. Getting a binding estimate is between you and the moving company.

When you contact a moving company, this is the first thing that you should receive.

While some senior moving and logistical services only coordinate other services for you, some are hands on and have specific areas of expertise.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recommends that each consumer seeking the services of a moving company request at least three different estimates. When doing so, you should not disclose information regarding competitors to different companies.

Preparation

  • What is the exact starting address? What is the destination address?
  • When will the move occur?
  • Does your senior family member have any physical issues that will make the move more difficult?
  • What is the emotional state of the senior who is moving? Do you expect the move to be especially traumatic for any reason?
  • What are you looking for in determining a moving company?

Evaluation

  • Verify the company is in your local area and they have the equipment to complete the job from start to finish.
  • Ask for an in-home visual estimate in writing.
  • What other companies or experts do you work with? What are their qualifications?
  • Do you specialize in any particular aspect of moving? Possibilities include setting up senior-friendly new homes or dealing with especially hard emotional circumstances.
  • How familiar are you in working with specific key physical disabilities in the elder population?
  • Can you talk me through how you orchestrate a typical senior move? What do you do to make the move go more smoothly?
  • What is your advice on how to reduce stress on my senior loved one?
  • Are you licensed, bonded, and insured?

Moving and Logistics Radio Show Segments

  • Three Key Tips for Families During Senior Downsizing

    How can families be supportive during a senior loved one’s downsizing to senior living, and when is it time for Mom to let professionals take over? Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior’s Home), joins Suzanne to advise families during downsizing. Sometime families help, and sometimes they get in the way and make it more complicated than it needs to be. Her three tips: Let mom take ownership of the move; let professionals be the bad guy; and validate mom’s emotional journey.

    Let mom take ownership of the move. Rebecca says, “I really believe strongly that the more the senior gets to make their own decisions in the sale, the more it’s done on their terms and on their timeline, even if it’s not convenient for the family. They’ll feel a sense of ownership, that I did this when I was ready, I did this My Way like Frank Sinatra says. I encourage families: let your parents decide, give them options to choose from, and respect the timeline they’re on, because they will arrive at their timeline. Sometimes it’s longer, sometimes it’s shorter. Sometimes it takes a crisis, but just give them the autonomy and the agency to decide when they want to do it and how they want to do it. It’s hard for family, especially when there’s a lot going on. But it’s so powerful for the senior to experience.”

    Let professionals be the bad guy. “When should family step back? Professionals come in, they’re detached from the home emotionally. They’re there to do their job, and they’re experienced and trained in taking care of seniors, and they won’t get as frustrated with mom or dad that they want to take, you know, 11 lamps to their new apartment. So let them be the bad guy. Let the downsizer and the mover and the placement advisor and the senior care professionals, let them be the person giving the guidance. So you can just be the son, you can just be the daughter, in a supportive and loving place, letting your parent have this journey on their terms.”

    Validate mom’s emotional journey. “Another thing really is just validating and respecting the emotions that the parent is going through. There’s going to be the denial and the grief that they’re feeling about leaving the home, and the sadness about the memories. I would never say, ‘you know, mom, at least you have a place to move to mom. At least you have money in the bank.’ Just say, ‘ it’s so understandable to be sad right now. And this is really hard, dad,’ and just validate the place they’re coming from, because they’re still a person and they have agency. Validating their feelings and letting them have permission to grieve, and go through that emotional journey, makes it such a better landing on the other side.”

  • Two Myths About Downsizing to Senior Living

    Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior’s Home), joins Suzanne to expose two myths: 1) You can only sell your home successfully at certain times of the year, and 2) All real estate brokers are the same.

    Rebecca says, “One thing we can count on in the market is, it never stops changing week to week, month to month, higher interest rates, lower, more buyers, fewer buyers, longer days on market, hot market, cold market. What I always tell clients is, don’t worry about the market. If your home is presented the right way, and it’s priced right, it will sell any month of the year. People have the myth that you can only sell in the spring, or only in summer. But actually, you can have a really successful sale in November, December, or January, because there’s fewer buyers, and the buyers that are out there, they’re very serious. They’re not tire kickers. I tell folks, if you find that perfect apartment, that perfect condo, that 55-plus community with the sun coming in the living room in the morning, focus on giving yourself the next best place to live. A home sale with a qualified real estate broker will take care of itself any time of the year.

    “Not all real estate brokers or licensees are the same. When you get ready to sell your home, there’s going to be 15 opinions coming at you from every which way. ‘Oh, use my nephew. He just got his license. Use Linda down the street because she helped you when you had that yard sale, and use the people because they go to the same church as you.’ This is the only sale of your family home that you get. There are no do-overs if it doesn’t go well. You deserve very good representation. And I say, interview multiple brokers, find out what have they done. Have them show you their sales in the last year. Are they experienced? What’s their communication style? Take your time choosing someone that you really connect with. It’s such an important relationship. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake in this decision. Don’t choose someone just because you feel pressured.”

  • Overcoming the Top 3 Obstacles to Downsizing

    What are the obstacles to downsizing, and how can we get past them? Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior’s Home), joins Suzanne to address the top three obstacles people face as well as their solutions.

    Rebecca says, “I’ve sat in hundreds and hundreds of living rooms over the years that I’ve been providing these services, and my clients articulate to me why they don’t feel like they can move even though they really want to or need to.

    “One of them, and this is kind of a misperception, is they have the physical limitation of not being able to sort and pack their whole home. Of the hundreds and hundreds of clients that we’ve assisted, only two of my clients actually did their own packing. Everyone else had a team of helpers, professionals downsizers, people to come in and help sort and pack. My dream is that someone can sit in their recliner with their favorite beverage, and they’re just making decisions. ‘I don’t want that. I do want that,’ and they have professionals help them with that process. No one should ever feel like they can’t move because they have to physically do the work. Bring people in, you deserve that kind of help. There’s a great network of what’s called senior move managers around the country. Just go to their website, type in your zip code, and see who’s near you. And that website is https://www.nasmm.org/, the National Association of Senior Move Managers. It’s a great resource.

    “Another obstacle is they feel like they can’t really get through it, because they don’t have family living close by that can help them through the process. Families are scattered all over the country and the world these days, they very rarely all live on the same block, and they think, ‘I’ll never get through this. My family’s all out of the state, or on the other side of the country.’ And I always say, ‘Bring in the professionals. You actually can have a very low-stress, very supported, very easy move because you’ve got a team of people helping you, whether your family can be there or not. And it’s sometimes a blessing if your family can’t help. Because they will sometimes come in with their emotions, their attachment to the home, competition between them, fighting over heirlooms, or they can only give you an hour a week for six months. Don’t feel bad at all if your family can’t help, it’s probably a good thing.

    “One more obstacle is feeling like people have limited resources to pay for the sorting, and packing, and emptying out of their home. They think, ‘Well, I don’t have the $5,000, $7,000, or $9,000 to be able to pay all these people to come and help me. So I guess I’m stuck.’ There’s so many ways that this can be paid for. A lot of senior living communities actually provide assistance with this. They have incentives, they give financial credits, or they have their own moving services. The other thing that we’ve seen many time is that the selling of valuables in the home will actually pay for all of the labor and professionals to come and help you in the home. So if you’ve got lunch boxes from the 1960s in your attic, an amazing a collection of antique furniture, or World War II paraphernalia in the basement, collectors all over the country are looking for these things. They will pay good money. You can have an online auction with professionals who’ll manage it for you. I’ve seen online auctions make $10,000, $13,000, $18,000 for a client. And then they have plenty of money to pay for their move and don’t have to dip into other resources.”

  • Downsizing: Numerous Options and the Emotional Journey

    Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior’s Home), joins Suzanne to talk about various options for downsizing and moving, including for those 55 and up, as well as the emotional journey of leaving the family home.

    Rebecca says, “Happily, there are so many options out there for seniors who are looking to downsize from their home, more and more living options, a greater variety of pricing options for people, amenities, activities. They’re allowing pets more in these communities. There’s a lot of open doors and opportunities. So it doesn’t feel like clients are looking at kind of a barren landscape of where to go. There’s a rich buffet of opportunity and options where people can live.

    “They allow guest stays at many of these. Instead of just doing one tour and feeling like you have to make a decision, people can go and stay for a weekend as a guest. Take it for a test drive. See what it’s like in the dining room, meet new people in the hallway. If they don’t like it, they can keep looking. It’s a risk-free way to have a good sense of that community.

    “The younger boomers and the folks that are just starting to search, they don’t want all of the work of a giant home and property to take care of, and they’re looking at a senior living community as a quality of life choice. We’re gonna have less to take care of, more amenities, a heated pool, a clubhouse, people to talk to, social events, and we want to start this fun phase in our life. We don’t want to put it off forever while we hang on to this big house that we don’t need anymore. We don’t need a big 3,000 square foot home.”

    Rebecca adds, “I feel like the emotional journey of leaving the family home is actually bigger than the physical part of listing it and selling it. I always say to my clients, ‘The listing of your home at the end of this journey, and putting it on the market and selling it is about 10% of all that we’re going to do here together. We have the sorting and downsizing of household items. Saying goodbye to things that folks are attached to, having family come and pick out the things that they want to take, doing an auction or an estate sale, saying goodbye to the home, and all of those feelings that people feel about the home. I feel like sometimes they’re a little bit embarrassed to feel grief about leaving their home. And my personal belief is that it’s just like a family member. After 30, 40, 50, even 60 years, it is as familiar and comfortable and home and warm as a family member. And so leaving that home is like losing a family member and there needs to be grief.”

    If you’re in the state of Washington, call SASH Services at 888-400-7274 or visit https://www.sashservices.com/. Outside of Washington, check out the national association of senior move managers at NASMM.com.

  • Downsizing and Moving: Preparing for Moving Day

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible. The better you prepare ahead of time, the smoother the move will be.

    Sean says, “If you want the move to be fast and smooth, we would like to see boxes and furniture. So the boxes will be all packed and taped on the top, nicely closed, flat, no items sticking up. Because then our guys will come in, take all the boxes immediately to the truck, and be fast, because they’re working fast. Then we will handle the furniture for you. We will disassemble the bed. We will take off the legs of the dining room table, and we’re gonna wrap all your furniture with heavy duty moving blankets. And we’ll take it to the truck. So what’s important here? Clear out spaces. If you leave the room with a bed in the middle like we had last week, all around it was a lot of mess, from clothes. The movers called me and I said, guys, take the bed. It is what it is, but that’s not how it’s supposed to be. If it’s a local move, that will take forever, and it costs you a lot more money. Boxes and furniture. That’s what we would like to see if we not find boxes. We will gladly supply boxes.

    “We deliver empty boxes to you with no charge. We can come a few times, because we want you to be prepared, do your own packing. We’ll give you the tape, we’re not charging for the tape. We’ll show you how to tape the box properly. We will give you smart tape so you can mark which room to deliver to at the destination. The better you prepare, the easier smoother and money saving it will be.”

    Sean adds, “If you have questions, go on our website, use the chat. We will answer it even if you’re not using us, really. If you want to use a moving company in different state, and you’re not quite sure, I will do the research for you… For us educating the consumer is the most important thing. That’s why on our website, people should take the time and read the blog. We have informative and helpful blogs. So ask neighbors, ask friends, get advice. We’re always ready and willing to help whether you use us or not. We want to protect you.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website, or call 877-611-0808

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

  • Downsizing and Moving: Scam Warning Signs

    A lot of seniors get taken advantage of by moving companies. In this segment, Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to avoid moving scams.

    Sean says, “A lot of people think that everything on the Internet must be cheap, safe, and good. All those are wrong assumptions. Websites [can be] completely made up, the five star reviews that been posted on the website are completely fake. By the way, I just filed two complaints with the FBI about all those five-star fake reviews that are posted by all of those people. It’s a major issue, and seniors are booking with those people, who collect a 35% deposit on a long-distance move, and after that, they sell the job to someone else. It’s always go back to the basics. You must ask for in home estimate to protect yourself.

    “When they offering you an online binding estimate, forget about it. If it’s not in writing, it’s not an estimate. So what’s happening? Because nobody came and visited, they claim later, oh, based on your information, it was only 10 boxes, but now you have 40 boxes. Stay away from a situation like this.”

    Regarding cubic feet vs weight, Sean says, “Everybody can [put items] in a truck and spread it to different cubic feet. I can put it in 200 cubic feet, or 300, or 500, that’s what [a non-legit] company is doing. Do not move with any company who charges by cubic feet. There is a reason why the state department, the military, and state agencies use weight. If you have any question, you’re not sure about anything, you can ask for a reweighing, which should be free. Visit the scale house, watch the first and second weighing.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website, or call 877-611-0808

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

  • Downsizing and Moving: Making Sure Items Are Well Packed

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to find trustworthy providers to help seniors with moving. This segment focuses on in-home estimates. Make sure items that are priceless to you are packed appropriately, and moving companies are there to provide these services.

    Sean says, “So when we go to the house, first of all we would like to see what we’re dealing with. We will go room by room, and ask what needs to be moved, what services are required from us to perform on the day of the move. And we will engage in conversation, and pretty much try to give advice of how to prepare for a smooth move. There will be a lot of questions that we usually answer with seniors. A lot of them didn’t move often. You need to listen to what the customer says is important and what what they want to do.

    “You need the person to understand, we can do it for you. They are here to help you. Sometimes it’s just five minutes for us, but for you it’s a few hours, and maybe involved more physical labor that you don’t need. They still think they can do a lot more than what they can really do. And let me give you an example of how we can make it easier for you. Instead of putting all those clothes in your car, I can use wardrobe boxes. We can pack the china for you. It’s not going to add too much to the move. We are here to help, we are here to provide service.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website, or call 877-611-0808

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • Downsizing and Moving: Emotional Adjustments

    If you’re thinking about the next chapter of your life, and downsizing or moving to senior living is on the horizon, this month Suzanne covers all aspects of the process, starting from the beginning. In this episode, Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to plan, what to take with you, and how to find trustworthy providers to help seniors with moving. It’s a monumental step for someone who’s lived in the same home for more than 50 years, and often an emotional turmoil to depart from that home.

    Sean says, “Just last Friday, I went to a couple, I think they were 80 years old. They lived in the same house since 1970, and we’re going through the items, and she needed to downsize. It was just difficult for her to go through the process. I was listening and I gave my opinion. And I listened to her, and she said, ‘ this is my china, this is important.’ She had so much stuff, Suzanne, so much stuff. And I told her, you’re downsizing to a new town home, you have to make decisions. I mean, it’s not easy. Get the family involved. She was planning to give it to a family member, and that’s a lot of things, but it’s important for the family.”

    Suzanne adds, “It’s also the emotional connection to the bricks and mortar of the home, because there’s memories. One of the things I always tell families to do is write letters to the new owners, and leave them in different areas of the room. This was my room. This is what I remembered happening here. It’s a way of continuing forward that memory, that whoever is going to take that home next to you is going to is going to honor that, they’re going to realize that a life lived in that home.”

    Why Sean goes to your home to make an estimate, he explains, “First and foremost, it is a requirement, even if a lot of people doesn’t want it. It’s basic protection for the consumer. We want to go visually inspect the house. That’s the only way of really doing an estimate. The video estimate it’s good too, to deal with the technology, but the elderly are not as computer savvy with the phone and camera. And also, it’s a trust issue. We have to visually see and explain, and for us, if we do the job, prepare, and tell them what needs to be done. The last thing we want is to come to a house unprepared, and cause stress to elderly people. You know, for them the movie is stressful no matter what. People coming to their home now, after so many years that they lived there and protected their items, precious things they accumulated during the years. And suddenly, strangers are coming in. We want to make them feel comfortable and build trust.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website, or call 877-611-0808

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

     

  • Top Ten Tips for a Successful Move: Tips 9 and 10

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne this hour to share his top ten tips for a successful move. In this segment, Sean advises to always pay for moving by weight, not cubic feet, and to inspect the empty truck at the end of the move before the crew leaves.

    9. Always pay by weight, not cubic feet.

    Move by weight, not volume. Cubic feet is not a precise measure. The same boxes can be arranged to take up different amounts of space. Scammers can leave big open gaps within stacks of boxes on a truck, so that the boxes appear to take up more space than they really do. If you don’t have a precise measure, you don’t have control over the price. The military, governments, and corporations all ship by weight for a reason. The scale is your best friend, weight is an absolute measure.

    10. Inspect the empty truck after delivery, before the crew leaves.

    It’s on Jordan River Moving & Storage paperwork, to initial that you’ve inspected the truck. Nobody wants to have items accidentally left behind on the truck. You’ll feel more comfortable knowing that if you can’t find something, it’s somewhere in your house, and not on the truck. It gives you closure.

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving
    * Moving to senior living

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • Top Ten Tips for a Successful Move: Tips 7 and 8

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne this hour to share his top ten tips for a successful move. This segment, Sean advises that you pre-plan your space in your new house before you move there, and observe the truck as it’s being weighed before and after loading.

    7. Space plan at your destination before your move.

    Make sure you know where you want your furniture to go in your new home. You need to be able to show the movers where to unload items. If you haven’t done that ahead of time, local movers are being paid by the hour while you decide. Sometimes you don’t end up liking where you wanted that couch to go, and they’ll move it to an alternate spot. On a long distance move, they’ve only been paid to put your couch in one spot, and will have to charge extra for moving it to various spots in your living room.

    It starts with marking your boxes clearly, and not in cursive. Most movers are foreign, and cursive can be hard to read.

    If you’re moving from a larger house to a smaller one, space planning is essential. Joseph says, “People are not prepared for moving bigger to smaller. So many times movers have to stack boxes all the way to the ceiling, and then the people couldn’t get to them to open them. What could we do?” Arrange for offsite storage or have some of the boxes placed in the garage.

    8. Observe the truck being weighed before and after packing.

    Personally observe the truck on the scale before and after packing so you know how much your stuff weighs, because that is the basis for the price you’re being charged. You also have the right to have the truck weighed at the destination.

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving
    * Moving to senior living

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • Top Ten Tips for a Successful Move: Tips 3 – 6

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne this hour to share his top ten tips for a successful move. In this segment, Sean advises packing boxes fully to avoid damage, organize your house for the move, don’t sign blank forms, and stay with the crew but out of the way.

    3. When you pack, fill up boxes all the way to avoid damages.

    If you’re doing your own packing, the moving company is not liable for damages to boxes. To avoid damage, prevent items from shifting inside the boxes. To do that, fill each box completely. If they’re sealed and flat, they can be stacked faster in the truck. Line the bottom, pack in layers, and if you have empty space, stuff it will filler so items won’t move around.

    Always mark the room it’s going to, and the contents if you’d like. A good company will provide color-coded smart tape, so movers can quickly tell by color where each box belongs.

    Local movers are working by the hour, so save money and seal your boxes. If they’re unsealed, movers will have to spend extra time to seal them.

    4. Organize your house for the move.

    Movers want to arrive and just see furniture and boxes. Then they don’t waste any time, and can get started right away. If packing isn’t completed, or boxes aren’t taped, it takes them more time.

    5. Do not sign blank paperwork under any circumstances.

    Scammers work by saying they have to change their estimate, then get you to sign a blank paper. Make sure you get a copy of their estimate. Jordan River Moving & Storage uses tablets; when something changes on the estimate, they will send a new completed electronic estimate.

    6. Stay with the crew, but stay out of the way.

    Let the crew work, they know what they’re doing. Observe all the time. If you have questions or problems, don’t hesitate to call the office.

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving
    * Moving to senior living

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • Top Ten Tips for a Successful Move: Tips 1 and 2

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne this hour to share his top ten tips for a successful move. In this segment, Sean urges people to get an in-home estimate and pack yourself to save money.

    1. Get an up-front, in-home estimate.

    Joseph says, “A move is a big deal. You’re giving them everything you own. Don’t you want to see who you’re dealing with, to build trust?” Choose a local company from the neighborhood. An in-home estimate is your insurance. You want them to come out to you, to meet them. While there, they can survey your items, and they won’t be able to charge more than 10% above  the amount quoted in their free binding estimate. You can ask the proper questions, and they’ll estimate the number of boxes you’ll need, and the types of boxes you’ll need. Most people underestimate how many boxes they’ll need. If you don’t have time, you can meet virtually, but definitely do hire a local company, where you can visit their offices.

    2. Pack yourself to save money; supply deliveries should be free; don’t order boxes online.

    Online boxes are cheap, not strong enough or durable enough for a move. The company that did the quote already knows from their estimate what boxes you’ll need. A firm like Jordan River Moving & Storage will deliver the right boxes for free, and only charge for the ones you use. They’ll also bring additional boxes if you need more, with no delivery fee. Jordan River has the option of providing good used boxes for a discount. They also will pick up your used boxes once you’ve unpacked after your move, so you don’t have to recycle them.

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving
    * Moving to senior living

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • What Makes Jordan River Moving Special

    Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. Suzanne highly recommends Jordan River after her experiences with the company helping move her mom twice.

    Suzanne says, “You guys did two moves for my mom. And I remember each time it was just a breeze, it was easy. Your staff was wonderful. They were kind, they were gentle, they listened to what she had to say. There was a lot that we had to do, especially in the first move, where we had a lot of stuff to get rid of, but you guys just handled it perfectly. So I always say thank you. That is really important to me, that you’re not like anybody else. And I mean that.”

    Sean says, “I would like to provide a good service to people. I remember my business partner, Kobe, we started in Boston working for my brother in Philadelphia, and we learned how to provide quality service. And we went back to — we originally were born and raised in Israel — we went back to Israel. One day Kobe come into my house and said after seven years, we already had a baby each, he said, ‘Let’s go back to the United States, let’s do moving the way we believe moving should be, high-quality service. He didn’t say let’s go to the United States to make money. Let’s do moving services with high quality. We picked Seattle because we wanted a place that was safe, education was good, public schools and everything was high grade, a low crime ratio. And really from the get go, we emphasized customer service.”

    Sean adds, “We are born and raised in Israel, which is a very family-oriented country. Take care of your parents and respect grandparents.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

     

  • How to Make Moving Less Stressful

    Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. Sean describes everything to do to make sure you have stress-free move.

    Sean says, “People need to understand the process of the move, what they need to expect, and how to create and complete a simple move in a good way, that shouldn’t be stressful. The moving company could take so much stress away. Make the right first move. Call for an estimate, gain trust with the person from the company. Second, discuss either on the phone or in person what services would you like. We can do a full packing for you, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Leave your house as is, we’ll come and pack it for you: bring our boxes, our smart tape, sharpie to write the contents of the boxes and the location, and everything like that. Or you want to do your own packing? We can supply the boxes. I think it’s very important, we deliver boxes to you for free. Do not order boxes online, the boxes online are not good. They’re not thick enough. They will cause damage to your items, I guarantee that. They’re not the right sizes, the proper sizes for a movie. We have all type of boxes: specialty boxes, picture boxes, and all the rest. We will charge you [for what you use] the day of the move, so you don’t need to stress about ordering too many boxes.

    “We would like you to prepare your house for us for the day of the move. Which means we would like to come and find boxes and furniture. The boxes packed all the way to the top, sealed, and marked with the location. First, we’re going to load all the boxes in the truck. Then we’re going to disassemble the furniture, wrap the furniture at the house. That’s one of the differences between us and other moving companies. There’s two way of handling the furniture. One is when you take the furniture as is to the truck and drop a blanket on it, or shrink wrap, which I think is a joke; shrink wrap does not protect anything. So we disassemble the furniture, wrapping the furniture, protecting mattresses with a heavy-duty mattress cover, and load them on the truck.

    “Fully inspect the house. Walk around, open every cupboard, every cabinet, every closet, everything, make sure nothing is left behind. I instruct our crew to open everything with the customer. Don’t rush out of the house to save 20, 30 bucks and leave stuff behind. Take five minutes, do the walk through.

    “At the destination, we’re going to unload all your furniture first. Make sure you know where you want the furniture, because moving it around will take time for no reason. And we’re gonna place the furniture, reassemble the furniture, set up the house. Once you say [everything is OK], we’re going to bring the boxes in, place them exactly where they need to go in each room based on the customer direction. And then after we’re done, we ask the customer to inspect the truck, even if it’s a rainy day in Seattle, make sure you inspect the truck. I we got a few comments recently from customer that said, ‘wow, it’s the first time your crew insisted we check the truck, and we appreciate it.’ They want to make sure nothing left behind. This is the proper way to do it. It’s on our paperwork, too, that you need to initial ‘I did a walkthrough and I inspected the truck.’ We don’t want to take any of your items back to our warehouse by mistake.

    “If you use our boxes, we’ll gladly come and pick up the boxes. Call us [after you unpack], we don’t want you to get stuck with all these big boxes and figure out where to recycle them.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

     

  • How to Spot Moving Company Scams, Part 2

    Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. They continue their conversation about moving company scams to watch for.

    Sean says, “I’m a board member of the Washington Movers Conference. And every time, we’re talking about education, education, education. People need to be aware of scams. The scan is very simple. The company tries to get you in at a certain amount of money, and then double it.

    “First, stay away from brokers. Brokers won’t admit they are brokers. Brokers always charge a 35% deposit… If the company asks you and try to move you based on a cubic feet, run and hang up the phone. You don’t want to move by cubic feet, because this is not a precise measure… [A scammer] will create a hole in the middle of the truck to inflate the amount of space they’re using… Pay attention to blank paperwork. They must send a bill of lading three days before the move… Don’t sign a blank paper.

    “Recently [scammers] have been using the same tactic of a binding estimate fee… Legitimate companies will not charge for an estimate. Any time you hear that, it’s a scam.”

    Regarding red flags to look for on a company’s website, Sean says, “It’s tricky. Look up their department of transportation number. You might not want to use a brand new company, which is if their number starts with a 3. Look up their DOT number to see if they’re a broker or a carrier. It’s simple math, the broker is charging more.

    “Do not pay for a binding estimate, do not move by cubic feet, make sure it’s not a broker, try to avoid brand-new moving companies, and ask for an in-home estimate, so you can look them in the eye, so they can get a visual estimate, and get something in writing. Always use a local moving company. Look at their contact information. If it doesn’t have a full address, run.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

     

  • How to Spot Moving Company Scams, Part 1

    Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. Moving has changed with the internet, making the whole United States one big neighborhood, and leading to scams. Seek local companies, and get an in-person estimate.

    Sean says, “People sometimes fall for fake reviews and flashy websites. When you put your precious items in the hands of movers, don’t you want to get something in writing, and be able to look them in the eyes? Ask for references from a friend. Ask local companies if they can come up to your house and give you an estimate. If they won’t come to your house, that’s a red flag. It should be a free estimate. There’s no reason to pay for an estimate.

    “If they can’t come to your home, that means they’re from out of town, and they’re probably going to hire another moving organization to come get your stuff. All they are is a middleman, they’re going to mark the price higher, right? Because they have to make a profit, this transportation broker. If you ever pay more than a ten percent deposit, which should be refundable 72 hours before the move… don’t ever pay 35%, because the broker takes that money.

    “The broker doesn’t give you a magic price somewhere. They use the magic phrase, ‘based on your information.’ When I come to your home, and give you an estimate, for free of course, I am obligated by law to set a cap on the estimate. There’s no way I can charge whatever I want. Those who don’t come to your home, and go by your information supposedly, they can say you were wrong, and can charge you double, triple.

    “90% of the brokers are selling out of Serbia, Tijuana, Tel Aviv, Bogota. Ask for local companies in your area. You can visit their headquarters or local branch. Younger people are getting scammed just like seniors. Be careful of the internet. Watch for phishing, cybersecurity, retargeted ads. They’re very sophisticated.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage
    * Jordan River website

    Hear more:
    * Senior moving podcasts
    * Moving to senior living podcasts

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

  • Senior Moving: What Happens on Moving Day

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, talks about what he hopes will happen on moving day, and sometimes what actually happens.

    Sean explains the rules for various local and longer distance moves. “Every state has different rules and tariffs for professionally licensed and insured moving companies. We will use Washington as an example, because it’s pretty similar to most other regulated states. So when you just move within a 56-mile radius, it’s a local move. Therefore, we’ll calculate the hourly rate. We’ll charge the customer by the hourly rate for the packing and for the actual move. We always recommend if any family member can do the packing, do the packing because you save money.

    “The other move option is called intrastate, which is long distance within the state. This will go by the mileage and the pounds on the truck. So we weigh the truck before and after. The hourly rate is not a factor, just the weight of the shipment. Similarly to this is the interstate move, which is across state lines. Every move across state line will be based on weight and mileage. If someone tells you that you want to charge you by volume, hang up the phone. There’s no way in the world anybody can tell you the volume of your shipment. It’s just the weight.”

    “You can save money by doing your own packing. We deliver the boxes to your door, the wrapping paper, everything that you need. If we didn’t supply you enough, no problem. Another phone call, we will deliver it to you. We’re not gonna charge you for this. We charge you per use. Order more boxes than what you think you need. We’re trying to make it easier for the people.

    “When people do their own packing, I would like to come to the house the day of the move and find boxes and furniture. And I would like to see the boxes all taped and ready to roll, because from the moment the truck stops, unfortunately, the clock starts. So we’re not gonna charge you if you are organized and ready. I promise you, our crew will not waste your time. When we’re moving a senior, we ask the guys to slow down a little bit, because they walk too fast for certain people, but they will be respectful of the time. We are not there to milk your clock.

    “One time, I’m getting videos from the crew. It’s a total chaos. And I first thing I said, the crew, we need to wait. I tell the person we’ll come back tomorrow, please organize the place. If you can, if you don’t have to leave today, because if we spend time to organize your place, your move would be much higher.”

    Sean adds, “Our customers ask me, ‘Can you 100% show that you’re going move my items from point A to point B without any damage?’ I always say if I can promise you that, I’ll probably be God, but I’m not God. Things can happen because we are human. I promise you the people I put into your house, I trust my family with them. They know my daughters, my daughters know them. You can feel safe and secure around my movers.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage: https://answersforelders.com/jordan-river-moving-and-storage/
    * Jordan River’s website: https://jordanrivermoving.com/

    Hear more podcasts about:
    * Senior moving: https://answersforelders.com/tag/senior-moving/
    * Moving to senior living: https://answersforelders.com/tag/moving-to-senior-living/

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

  • Senior Moving: Setting a Plan

    Particularly for people who have mobility challenges or health issues and require special preparations, moving requires planning. Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk how to plan for a move, especially if you’re downsizing or moving into a senior living community.

    Sean says, “We will do the estimate, then help figure out the packing option, and then comes the move date. That’s 1-2-3, it’s planning, planning, planning. For the move that is the traditional move, let’s say the family member is in good health, we can move from point A to point B, loading the boxes first, wrapping or disassembling the furniture, and doing the reverse: unloading all the furniture, setting it up the way the customer wants and then unloading the boxes in the right location.

    “For downsizing, let’s say from a house or an apartment to one room in a senior living, for example, at the time of the estimate, we will take the address of the destination. We will visit the destination, we will talk to the front desk to figure out what they need from certificate of insurance, to floor covering, to elevator reserve. We’ll try to see the room so we can create a floor plan. It’s very important when moving from a bigger place to a smaller place, we want to make sure [we know] what would be the best location for the furniture to give enough movement within the room.

    “The other type of move, which is the most complicated, is usually when the senior has a medical issue like dementia, [or mobility or health challenges], we need sometimes to really copycat the one location, and that involves meticulous planning and moving. We had one customer that we had to make everything exactly the same. We needed to take pictures of all the cabinets before we packed them, and when we got to the destination, we put all the items back in exact the same order. Think about it – exactly the same order, because of the memory issues he had. And place medication exactly where it was before.”

    Sean adds, “It’s important to pay attention to detail and listen, listen. Some moves like this will take a little bit more time. And I always tell the crew, please take your time. Slow down. Do not run, listen to the people. Sometimes they need more time. Slow down, constantly ask, what can I do for you?”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage: https://answersforelders.com/jordan-river-moving-and-storage/
    * Jordan River’s website: https://jordanrivermoving.com/

    Hear more podcasts about:
    * Senior moving: https://answersforelders.com/tag/senior-moving/
    * Moving to senior living: https://answersforelders.com/tag/moving-to-senior-living/

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

  • Senior Moving: Packing Options

    Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about the variety of options people have when packing for a move, as well as how to pack if you choose to do it yourself.

    Sean says, “We have a variety of options. A of course is full packing: we come — with the truck, with the boxes, all the packing materials — to the house. You leave the house as is, you wake up in the morning, wash your face, have a coffee, sit on the couch, and everything around you will translate into boxes.

    “Option B: You can tell us what to pack. You can say, ‘I will pack all my clothes, all the items that are not fragile that I can handle. You guys do the kitchen for me.’

    “Option C: We can just supply you the boxes, we can show you how to pack items that you have concerns about, that you’re not sure how to pack, but we supply all the types of boxes that you need in order to complete your packing. Also, if you have extra fragile items and you’re really, really worried about it, we can crate it to make sure nothing will happen.

    “Now, we need to discuss the process of some the packing. It’s crucial to understand the idea of a packing is very simple: Avoid movement inside the box. If you avoid movement, you avoid damages. That’s as simple as it is. That’s how we even stack the truck when we’re building the wall in the truck – avoid movement. You have a hole or something on a box, fill it up with a blanket or something, avoid movement.

    “When we do the packing, we have smart tape. We color code every room. For an example, we’ll mark the boxes with the kitchen in yellow tape. Every bedroom will have its own color code. All that is much easier for us and for the customer to know where the box is going because we can put it in the right location. We also will mark on the boxes where they came from, and the contents. We write what inside the box and leave those boxes that they don’t really need [for downsizing] either in storage or in a garage. So then we can stack them nicely and just deliver to the room the boxes that they really need.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage: https://answersforelders.com/jordan-river-moving-and-storage/
    * Jordan River’s website: https://jordanrivermoving.com/

    Hear more podcasts about:
    * Senior moving: https://answersforelders.com/tag/senior-moving/
    * Moving to senior living: https://answersforelders.com/tag/moving-to-senior-living/

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

  • Senior Moving: How Do You Start?

    Moving can be a daunting chore at the best of times, but downsizing a senior whose been living in their house for 50 years can be overwhelming. Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors.

    Suzanne says, “When I look back in my years of taking care of my mom, probably the most difficult and overwhelming situation was when it came time to moving her. As she declined, we had to move her three times. And the hard part for families is, there’s all kinds of questions. Everything is overwhelming. This is someone that took care of me and my mom: Mr, Sean Joseph, the CEO of Jordan River Moving and Storage, specializes in working with seniors. You’ve been my dear friend for a very long time and I’m so grateful to have you part of the Answers for Elders team, because moving is daunting.”

    How do you start? Sean says, “Like I always say, knowledge and preparation is priceless. It starts always with the in-home estimate. We would like visually to see what we’re dealing with. We don’t like the information over the phone. Please welcome us to the house so we can take a look… We ask, where are you moving to? If we find out you’re moving to a much smaller place, we know it’s not all going to fit, or we’re gonna build wall of boxes all around your walls around the house, you won’t be able to move, and you might fail and you get injured. So we talk about the steps of downsizing, and we are always willing to help them sort. But the planning is the most important, and we establish trust.

    “A lot of seniors are moving to a very small place, and a lot of times you try to copy their home for them. If they have dementia, you try to make it as comfortable as possible, so they can move around. It’s hard for people, but I totally understand that people sometimes can’t let things go.”

    Learn more:
    * Jordan River Moving & Storage: https://answersforelders.com/jordan-river-moving-and-storage/
    * Jordan River’s website: https://jordanrivermoving.com/

    Hear more podcasts about:
    * Senior moving: https://answersforelders.com/tag/senior-moving/
    * Moving to senior living: https://answersforelders.com/tag/moving-to-senior-living/

    Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/
    Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

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