Not that we are complaining … on the contrary, this winter has been busier than ever for the staff at Transitions Liquidation Services.
Things are a bit different, though. TLS has been referred by realtors, senior communities, lawyers, and estate planners to help their clients’ and their families with a myriad of services – many due to emergency or unplanned situations and within a tight timeframe.
For example, Louise had a stroke during the timeframe leading up to her move and was discharged from the hospital days before she was scheduled to move. This required many decisions to be made in a very compressed timeframe and to change our move plans to get Louise safely into her new home and then return with more items from her original home or new purchases to round out her furnishings and create a comfortable new environment.
TLS assisted Marcia, who has Lewy Body Dementia, in her move to assisted living. She shouldn’t be driving, so her car was hidden from her, but she found it within days of moving and attempted to drive to church. Unfortunately, she got confused and became lost. She stopped her car on Route 9 and walked to other cars to try to get help. The police were called, and Marcia was taken to Beth Israel and McLean Hospitals and eventually moved to a secure community. TLS was called in to complete another move for Marcia – bringing along a smaller amount of furniture and furnishings appropriate for the new space and dispositioning the remaining items – all within a week of the first move and all as an emergency situation.
In another case, TLS had been working to plan and prepare for a move for six months with clients who own an old horse farm in rural Massachusetts. Marge, the wife, has advanced Parkinson’s and the plan was to move the couple to a senior community. Just before their move in, pipes in their soon-to-be apartment burst and caused major damage.
TLS was contacted by the senior community sales and maintenance team to work through what stop gaps we could provide to allow the clients to move out of their home and get it ready for market (staging, photos and open houses had already been scheduled and contractors engaged) while at the same time holding the items for their move until the repairs to their apartment could be completed. The community agreed to put up the couple in a cottage and provide meals and other services while the repairs were being addressed. TLS utilized our partnership with Gentle Giant to pack and store all of the clients’ belongings for about 10 days until the apartment was ready and then the move was completed as originally planned.
What do these examples have in common?
The best laid plans always have hiccups and significant “right hand turns.TLS’ skill set, extensive experience and strong partnerships were key in our being brought into these situations as part of the solution. TLS assessed the situations and developed a creative plan for solving the urgent issues which would balance all of the affected parties and their goals.
TLS has seen it all! (At least for the moment; every day brings new challenges.) A client can’t go home. Another needs a move plan in three days. A transfer of employment means a long-distance move in a less than optimal timeframe. An attorney or estate planner is helping out-of-state family members deal with the sale of the home and its contents. There is no one nearby to help with the myriad of details that need to be considered prior to, during, and after a move. TLS uses a methodical process born from more than 20 years’ experience balanced with problem-solving on the fly to help their clients, no matter what the current dilemma might be.
The partnerships Transition Liquidation Services has developed over the years with Gentle Giant Moving, Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpet Cleaning, Clean Out Your House, and others have been vital to being able to “spin on a dime” and engage all necessary resources quickly.
If a client or family member needs help in considering an upcoming move or has a problem with a pending transition, call 616-513-0433 or email Marie LeBlanc, who will be glad to answer any questions or schedule a consultation.