This week on Sunbound Asks we had the pleasure of sitting down with Marti Cook, California real estate broker, professional Senior Move Manager and owner of Goldenway Home Solutions located in Clovis, California. We had an amazing time welcoming Marti to the blog, learning all about a wide range of topics from her favorite ways to help her senior clients find their new homes, to why your grandparents’ furniture may have way more stories to tell than you ever thought. To learn more about Marti and Goldenway Home Solutions, check out her website or read our interview below.  

Q: How long have you been a professional Senior Move Manager?

A: Since 2017, so 5 solid years.

Q: How’d you get into senior move management?

A: My grandmother passed away at the end of 2016 when she was 90 years old. She had been living in her own home on my parent’s ranch. When she passed we thought that most things would be easy to take care of – she lived on my parent’s property and my mom was an only child so we didn’t have to deal with a situation with a will. But then we went through her house. I won’t say she was a hoarder, but she definitely loved to collect. We had to have 6 ginormous estate sales because of all she had. I thought there had to be someone out there who could help us, but there were no Senior Move Management Companies in the area. I could also already see into the future with moving my parents. I thought “If I’m dealing with this much work now, how much work will it be when I move my parents who have been here for 35 years?” So from my own firsthand experience I just dove in. Along with being a Senior Move Manager I’m also a real estate broker. Over the years my baby boomer and senior clientele base has increased greatly. People really love that I combine both services.

Q: What’s your favorite type of project to work on since you started your business?

A: I like to do the whole package. I’ve done everything from somebody passing away and the family calls me from out of state and asks me to sell the house and everything in it, to literally moving my clients across country, helping getting them set up in their new living arrangement, whether that’s assisted living or with a family member for example. Seniors don’t always need everything done, such as if they’re moving somewhere fully furnished, they don’t need to think about what furniture to bring. But, when I can go in and help from start to finish and walk with them the whole way, that’s my favorite. It’s such a daunting task, especially when you’ve lived in your house for 30, 40, or 50 years and you have all your prized possessions, but where you’re moving can’t accommodate them all. There’s a big emotional element, and I love helping people go from start to finish. You can see people’s stress and anxiety being removed.

Q: What’s your favorite memory as a senior move manager?

A: I have lots, but I’ll tell you one of the things that really stuck out. I had a client move here from Arizona and he chose a home that was for sale by owner. Through that process the family selling was so impressed with me, they were moving to Washington and their mom needed to sell her house so she could move with them. So, I started working with the grandma whose husband had unfortunately passed the year before. She was in this big house by herself and so I helped get everything packed up. But right before moving to Washington she had a full-fledged meltdown over the china cabinet. I didn’t know this, but the china cabinet can be a huge soft spot for a lot of people. Many families came through the Great Depression without much, and families would often use these china cabinets or hutches as central, statement pieces where they could display all of their family treasures that had made it through. They were a real statement piece that said “we made it through the depression and now we’re taking care of ourselves.” Many seniors also want to pass these items down to their grandchildren, but my client was completely a mess because no one wanted the china cabinet or its items. Thankfully we ended up shipping it to her son in Texas, and it was so amazing being able to help her save this statement piece. This was the big stumbling block for her on joining her family in Washington, and we were able to solve it. It was a pivotal moment for me to realize that when seniors move, it’s not just another house sale. This is a major emotional adjustment.

Q: What’s your most unconventional senior move management tip or trick?

A: There’s a lot of real estate agents out there, but I’ve combined my services so that I can take people from start to finish. From helping them sort through things at the beginning of the process, to selling their house and then sending them a check in the mail. People really like both my real estate and move management offering.  

Q: What professional organizing practice do you use most in your own life?

A: I have a rule of thumb that if I haven’t used something in a year, I get rid of it. I purge regularly, probably an average of 2-3 times a year. Now this rule only applies to daily stuff. If you only use camping stuff every year or so, I don’t touch that. Secondly, I have organizers everywhere, in every cabinet and closet (including for silverware!). When everything has a place and it’s in its place, that’s when I’m most productive. Third, I’ve gone digital with as much stuff as I can. It can be an adjustment for people, but old photos and VHS and DVDs take up a ton of space. Also when it’s digital, you can easily access it at anytime.

Q: What’s your favorite new trend in senior move management?

A: I don’t know that it's new, but a lot of seniors are totally fine with text messaging. Emails can get cumbersome because sometimes people don’t check their emails that often. But I’ve found a lot of success with texting seniors. It can be really big for things like setting appointments or making an inventory, and it keeps all the important information right there on their phone.

Q: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about senior move management?

A: I wish they realized the value that we bring to the table and what a huge value add we offer. People instantly know what a housekeeper does, but don’t know what you do when you tell them you’re a Senior Move Manager. So I wish there was more recognition that we’re a real organization and a real industry and that there are people helping in all sorts of capacities. And we’re not working alone - we all work with so many people helping seniors – from placement services, to care givers, to real estate specialists. You name it, we can help you work with that service. This network extends all around the country, meaning we’ll be able to help you move and also get settled into your new home.

Q: If you weren’t a Senior Move Manager, what else would you be doing?

A: I’m also a real estate broker, so I guess by default if I wasn’t also a senior move manager I would just be doing real estate.

Q: What senior move management resources would you suggest for our readers?

A: When I start working with a senior I always recommend they go to medicare.gov. There’s a lot of info on there that’s available and there’s so much more than just medical resources. Nationalcaregiverslibrary.org also has a ton of information and can help with many parts of the process, from downsizing, to placement, to finding a caregiver. And finally ready.gov has a lot of great resources for any seniors dealing with emergencies due to things like fires or earthquakes.  For my own work, I also have checklists and vendor credential lists a mile long, from CPAs to attorneys to insurance brokers, to different medical associations.

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To learn more about how Sunbound can help make senior living more affordable for you or your loved one, send us an email at info@sunboundhomes.com or request more information on Sunbound. Sunbound is the best way to pay for senior living and is on a mission to make senior living affordable for everyone.