By Barbara Miller Beem HATFIELD, Pa. – Imagine spending one last night in a house full of memories and memorabilia, and then, the very next evening, going to bed in a new, more manageable home, with all of your favorite things (and you) safely relocated. A seamless transition such as this might sound too good to be true, but thanks to a service offered by a Pennsylvania auction company, it can be a reality. To many facing a lifestyle change, the Alderfer Auction Transition Team might seem like a modern-day fairy godmother, complete with her magic wand. But, in fact, it is a dedicated group that specializes in planning and orchestrating the nitty-gritty of downsizing. About three years ago, the auction company, based in Hatfield, decided to think outside the box and seek a way to expand its services. Considering the fact that the business was already dealing with “people getting rid of things,” the concept of hands-on downsizing assistance made sense, according to Kathy Yost. “It was a natural evolution,” recalled Yost, a member of the team for more than two years. Currently, the group numbers eight (“sometimes we need 10”) caring individuals who prefer to think of their mission as “rightsizing.” Not all of the team’s clients are moving to retirement centers, Yost continued. Sometimes it’s just a matter of “looking for a simpler lifestyle.” She noted that recent clients, a couple in their 50s, decided to relocate to Wyoming for “a change of pace.” But regardless of the reason for the move, the job of sorting through a lifelong accumulation is “a challenge. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.” The key to the team’s success, Yost believes, is its ability to define and implement carefully timed steps, all meant to “make the confusion go away.” This begins with the drawing up of a “graphic floorplan” based upon exact measurements of available space in the new home and the size of the furnishings to be moved. “We don’t use graph paper,” she noted. Thanks to modern technology, “you can actually see what it will look like.” Next is the decision to “see what’s going and what’s not.” One consideration often overlooked, Yost noted, is the reality that recliners require three times the space as their dimensions. On the other hand, “Do you really need to have four rockers in one room?” she asks clients, who, because of (or in spite of) the inevitable emotional conflicts, become new friends. Although there is a general timeline that the team follows, flexibility is essential. Some moves are scheduled months in advance, but others are more imminent. When determining what must go, the team encourages family and friends to take what they want. Then the auction services of Alderfer enter the picture. One particularly effective tool at the company’s disposal is an online on-site auction. Yost explained that sellable items left at the previous home are photographed and posted on the internet. Ten days later, at the conclusion of the auction, successful bidders clear the house. “It’s so easy,” Yost stated. One of the benefits of this strategy is “brown” furniture finds new homes because of wide exposure. “Some people are still looking for bedroom sets,” she said. Not only is the resulting clean-out “minimal,” but the proceeds from the sale help to offset the hourly fee charged for the Transition Team’s services. “Every time we move someone we get smarter,” Yost commented. And finding ways to guide the decision-making process become more refined. For instance, if a new bedroom can only accommodate one lamp but the client can’t make a selection, Yost has learned to suggest placing all lamps side by side and then deciding. In the end, there is “no judgment” toward people who love their belongings. Having moved from a seven-bedroom house to one with three, Yost, herself a collector, understands the emotions involved firsthand. She remembers choosing between a Heisey glass collection (“I had a ton of it”) and a collection of wooden butter molds and prints. The latter won out, although she saved a pitcher and a few of her favorite pieces of glassware. She recommends others take this approach. With this in mind, when someone has, for instance, a lifetime collection of crystal salts, Yost understands that it is the stories behind each piece that means so much. Because everything sent to auction is photographed, a picture book of the collection, one that will keep the memories alive, might be a “comforting” solution. On the other hand, she suggests rethinking heavy collections of “pewter, beer steins, and cast-iron frogs.” The hardest thing to make a decision about? Family photographs, Yost answered, after careful consideration. She recommends having them digitally preserved. On the day before the actual move, the team photographs the “medicine cabinet, the china cabinet, the inside of the refrigerator” and packs everything. The next day, they unpack and put everything in its place. Beds are set up and made. Boxes and wrapping materials are removed. Clients are freed up from everything but meeting their new neighbors. All of this results in “a decrease of stress.” As for the team members, they are a mixture of men and women and range from 20-somethings to a 70-year-old. Their backgrounds are equally varied: Yost spent 30 years in banking, another member was a business owner, and then there is the recent college graduate. All share strong organizational skills, are sensitive to the needs of others, and are interested in helping people. Because, in the end, Yost concluded, “We don’t deal with people for a long time, but it’s at a dramatic moment in their lives.” Alderfer Auction, under the ownership of Sherry S. Russell, services the Pennsylvania counties of Montgomery, Bucks, Berks and Chester, as well as the tristate (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware) area. For more information, visit www.alderferauction.com or call (215) 393-3000. |