I have received many professional referrals for downsizing clients over the years. They regularly come from Senior Move Managers, Professional Organizers. High End & Senior Focused Realtors as well as Financial Planning Professionals. The woman I was referred to in this story came through a very high-end auction house. The auction house had visited her home and recognized that we were a better fit for the wonderful art, furniture, pottery, decorative items and many interesting items filling her very large home in Center City.
She had enjoyed visiting and buying at auction houses over the years. She purchased even more regularly from the legendary Pine Street antique dealers who she visited often. She had very good taste and her home was absolutely filled (and a bit over decorated) after years of accumulating.
As with many downsizers we help, she was having some difficulty getting around physically. Her son contacted us and had an unusual request. He asked if we would be able to offer fifty items at a time every month or two to begin the downsizing effort that he and his brother had negotiated with their mother. She was just not ready to fully downsize yet. With this arrangement, they hoped to have her ready by the time they had no choice but to insist she downsize. By thinning out by 50 items at a time, it would provide more space for her to safely move around her home.
When the first auction with her items arrived, both she and her son attended the entire Saturday auction day. It was not unusual for our downsizing clients to come to auctions offering their items. However, it was very unusual for them to stay for the entire auction day. The bigger surprise was she bid throughout most of the auction and was the winning bid on several items, including a large garden statue.
I greeted her son when the auction day concluded and said, “it was great to see you and your mother at the auction today, though we did not expect you to be sellers and buyers.” He smiled and said, “Tim, she sold 55 items today and bought 7. My brother and I are very happy with that ratio. She will be happier with the downsizing process if she adds a few new items during the process.” He closed by tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “as for the statue, you will have that back in 5 or 6 years.”
He is especially memorable to me because he showed inspiring patience, commitment, and love for his mother as he helped her during a challenging time. He called me the Monday morning after the auction and asked if we could deliver the statue and other items when we picked up their next load. Of course, we did.
Several years later he was true to his word as we helped them when his mother moved to a suburban retirement community near his home.