Moving and Downsizing Q&A

I’ve never heard of a Senior Move Manager. What is that, and what can you do for us?

As Senior Move Managers and Downsizing Experts, we help older adults and their families with relocation, downsizing, and rightsizing. This might mean helping you or your loved one move from a long-time home to a smaller place – or just helping someone who wants to stay where they are but needs help deciding what to do with possessions and other items they no longer need.

Whether you are moving or not, you might need help deciding what to do with possessions collected over many years, and we, as experienced Senior Move Managers, will work with you to help you through those decisions. This might include helping to arrange for an estate sale, donating items, and generally helping to sort items before moving to a smaller place.

We understand that these decisions can often be painful, and that’s where our caring and compassionate help comes in.

We also can help with the packing (and even unpacking) as needed, helping before and after the move.

We make floor plans that help make sure furniture will fit into your new home, help with choosing qualified movers, staging your home for sale, helping with appraisals, waste removal, and a lot more – including aging in place.

See our list of services for more information.

How long have you been doing this, and how did you get started as a Senior Move Manager?

My first experience with this goes back several years ago to when I helped my father and both of my grandmothers in their later years when they needed a lot of help with their general welfare, personal affairs, and the careful sorting through their possessions, family memoirs, and heirlooms.

After a long, successful career in sales, I decided that I wanted to work more with helping people with their transitions, so I trained with a Senior Move Manager I knew, and then received my certification from the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) in 2007.

Read more about my experience and how I got started.

How much do you charge? Will you give us a free estimate?

We don’t charge anything for the first visit, and we don’t charge anything for the estimate. It’s totally free, with no obligation. We’ll meet with you and your family members in person to evaluate your needs, determine your schedule, and discuss other variables. Then we’ll present you with a proposed timetable, and a range of cost estimates – no charge, no obligation.

When you hire us, we require a $500 deposit to get started, a mid-term payment, and then the balance will be due on moving day. Contact us for a free, no-obligation price quote.

You’re located in the Knoxville area. Does that mean you only work in that area?

We’re located in the Knoxville region (Eastern Tennessee), but we’ve helped people who were moving many hundreds of miles away from here, and also with people who were moving to the Knoxville area from many hundreds of miles away.

We are not the people who actually pick up your furniture and move it from one place to another – we’re here to help with all the things you need before (and after) the movers do their job.

I don’t have any children or other family members who can help me move or downsize. How can you help me?

It’s not uncommon for older people to have no surviving children or to have children who are unable to provide much help. And this is one of the situations where we can really help.

We understand and have experience with the organizational and physical tasks associated with helping you through the downsizing process, preparing for the move, helping after the move, and all associated aspects of this major transition.

My mother (or father) or other loved one needs help downsizing or moving to a new place, but I live too far away or am otherwise unable to help. What can you do to help?

With gentle, expert, and compassionate guidance, we will be with you or your loved one all the way. From scheduling the move, to packing everything, to unpacking and setting up the new residence if necessary – and downsizing and rightsizing.

And all along the way, we keep you and other family members informed of everything that is going on. Find out more about downsizing and rightsizing.

I see a “NASMM” logo on your web site. What is that?

NASMM is the National Association of Senior Move Managers, which is the leading membership organization for Senior Move Managers. NASMM is recognized for its innovative programs and expertise related to senior move management, transition, and relocation issues affecting older adults.

I received my certification from NASMM in 2007.

What’s the difference between a Senior Move Manager and a moving company? Can’t I just hire a mover and be done with it?

As experienced Senior Move Managers, we take the worry and the work out of your move or any similar transition process.

Any moving company can pack up your stuff and move it from Point A to Point B. But moving companies are just not staffed with people who are trained and experienced in the art of helping older people through these major transitions.

And keep in mind that when moving companies offer similar services, it’s usually a “sideline” for them, while for us it’s our entire business.

As you may know, moving companies often hire day labor for packing and unpacking. Sometimes this works out OK, but not always.

Our people are professional packers, and realize and understand the importance of handling your possessions with great care

Of course you probably will need a moving company to do the actual move – and we can help you choose a good one. You can rest assured knowing that we will be with you from start to finish to help with any problems that might develop with the move.

And our new-residence floor plans help ensure that your furniture and other important things will be properly set in the right place in your new home.

Good moving companies are great at what they do, but they’re just not set up to provide the special help you may need.

Learn more about our services.

I want to stay in my own home – but I know I need help with clearing out, decluttering, and deciding what to with my things. Is this what they call ‘aging in place,’ and can you help?

Yes, you’re right. This kind of transition is known as “aging in place,” and more and more people are taking advantage of this service.

Learn more about aging in place.

We know there are other Senior Move Managers out there. How are you different and better than the others?

We’re a small company. And we’re personal. And with over ten years of experience, we are not beginners.

Lots of business like to talk about how “big” they are. But we think smaller is better. Why? Because we work more closely with you than the larger outfits can.

When you work with DunnRite Transitions you work directly with the owner, Linda Dunn. That’s me. And I’ll take the time to get to know you, and to understand what you want and need.

There’s no middle man. We are right there with you throughout the entire process.

And you can call us directly at any time, because you will have our phone number. You won’t have to deal with an assistant or someone who might not understand what you want or need. Your call will be answered by me personally.

Also, we have the experience. And we’re in this because we understand your needs, and we care about getting the job done right.

Our goal is to do whatever it takes for successful transitions that result in peace of mind and happiness for our clients. And we can prove it. We have letters and other reviews on file, written by people who were very happy with our senior move services, downsizing services, packing services, and more.

See what our customers have to say about us.

Do you have any kind of guarantee?

Yes, of course. If you’re not happy with our work, we will refund your money.

Read more about our Money-Back Guarantee.