Helping seniors relocate fills 'void in society'

By Susan Doran, REM

Marsha Silverberg has seen more cat fights than your local humane society.

At first glance, it's hard to understand why.  She's a home stager / organizer in the greater Toronto area, who has made a business decision to target Realtors.  She'll smarten up your clients' residences so they sell fast and hopefully get top dollar.  Hard to imagine much hair pulling goes on in that business.

But here's a clue; besides her real estate staging company, The First Impression, she has a related business called Marsha's Helping Hands, which for about $65 per hour helps seniors relocate from their family home to a retirement home or smaller residence.  Silverberg calls it "a compassionate home transition service."

It's a "niche, a void in society" that with our aging population needs to be addressed, she says.

The fledgling business was started up after it became clear to Silverberg that "seniors need a lot more help than just having their homes staged for resale."  They are overwhelmed by the loss of all that is familiar and all that has to be done in the moving process, she says.

They require a tender touch, someone to go the extra distance.  And she's there to do it, "like a daughter or daughter-in-law...with all my heart and soul," says Silverberg, who's 45.

Human nature being what it is, the actual daughters and daughters-in-law are not always so helpful.  Silverberg is frequently in a position where she must help decide what to do with valuables such as art, jewelry and fur coats.  She'll call the relatives, and it's then the fur flies, with the daughters in the family (she says it almost never seems to be the sons) "grabbing the heirlooms."

Although preventing cat fights may not be in her job description, Silverberg's company will assist with every other aspect of closing down one home and moving to another.  Because her senior clients are usually moving to smaller premises, she'll not only pack for them, but "with great sensitivity" help them select what will make the move with them and what won't, even going so far as to get a floor plan and take measurements at their new residence, she says.

Anything worthwhile that does not make the cut, Silverberg will sell for her clients, put in a safety deposit box, or give to family members or charity.  She's often had to find new homes for pets as well.

If necessary, she'll call in a team to do home repairs before resale.  She'll help the client find a Realtor to put the home on the market.  If necessary she can put her home staging expertise into effect to ensure the house hows well.  Often, seniors' furniture and belongings are dated (she uses the word "original") and they could use help in this area.

Silverberg will also help with the move -- everything from calling moving companies to setting up utilities, cancelling magazine subscriptions, and driving the senior to their new residence.  Once they get there, she can, if desired, do all the unpacking and decorating while the client rests in a guest suite.

Some retirement residences are now including Silverberg's services as part of their relocation package for incoming residents.

Silverberg, who has a BA in psychology, has always loved decorating but relied mainly on friends and word-of-mouth for business leads until starting her home staging company.  She got her Canadian Staging Professional designation last year.

A huge fan of reasonable priced stores Winners and Home Sense, she's floored when wealthy clients have written her $10,000 cheques and asked her to run out and buy the furniture for their new residence.

When the job is done, she presents the client with a scrapbook containing some of the clients' old photos.

"So many family pictures go in the garbage.  All that beautiful history gone," she says.  "I try to salvage that."

She says she's honoured to do what she does for seniors, and to be able to turn "an almost frightening situation into an almost pleasant one" for them.  Marsha Silverberg can be reached at (647) 886-5437.