How to keep your house safe when selling it

Securing is top of mind today. This is especially true for homeowners or it should be. With this in mind we have taken the time to share with you our top 6 things you can do to keep you home safe when putting it on the market for sale in 2024. This is part of our 2024 best in class series of real estate articles by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers who service Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specialize in real estate, home content downsizing, property management and estate sales. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Additionally, during this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.

1. Stow away valuables. This includes everything from mail left on your kitchen counter (which may contain personal information and bank statements) to such items as jewelry, artwork, cellphones, and gaming systems. Real estate agents can’t protect valuables and likely won’t be following prospective buyers all around the house, especially during a busy open house. You should walk through your house before a showing or open house to make sure everything of value is out of sight.

2. Remove or lock up prescription medications prior to showings. Similar to removing valuables prior to a showing or open house, prescription drugs are another key item to protect.

3. Remove family photos for your safety. Many real estate agents advise sellers to remove family photos as part of the staging process, but removing photos can also help protect your family’s privacy.

4. Make your house safe for buyers and agents. Turn on the lights prior to showings — whether it’s daytime or evening — so that agents and buyers can move safely through the home. It’s important to remove obvious weapons (like guns) before showings, but also not-so-obvious weapons. For example, many homeowners may have a block of knives on their kitchen counter which should be removed for everyone’s safety.

5. Keep the house locked and consider extra monitoring. Doors need to be kept locked at all times. Consider adding deadbolt locks, securing sliding glass doors with bars and extra locks, installing motion-sensor lights for outdoor areas, and check that all windows are locked securely. Look into installing a wireless security system, maybe one that alerts you if motion is detected.

6. Beware of unexpected visitors. When your house is for sale, should you get unexpected visitors at your front door and you weren’t expecting any showings, don’t let them in. This is not the proper procedure for showings. Only real estate professionals who have made an appointment and use the lockbox should gain access to your home.

As a follow-up to this last tip, if something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. You and your realtor have the right to decline any showing request.

When returning home after a showing or an open house, don’t assume that everyone has left and that the house has been secured. Walk through the entire house, checking each room, as well as all door locks and windows – even on upper levels. If you notice anything that’s missing or possibly damaged, call your realtor immediately.

Nick Santoro, co-founder of Personal Property Managers and a decorated Marine points out that this information is certainly not meant to create fear and mistrust, or to scare homeowners away from selling, but rather to help them and their realtors think practically about the ways to secure homes and valuables, and to maintain everyone’s personal safety.

More information can be found on who we are and lessons for home selling experts via these brief video links

We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:

• Full Service discount Real Estate sales
• Home Downsizing, de-cluttering, and cleanout services
• Estate sale and content liquidation services
• Property repairs and maintenance services
• Absentee home watch services
• Home rental services.

Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.

For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.

For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.

Tips for having an Aging Parent Move In

We often work with families where children are caregivers for their aging parents. Often time medical conditions and sometimes financial decisions necessitate change. This change may mean that your elderly loved one may need to move in to their children’s home.

This is a decision that adult children and caregivers should think though carefully. There’s so much that’s involved. If you move mom or dad in and don’t have discussions on ground rules and space then it’s going to be chaos. If you make a plan and if you have conversations up front and define your boundaries, it can be a very pleasant and very productive addition to your life.

This is part of our 2024 best in class continuing series of articles and helpful tips and insights into senior care and senior transition services by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers. Personal Property Managers specializes in senior transition services such as downsizing, content clean out and removal, estate sales, full service real estate and property sale and moving and services PA and NJ.

During this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.

No matter how prepared you are to have an elderly loved one move in to your home and no matter how pleasant your relationship is, expect the unexpected. You need to be prepared for the role reversal. You need to be prepared for the things that are going to happen so that you don’t blow up so you don’t have an incident that you can’t take back. The only way that this new relationship works is if you find a way to have a real relationship with mom or dad and get rid of those old parent to child roles.

Lastly, if mom or dad are moving in, getting their finances together is the first and most important thing. In addition, plan in advance for absentee care giving when you go on vacation. Having ‘alone’ time with your spouse is important. There are services [and] people you can pay hourly, but the one thing a lot of people miss is that there may be members of your own family who are actually out looking for employment while you’re struggling trying to figure out who’s going to watch mom or dad. One thing that’s worked out very well is having family members come in and have them get compensated instead of paying an outside professional. You want to get creative with your solutions.

We have learned that these discussions [between parent and adult children] aren’t always easy, but they are extremely important at many levels.

For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.

We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:

• Full Service discount Real Estate sales
• Home Downsizing, de-cluttering, and cleanout services
• Estate sale and content liquidation services
• Property repairs and maintenance services
• Absentee home watch services
• Home rental services.

Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.

For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.

How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout – Useful Tips and Insights

How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout

Tips and insights into caring for the Caregiver

We often work with families where adult children are caregivers of their aging parents. This is an extremely stressful time. In many cases it may require virtually 24 hour care. There is a huge role reversal and in many cases it is emotionally draining and overwhelming for the adult caregivers.

Keeping a balance and maintaining good mental health is extremely important during these difficult times. While we are not health care or medical professionals, we often work with adult children and caregivers and have developed keen insights and tips that you may find helpful.

This is part of a continuing series of articles and helpful tips and insights into senior care and senior transition services by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers. Personal Property Managers specializes in senior transition services such as home downsizing, content clean-out and removal services, estate home content sales, full service discount real estate services as well as moving services. We just try and make life just a little easier for families going through challenging times with our one-stop services. Our services, and these tips and insights are especially important in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. We are happy to help you in any way we can. With Personal Property Managers….one call does it all.

Here are some helpful tips that will relieve stress and boost your health:

1. Take care of yourself by getting regular checkups and eating healthy.

2. Combine two things that are good for you: exercise and companionship. While someone else watches over Dad, go for a bike ride with a friend or play ball with your kids.

3. Get a good nights sleep. If possible, share nighttime responsibilities with someone else so you can get yourself to bed at a decent hour.

4. Laughter helps relieve stress and release positive emotions.

5. Combine a stress reliever with care giving tasks such as listening to music or watching videos while cooking dinner for Mom, doing laundry or paying her bills.

Tips for preventing caregiver burnout:

1. Ask others to help. Don’t think you’re the only one capable of helping your loved one. Ask around for help. Find out if a friend, neighbor or relative will chip in on the chores.

2. Take time for yourself each day by indulging in a good book for a half hour or taking a short nap. Or do something special for yourself each week, like a movie or shopping with a friend, or taking a long walk.

3. Take advantage of the many formal or informal services you can find.

4. Set limits on how much time and effort you can physically and mentally devote to care giving.

5. Let it all out… share your feelings of sadness or grief with a good friend, family member, spiritual advisor, professional counselor or anyone you can trust.

Keep hassles and small details in perspective. If the carpet doesn’t get vacuumed today, dinner is served later than usual or the laundry waits until tomorrow, that’s OK. Need time for personal affairs, to get rest or to simply take a break?

Taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for you and those you care for, so take it seriously.

We have also contributed useful information on this subject by writing on topics such as Caring for our Aging Population, How to Recognize Signs of Decline in our Aging Population and the Cost of Senior Care and your Options

For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.

For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.

Care Giver Support – One Stop

Caregiver Support – Home Downsizing and Real Estate Services

Are you the caregiver of an elderly loved one? Are you exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally? Is caregiving and all its demands of your time and energy getting you down? Are you overwhelmed and at wits end? Is it time for your elderly loved one to transition from their home of many years into an assisted care facility? Is the cost for care of your loved one at a senior community or assisted care community a challenge? Do you need to sell your loved ones home to help pay for their long-term care? Do you need to clean out your loved ones home to get it market ready for sale but cannot do it yourself? Do you feel you do not know where to turn? Do you feel overwhelmed and do not know where to begin? No problem. We can help. We specialize in providing a one stop, single source solution to help caregivers transition their loved ones from their home of many years into assisted care communities with our home downsizing and full service real estate services. We service Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We provide you with total peace of mind. We know the process of downsizing, moving, selling and buying a new home is physically and mentally exhausting. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all. We handle all your loved ones home and property content downsizing, de-cluttering, content liquidation and real estate sale needs. Our goal is to help take care of all the work that needs to be done so that you obtain the highest value for your loved ones home. We provide special 2020 best-in-class portfolio of services to assist you.

During this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all. Â

We service Pennsylvania, and the counties of Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and the Main Line. In New Jersey, we service the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Burlington, Middlesex, Union, Ocean, Essex and Somerset.

We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:

• Full Service discount Real Estate sales
• Home Downsizing, de-cluttering, and cleanout services
• Estate sale and content liquidation services
• Property repairs and maintenance services
• Absentee home watch services
• Home rental services.

We also offer discount real estate services via our association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.

How Our Process Works

We begin by meeting with you personally. This allows us to understand your personal needs and for us to develop a tailored solution to meet your individual goals. We offer extreme cleaning and extreme home cleanout services, removing contents from hoarder homes to multi-million dollar homes.

As certified Senior Real Estate Specialist, we then conduct a comprehensive market analysis, which will help give you a feel for the value of your loved ones home, its contents and their value. We then will evaluate the contents of the property with you to ascertain what you wish to keep, give to friends and family, donate, shed, discard or move to your new home. A full inventory is done at this time and is sorted based on your direction to us.

For items of value, we can facilitate an Estate Sale or help remove contents and liquidate them.

For items you wish to part with, we will arrange for the disposal of them or donate them to charitable organizations. For items you wish to keep, we can arrange for them to be packed and moved. We then work with you to determine a moving schedule.

We can assist in creating a floor plan for items that may be going into a loved ones new home and help your loved one move, unpack and organize. Lastly, we can assist in a final cleaning of your loved onex property as part of our home downsizing and de-cluttering process, which is all geared to help you sell your loved ones property at the maximum value.

Estate Sale and Content Liquidation Services

In addition to our home cleanout services and downsizing, we can help sell and liquidate all your loved ones household contents via an Estate Sale if their contents warrant it. Together we develop realistic fair market value price points for all household contents. We even develop special website pages to market your contents.

As your asset liquidator, we have found that prospective buyers feel that there is a greater perceived value when a professional estate liquidation firm conducts your loved ones household estate sale.

Please note that the market for pre-owned items is entirely based upon the style, age and condition of your contents. As a result, not all things are saleable. Additionally, there will always be two different sets of values to any items. There is the seller’s perceived value, which may have a high emotional and sentimental value, and then there is the potential buyer’s view of the contents value, which is generally very different. Please remember that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. To learn more, please click here to view a short article we wrote on this subject or click on our Resource link page for a host of other insights into selling pre-owned items, home downsizing, home sales information and elder care.

For more information on our estate sale process, please click here.

Why Choose Personal Property Managers

We are an award winning organization dedicated to providing personalized services and offering you solutions that are tailored to your specific needs. For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.

We tend to your loved ones property and its contents like it was our own. We know that often times a move, a home downsizing or sale can be overwhelming and physically demanding. We can handle everything for you. When you call us, you get us. We are on site at every job. You can rely on us and trust us. With Personal Property Managers…one call does it all. We are Estate Specialists, are licensed Realtors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and are certified Senior Real Estate Specialist via EveryHome Realty, RS308044 and 1326862. Please call us for a free consultation at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909.

Buying/Selling Real Estate – During the Corona Virus Shut Down – 23

This Podcast by Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers will provide tips and insights into selling a home and real estate now during the Corona Virus and COVID-19 shut down. Personal Property Managers, http://www.personalpropertymanagers.com services PA and NJ and is your one stop resource for real estate, home downsizing, content estate sales and home watch services. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all

 

Caring for our Aging Population

Who will care for our aging loved ones in our new society

The fact that we are all living much longer is no secret. With our extended longer life come new challenges. In years past, when lifestyles were less complicated, family units were more defined, and marriages and families with children dominated the landscape. Caring for our aging loved ones was easier with more defined roles by spouses and children.

Times have certainly changed. Studies indicate that people over the age of 65 will need some form of long-term care help. Genworth, a leading US company that studies our aging population says that 66% of people over 65 will need extra care. In fact, they say that 70% of this age group will need some form of long-term care for at least three years. It the past, most aging loved ones relied on a family member, a spouse or a partner for help. But what happens today with family and demographic changes, when an individual has none of the above? Who can they count on for help in an emergency or when they get sick?

This is part of a continuing series of articles and tips into elder care and how to address topics such as downsizing, estate sale, content removal, home clean-out, property sale, moving and other real estate transition insights by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Many aging Americans who have children don’t want to be a burden to them, but at least they are lucky enough to have a choice. They may not want to, but older adults rely on family caregivers most of their help. Today, there are over 43 million family members providing some form of elder care for a person 50+ years of age. The 2010 U.S. Census reported that 11 million people over the age of 65 live alone, and that number will likely increase. Even more alarming is that 11.6% of women (ages 80 to 84) are childless, so who will care for them?

Today, society has a totally different view of people without children verses 25 years ago. Many of today’s adults no longer believe that those without children lead empty lives. Recent surveys found that children are less significant to a thriving marriage. In 2007, a Pew Research survey unveiled 41% of adults said that having children was crucial for a successful marriage. This is a huge decline from 65% who said so in 1990.

Since the supply of family caregivers diminish as families get smaller or without children, it’s important to get organized around ones long-term care preferences.

PPM Insights into Elder Care

We at Personal Property Managers, often work within the Senior Community and with Adult Care Givers. We specialize in senior transition services, helping our elderly loved ones transition from their home of many years into senior care communities or to move in with caregivers or other family members. This process if often very overwhelming and our one stop services are valued by those going through a major move and transition. We have learned that there are significant facts about aging care that every person should know and wanted to share them with you. First, what we have learned is that elder care is more expensive than you think. And most of the costs of long-term care come out of your pocket and not through some government or state program. To help you plan for senior care later on, you should understand the details about the services that are and are not covered.

1. Medicare (controlled by each state) does not pay for long-term custodial care services. This is the kind that help you with everyday activities of living needs. Medicare only pays for the medically necessary care like acute medical care, doctor visits, drugs, and a hospital stay.

2. Medicaid is a combined program offered by the federal and state governments. It helps individuals living with low income and assets, and it pays for some of the health care expenses. Medicaid has stringent regulations on who are eligible for the benefits and the services covered.

3. Paying for long-term care out-of-pocket is your option if you have enough money and savings.

4. Health insurance covers the restricted and particular types of long-term care. Disability insurance replaces income and does not include long-term care services and supports.

5. Long-term care insurance pays for long-term supports and services. But before you buy a policy, know the daily amount it will pay to assist you with the activities of daily living requirements.

While we are certainly not insurance agents or elder care attorneys, we do, a large portion of our business assisting adult caregivers in the transition of their elderly loved ones from their home of many years into a senior care communities via our home downsizing, cleanouts, estate sales, and full service discount real estate services. We would like to share with you some tips that we have learned along the way that may help you in your long term care plan. They are:

• Draw up legal documents: a will, a living will, a healthcare proxy and a power of attorney.

• Share a home with like-minded friends and siblings. Create a “share the care” approach that serves each resident equally. Draw up legal papers outlining each person’s responsibilities; one that makes each party accountable.

• Live nearby mass transportation if you don’t drive.

• Choose a walk-able neighborhood.

• Find a trustworthy person or family you can depend on for support and care. Work out a payment strategy and put it in writing. Get legal advice prior to implementing a plan. An elder law attorney can steer you in the right direction.

• Hire a chronic care advocate if you live with a prolonged medical condition, preferably an attorney specializing in elder law.

• Make friends with the supportive type.

• Eat fresh, healthy foods.

• Stay fit.

• Keep your brain sharp by getting involved.

• Volunteer and help those in need.

• Take up hobbies that fulfill your curiosity.

For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.

For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.

Merry Christmas & Seasons Greetings

On behalf of our team at Personal Property Managers (www.personalpropertymanagers.com) we wish you and your family a happy Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas. As you enter the new year and need help with moving, home downsizing, home cleanout, home content sale and liquidation, full-service discount real estate services, home watch services or property management give us a call. With Personal Property Managers…one call does it all. Contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro.

Caregiver One-Stop Services

One stop service for caregivers assisting elderly loved ones with complete home clean out services, downsizing services, estate and content sale services and full service discount real estate services. With Personal Property Managers (www.personalpropertymanagers.com ) …one call does it all.

8 Steps to begin the Home Downsizing Process – 13

This podcast will share 8 useful tips and steps that you can use to begin the home downsizing and clean out process and how Personal Property Managers can help you. For more information contact Joe Santoro or Nick Santoro of Personal Property Managers at www.personalpropertymanagers.com

Personal Property Managers specializes in: Home Downsizing, Home Cleanout Services, Estate Sales, Home Content Liquidation, Property Management, Absentee Home Watch, Moving, Full Service Discount Real Estate Services, Home Sales, Home Buyer Services, and Elder Care Services. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.

8 Steps to begin the Home Downsizing Process – 13

Home modifications for elderly loved ones moving in with you – 7

This podcast will share insights into home modifications needed to accommodate an elderly loved one moving in with a caregiver. We will share room by room modification and safety suggestions. For more information contact Joe Santoro or Nick Santoro of Personal Property Managers at www.personalpropertymanagers.com

Personal Property Managers specializes in: Home Downsizing, Home Cleanout Services, Estate Sales, Home Content Liquidation, Property Management, Absentee Home Watch, Moving, Full Service Discount Real Estate Services, Home Sales, Home Buyer Services, and Elder Care Services. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.