At Avery Point, the Moving is Easy

Sometimes, people who want to move to a place like Avery Point, an Erickson Senior Living-managed community being built in Short Pump, Va., really want to make the change, but something is holding them back. Perhaps they're scared because they've lived in the same house for 30 years and don't know how to go about selling it. They may think they need a lot of work done on it and don't know where to turn. Or the whole thought of downsizing might just be too overwhelming. Never fear—Erickson Realty and Moving Services is here.

“I want to be able to help people move forward in the process,” says Jacque Weir, a sales associate at Avery Point. “We will come out to our potential or future residents’ homes to sit with them and talk through what it is that’s making them feel stuck in the move—what’s really holding them back from taking that next step forward. We not only offer resources to help them, but we make this as personal as possible. They won’t be alone in this move.”

The beginning

If you’re thinking, “But no one else has ever had the same problem about moving that I have,” trust us—they have. In fact, it’s exactly why the Erickson Realty and Moving Services program, which was begun at another Erickson community, Fox Run, was implemented throughout all the communities in 2007.

Sharon Baksa founded the program and now serves as the national program manager. She says that when residents were moving into Fox Run at the time, many were having issues such as not knowing how to put their homes on the market, how to downsize, or knowing what would be the first step to take.

“We recognized there was a need for having this program,” Baksa explains. Over the years, Erickson communities have helped residents who needed to sell their farm and had no idea how; helped relocate residents’ vehicles from one state to another; and supported residents in taking care of long-neglected tasks such as cleaning up an in-ground pool, replacing dead landscaping, and hiring an electrician to do work in the house before it’s sold. And they’ll even do more.

“Some people want to move first because it’s healthier for them and better for them to get moved into the community without selling their house first,” Baksa says. “We will help them get settled in with the things they need and want to bring from their house, and then we go back to the house and start downsizing it and getting it prepared for the listing.”

A concierge approach

“It’s almost like a ‘concierge’ approach,” says Weir. “It’s the idea that we’ll provide a customized array of services from a variety of highly qualified professionals—from real to moves to downsizers—that assist any future residents in their process of moving and downsizing.”

Help now and later

Weir says that some prospective residents have had questions such as, “Since the community hasn’t opened yet, how can we ensure that this is going to be a smooth and seamless process for us? How do you know that you’re going to provide everything we need when it comes to the move or listing my home or whatever?”

The simple answer, according to Weir, is, “We build personal relationships with our customers. We will be a strong support system for them. It’s the Erickson way. “I really want to emphasize how personal this process is for them and for us,” says Weir. “That’s why I’m in this role—to build those relationships and to ensure that they do have a smooth transition to Avery Point. I want to meet their needs. I’m meeting them where they need to be met.”

Baksa says that some residents of other Erickson communities didn’t even want to be involved with the downsizing and getting rid of items in their homes. They just wanted to move to their new apartment home. “We’ve done that for people,” says Baksa. One time, a resident was going into the hospital for a procedure and wanted to come home to their new apartment in the community. “And we did that,” she says, “whatever their wish is, that’s our goal. Our mission is ‘No Challenge Left Unsolved.’”

To learn more about vibrant senior living at Avery Point, request a brochure today. .