The Platinum Group, REALTORS®Weldon HobbsColorado Springs | REALTOR®
Veteran | USAFA
Downsizing & Life Transitions

What does a senior move manager do, and do I need one in Colorado Springs?

ByWeldon HobbsTeam Hobbs RealtyPublished Last reviewed

Short answer: A senior move manager plans and runs an older adult's move from start to finish: deciding what fits in the new home, sorting belongings, arranging sale, donation, or disposal of the rest, coordinating movers, and setting up the new space. Some charge by the hour and others by the job. You don't need one if a family member has the time and is close enough to fill that role. If no one does, or the move is large or on a tight deadline, a move manager can be worth the cost.

What a senior move manager does

Senior move management covers the whole move, from planning the new space at the beginning to settling in afterward. A move manager usually offers a menu of services, and you pay for the ones you use. Depending on the company, that can include:

  • Planning the new space, often with a floor plan, so you know what furniture and belongings will actually fit.
  • Sorting and deciding what goes to the new home, what goes to family, and what is sold, donated, or discarded.
  • Arranging what's left: an estate sale, consignment, donation pickups, or hauling.
  • Coordinating the move, including getting quotes from movers and scheduling the move day.
  • Packing and unpacking, then setting up the new home so it feels familiar on the first night.

A move manager is not the same as a moving company. Movers transport belongings. A move manager plans and coordinates the whole move, and the movers are usually a separate cost. Professional organizers overlap with some of this work, especially sorting, but may not handle the move itself. When you compare quotes, ask exactly which of these tasks each one includes.

How senior move managers charge

According to the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM), cost is hard to estimate in advance because it varies by region and by the services you choose. Some move managers charge by the hour. Others quote one price for the whole job. NASMM says its members provide a written estimate before you're asked to pay.

What drives the cost is mostly the size of the job: how much is in the home, how many decisions still need to be made, how far the move is, and how much of the work the family does itself. To compare quotes fairly:

  • Get the estimate in writing, broken out by task.
  • Ask whether movers are included or billed separately.
  • Ask how items that are sold are handled, including any commission and when you're paid.
  • Ask whether the company receives fees from the movers, estate sale companies, or other vendors it recommends.

Do you need one? Often a family member fills the role

In the downsizing moves I've been part of, a family member has usually filled that role, working alongside the person who's moving. The standard answer is to hire a move manager, but there are several ways to do this well.

A move manager may be worth considering when:

  • No family member is nearby or has the time to take on the work.
  • There's a firm move-in date, such as an assisted living or independent living opening, and the home has to be cleared quickly.
  • The home holds decades of belongings and the sorting alone feels overwhelming.
  • The family disagrees about what to keep, and a neutral person would help decisions move forward.

A family member may be able to handle it when:

  • Someone is local and available for several weeks.
  • The owner is ready to make decisions about belongings.
  • The move is smaller, such as to a nearby home with room for most furniture.

You can also mix the two. Some families hire a move manager only for the parts they can't do themselves, such as planning the new space or packing and unpacking.

If a family member is doing the job

Whoever runs the move, the order matters. The approach I use starts with the goal and the target date, then works backward:

  1. Know where the owner is going. The new home decides how much comes along.
  2. Let family take what they want, then decide what's sold, donated, or discarded.
  3. Keep a separate space for items the owner can't decide on yet. When the move is out of state, I've had families set aside one pod just for undecided items, and it goes to the new home, so no one is forced into a decision they aren't ready for.
  4. Schedule the packers, pods, or movers, then the junk removal crew for what's left.
  5. Stage and photograph the home only after it's cleared and cleaned.

Put every step on one schedule, check in weekly, adjust when reality doesn't match the plan, and write it all down. Nothing happens without the owner's knowledge. The full sequence, including the sale, is in the steps to downsizing, from first decision to moving day and how to prepare a longtime family home for sale without becoming overwhelmed.

How to vet a senior move manager in Colorado Springs

Use the same care you'd use hiring anyone who will be inside a parent's home and handling their belongings:

  • Check NASMM membership. "Senior Move Manager®" is a NASMM service mark, and only NASMM members can use it. NASMM says its members complete courses in safety and ethics and are screened for insurance. Its online directory lists members by state and ZIP code, so you can search for the Colorado Springs area. NASMM still advises you to confirm the company's insurance yourself.
  • Make sure the movers are permitted. Any company moving household goods within Colorado must hold a Colorado Public Utilities Commission permit, show the permit number in its ads and on its trucks, and provide a written estimate and contract. If the move manager arranges movers, ask for their PUC permit number and check it on the PUC's household goods movers page. For an out-of-state move, check the mover with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
  • Ask for references from recent clients with a similar move.
  • Ask who does the work. Find out whether the person you meet will be the one in the home, and whether crews are employees or subcontractors.
  • Ask how valuables and paperwork are handled, including jewelry, photographs, and financial documents.

For local, no-cost support, the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging connects older adults in El Paso, Park, and Teller counties and their caregivers with resources, including its Family Caregiver Support Center. See what help is available for seniors who are moving or downsizing.

What could change the answer

  • The destination. A move into senior living may come with firm dates and size limits that change how much help you need. See the differences between senior living options and whether to sell before moving into senior living.
  • What's in the home. Collections, antiques, or a lot of furniture may call for an estate sale company as well. See whether to hold an estate sale and where to donate, sell, or recycle belongings.
  • Money available before closing. Some providers will wait to be paid from the sale proceeds at closing. Ask about it up front.
  • Who is making decisions. If the owner can't make decisions and someone else is acting for them, confirm that person's legal authority before belongings are sold or given away.

When to talk with a professional

If someone is signing or deciding for a parent, talk with an elder law or estate attorney about that authority before belongings or the home are sold. If you're weighing the cost of move help against the timing of the home sale, I can help you map out the timeline and who's needed, so you can see how each choice affects when the home can go on the market.

For the other people who may be involved, see who should be on your downsizing team. If you're helping a parent decide whether to move at all, start with how to help aging parents decide whether to stay or move.

About the author

Weldon Hobbs is a Colorado Springs REALTOR® and co-founder of Team Hobbs Realty. He is a member of The Platinum Group, REALTORS®, Colorado Springs' #1 independent brokerage, which pairs deep local expertise with premium marketing exposure. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and retired Air Force veteran, he and his family made more than 10 military moves. Since 2006, he and his wife, Kristen, have bought and sold their own homes, managed a portfolio of rental properties, and guided others through their own real estate decisions. He has also helped both family members and clients downsize, where the decisions are often complex and the process can feel overwhelming. Drawing on his background as a PMP® (Project Management Professional), he helps people break those decisions into clear, manageable steps.

Since beginning his real estate career, he has ranked in the top 7% by sales volume among the more than 4,000 members of the Pikes Peak Association of REALTORS®. He works with military families, seniors and downsizing clients, luxury and premium home sellers, and people relocating to Colorado Springs. He developed the Life → Wealth → Real Estate™ method, hosts the national YouTube channel Life & Real Estate Without Regret, and holds an MBA along with the SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist®), MRP (Military Relocation Professional), and Certified Financial Coach credentials. More about Weldon

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