Mrs M came to me asking for help to relocate so that she could be closer to her family. She is elderly and partially sighted, so has difficulty dealing with paperwork.
The first thing I did was find out which areas she would consider living in, and I spent time talking with her to establish what was important to her in and around her new home. I then used my previous experience of the property market to locate different properties that might be of interest to her. I’d established that she wanted to be within about 30 minutes of Brighton, so I started looking for properties within her price bracket.
Initially, I would telephone her and talk through the properties I’d found, getting her opinion on them. I then arranged for the property details to be sent to her so that she could look through them with her magnifying glass. I arranged viewings and, if I thought a property would be suitable, I organised for Mrs M to come and view it with me for a second time. I always made sure there was plenty of time between appointments so that we were able to view properties at a leisurely pace and take breaks whenever necessary.
Mrs M found a flat in Worthing, and I helped her negotiate the purchase price before helping her put her existing flat on the market. The estate agent had wanted to market it at £50,000.00, but I negotiated with them to list it for £55,000.00, and the first person to view it made a full-price offer.
I attended meetings with Mrs M that were associated with the buying and selling process, including appointments with a solicitor I found for her and with her bank manager.
Once contracts had been exchanged on her purchase, I helped her refurbish the flat. I talked her through the different options and arranged to be at the property with her when meeting contractors so that she could choose one she felt happy with. I also took her to kitchen and bathroom retailers so that she could choose the fittings she wanted herself.
Once the contractor had been appointed, she lodged £10,000.00 with me so that I could purchase everything that was needed and pay the tradespeople. I project-managed the refurbishment, ensuring that the different contractors worked in conjunction with one another and waiting in for deliveries whenever necessary.
Whilst the work was being carried out, I arranged for removal companies to visit Mrs M and provide quotations for packing up her existing flat and moving her to Worthing. On moving day, I oversaw the removal company and transported Mrs M to her new flat. I also arranged for one of my team to be at the new property to let the removal company in should they arrive before us.
As well as relocation and refurbishment, Mrs M also used my ‘Life Laundry’ service. I helped her decide what she wanted to take to her new flat and what she wanted to dispose of. Once she had made those decisions, I helped her either sell items, such as an antique dinner service, or took unwanted belongings to charity shops on her behalf.