Linda Lammers is a certified relocation and transition specialist and the owner and operator of Change is Good!, a professional moving and downsizing company. Her company provides specialized services to assist those 55 years and older with later-life moves in order to make the moving process something that isn’t completely dreaded. Lammers sat down with us to express how passionate she is about her business, and how she will never hesitate to go out of her way for her clients.
Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
“My name is Linda Lammers, I own Change is Good and I help older people with later-life moves. In the event that they want to either stay where they are and they need help with the downsizing process or in the event that they are moving – I can help with that entire process. It’s anywhere from helping them with downsizing and sorting out stuff to doing the packing for them. I also do the floor plans, so I go into where they’re going to be living and measure out everything down to the half inch. We also help them pack up and we arrange the movers. I’m also at both sites the day of the move and we also resettle them as well.”
What is it in your background that led you to start and operate this business?
“I’ve always been able to see what to do first, second and third. About 10 years ago now, my parents moved. I’m the oldest of five and we all had our different ways of helping them move and my mom and dad had not moved in 50 years. We didn’t know what we were doing and they didn’t know what they were doing. So, I saw the chaos that happened with people when faced with moving out of the home and how hard it is on the family. I thought to myself that there was a niche here, and that there was a real need for something like this for people 55 and older. I’ve been doing this now for about eight years and I really enjoy it.”
You’re a certified relocation and transition specialist. Is that required for this business or is there other special training you have to do?
“You don’t have to be certified, but I decided to be. I’m also a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. I went ahead and got certified for the credentials and I think it really helps out. If we’re going to be dealing with mom and dad’s coin collection, or their china or any other private things they may have, I’m sure the kids are wondering who in the world is helping mom and dad. So that just gives me a credential that says I’m in this for the long haul, and it’s just not a passing thing for me. I’m fully insured as well, so I truly care about what I do and have the credentials to back it up.”
We had to reschedule a few times after things came up for you, so what is a typical day like for you with things being so chaotic sometimes?
“It really varies. Just from seeing people for the first time and explaining what we’re all about, to actually doing the move and doing the packing to dropping stuff off for donation. If someone is looking to do an auction or an estate sale, I also line up meetings with those given people for the client to see which way they’d like to go. So I really help them with the whole process. Depending on the day I might be taking things to recycling, I might be helping somebody move or I might be packing boxes. It can really vary and every day is totally different.”
When we spoke beforehand you said you were working on packing a shed-full of boxes to be shipped. Is that sort of daunting task something that you do often?
“No, it’s not something I do often. I really go with what the client needs. That’s what I do. If they need things shipped to their kids, I arrange for that to happen. If they need things brought to a donation site, recycled or even need a cleaning crew to come in I can make those things happen as well. I do a lot of extra things that many people may not know about.”
What are some of the challenges or rewarding aspects with this job?
“If people are dealing with issues such as dementia or other related illnesses, that tends to make things a little trickier because they can’t remember what they’ve told us before. Usually in situations like that there will be a family member there to help take care of things. Those situations tend to be the trickiest, but they can also be the most rewarding because those families just cannot do it by themselves. The fact that we can duplicate somebody’s current home into their new surroundings and have it look the same – that’s the most rewarding part. It’s great to see the family and the clients walk in at the end of the day and be happy with what they see. We’ll have the beds made, the televisions plugged in, the bathrooms (in) operation, the boxes will be gone and everything is all set up for them.”
That sounds like a wonderful aspect for the client, especially with moving being one of the most stressful things in life.
“Yes. It’s nice because we can take care of the stuff while the family takes care of the health issues, of whatever it may be. We just take that chaos out of the moving process for them. Nobody wants to stare at all of those boxes; it can make you feel out of place or homeless.”
Do you do any other types of moves or do you tend to stick with older ages?
“I have just focused on the over-aged. The younger crowd tends to want to do all of the packing and all that sort of stuff themselves, but I would do something for anyone if they were relocating or something like that. But my expertise is in the older ages.”
It only makes sense to start a business like this. It’s quite common for everybody to downsize later in life.
“Exactly. Families get busy or they’re just not around anymore to help out. Sometimes people will go out to a condo or a new living situation and think about relocating there. Then they’ll go home and look at all of the stuff they have and won’t know where to start, so they just end up staying where they are even though it may not be the best place for them.”
You have a team that helps you with all of this; what is that like?
“I have six people that help me out on a parttime basis, so we can come in and do the packing and moving very efficiently. It depends on the size of the job for how many people I bring in, and I still oversee every job that happens.”
Do you have anything you’d like our readers to know?
“We just really take care of the client and the family. There are times when we bring them breakfast. There are times when we make them coffee. There are times when we remind them to eat. Things like that where we add a real personal element to moves such as this.”
“We just take that chaos out of the moving process for them. Nobody wants to stare at all of those boxes; it can make you feel out of place or homeless.”
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