SAUGUS — The senior center hosted a downsizing event sponsored by Mango Realty and Reading Cooperative Bank to show seniors how they can get ready for their next step in life.
Speakers included Peter Manoogian, Sue Palomba and Jeanine Moulden of Mango Realty; Attorney Donna DiGiovanni; Maureen Bernard of Reading Cooperative Bank; Corrin Bomberger of Simple Organizing Solutions LLC; Robert Penta of Bob’s Services Unlimited; Jason Scaduto; and Jeffrey Wilson of King Affordable Movers.
Manoogian started things off by introducing the panel and explaining the steps that they would be going over.
“We all have a responsibility to give back to our communities,” Manoogian said. “It’s about giving information so that you can make informed decisions.”
Palombo echoed this statement, saying that today wasn’t just about downsizing.
“It’s about transformation (and) making decisions that will not only guide us through this kind of process, but also laying the foundation for all of you for a stronger future,” she said.
Manoogian went on to explain that downsizing was the intentional process aimed at reducing your living space.
“The key takeaway here is intentional, (it’s) not something that you just all of a sudden start. It involves planning, it involves organization, forethought and it’s purposeful,” he said.
The first to speak from the panel was DiGiovanni, a lawyer who practices in Saugus on Lincoln Avenue. She was there to speak on matters related to estate planning and the impact downsizing has on it.
“When you’re thinking about downsizing, it’s a good time to visit or revisit your estate plan,” she said.
Something that she said was crucial was making sure you had the original document if you have an estate plan.
“What my experience has been several times, and this is horrible, is the documents are someplace else. (They) were gone, and now the loved ones have no idea where to look for those documents,” she said.
DiGiovanni stressed the importance of looking at documents as you get older and ensure everything is in order to make the downsizing process easier.
Bernard spoke next providing information on how the bank can help with downsizing. She also emphasized that they were not there to solicit, but there to inform.
“We love being involved in the community… We want to help people… My secret sauce is communication, transparency and dedication. I will work for you as hard as I possibly can,” she said.
Bernard stressed that unlike larger banks Reading Cooperative were about community and even if someone needed $50,000 mortgage they’d be able to sit and talk and figure it out.
Bomberger was there to talk about organization and how people underestimate how much stuff they have.
“Go through everything. Figure out what you really need. What do you really love?,” she said.
Bomberger said that so many clients feel relief after decluttering and getting rid of enough stuff to move forward with downsizing. She also said that it’s important to communicate with relatives who might want to take some of the items you don’t want anymore.
“It’s very important to communicate with your loved ones and ask them what they want, because they might want that stuff, but if they do, give them a hard deadline,” Bomberger said.
Penta opened his speech with a story about ashes being taken from a house by accident saying, “He’s talking about ashes… One of the stops they left their mother’s ashes behind on the mantle. She wasn’t there, the driver took it away. She (the daughter) called me back the next day and said ‘He took my mother.'”
The audience got a good laugh from that story and Penta continued to explain how important it was to look at your stuff and start to get rid of things that you know you won’t use.
Moulden told seniors about the importance of staging houses and how a staged home can give buyers an emotional connection and even lead to them increasing their offers on the house.
Jason Scaduto, a home buyer, talked about building up neighborhoods as a house flipper. He explained how he works with people like Manoogian and Palomba to buy houses and with people like Moulden to stage houses and Penta to do the clean up. He also touched on the importance of decluttering.
Lastly, Wilson spoke on the importance of helping seniors when it comes to moving.
“When you have seniors, you have to take the time to hear them out… We can’t rush them, because, like we all know, moving is bit and it’s a pain for everybody, young and old. So, my team specializes in patience, because it’s very, very, very important to us to have patience with each client,” he said.
