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Dane Ramsden, CEO of Network Real Estate in Detroit, saw that many older homeowners’ transactions were fraught with emotion as they sold their lifelong homes filled with memories and were often reluctant to move. He wanted to close the service gap he perceived in his community by easing these transitions and transactions. To complement his real estate business, he opened a “Caring Transitions” franchise to offer assistance for senior relocation, downsizing and estate sales.
Why was this a good move for your business?
We have a large number of aging clients in our community. These clients often want to age in place, but they may have physical limitations. Many have siblings, children and other family members that are not local to them. Caring Transitions teams up with [real estate agents] and other service professionals to help our aging clientele move to a home suited for their current needs.
In what ways can Caring Transitions help?
Many of these clients have large homes with stairs and multiple bedrooms that may go unused or homes that require maintenance. Caring Transitions bridges the gap between our real estate clients and their loved ones by assisting with space planning, sorting and organizing, packing, and a private online estate sale of furnishings and personal items that are not being moved to the new home. These online estate sales can help raise money to assist with the move as well as prepare the clients’ largest asset—their home—for sale.
What impact has Caring Transtions had on your real estate business?
More than 30% of our clients are relocating to be closer to family. This is by far the most rewarding work we have done. I thought handing the keys to a
first-time home buyer was the highlight of my career, until I had the opportunity to help our aging clientele sell their last home. While this is a huge responsibility, it is equally rewarding.