Caring Transitions sorts through emotional clutter
Bruce Treadway remembers his grandma, who owned an estate-sale company, dragging him to sales when he was four.
Treadway, who was raised by his grandparents, started working the cash register at the estate sales when he was in high school.
His knowledge stayed with him, and he later ran estate sales on his own as a hobby while working in the corporate world. Treadway received more and more calls from elderly people requesting his assistance in clearing out their homes to prepare for downsizing.
When Treadway's grandfather died several years ago, he discovered how difficult it was to be an executor out of state.
Then he discovered Caring Transitions, a company based in Cincinnati. He believes that the company fills a missing link in the market, working closely with families that need to sell or liquidate the belongings of their loved ones in a timely manner.
Working with company founder Gary Green, Treadway, 39, launched the first Caring Transitions franchise two years ago. He services the northeastern Illinois territory.
About 40 percent of his clients are people who have spent most of their lives in a home and are ready to downsize to an assisted living facility or an active adult community.
"These people are often moving from a 3,500-square-foot home with a basement to a 1,200-square-foot flat," he says.
With 76 million Baby Boomers expected to enter retirement over the next two decades, many are finding it necessary to help aging parents downsize. Treadway helps families assess what is in the house and assist them in making critical decisions about those items. Caring Transitions also arranges for the shipment or storage of cherished items staying in the family.
Clients are left with a broom-swept clean home ready to be put on the market, Treadway said.
Treadway is an accredited appraiser through the Appraisers National Association, an asset to his business. He knows firsthand that effective pricing at an estate sale is essential. As a franchisee, he operates on a commission basis. "I don't make money if my client doesn't make money," he said.
Treadway, who grew up outside New Orleans, now resides in Woodstock with wife Kathy, a training manager at a software company. The couple has two children, Anika, 4, and Alex, 2.
Treadway tells clients weather it's an executorship or downsizing situation, "you only do this one or two times in a lifetime." He says he takes away all the stress and aggravation.
He added that it's common today for family members to live in different states from there parents. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, there are between 5.1 million and 7 million family members providing long distance care to an aging relative.
A Caring Transitions franchisee acts as an on-site advocate for families. There are now 30 franchise locations across the U.S. For more information, visit CaringTransitions.net.
Kim Mikus' columns appear Tuesday through Friday. She welcomes comments at (847) 427-4567 or kmikus@dailyherald.com.