In 2013 

Mission Transition 

and Ameri-Estates

 produced and expedited 10 estate sales- with the exception of January and December. 

Sales volume overall was a record for us- and it took total commitment to planning and organization, customer service and follow through. 

We pay our clients within 10 days of the end of their sale.(See our Angie's List Review page for our client's comments!)

 Our schedule was established a month to six weeks in advance. Every project has it's unique personality but most estates and downsizing sales have very similar qualities, too. 

We work for both small and large estate clients. Small jobs can be great treasure troves of antiques and collectibles; what dealers and the public are looking for. Family and estate representatives need professional help to liquidate these properties and clean up afterwards, and we are happy to do so.

The goal is always the same: To maximize returns for our client and minimize waste!

What doesn't get sold is donated to charity in the Washington DC Metro area OR, if the item(s) are of the quality that calls for consignment sales, we put them on-line or sell them at our TAG Sales in Frederick: The "Classique Trash" Tag Sales. 

Held several times a year, these sales are held at the Mission Transition headquarters, a stand alone row house in the historic district of Frederick MD, over a long weekend, arranged like a vintage and antique shop,  in the house, adjacent garage and parking lot. 

Please call us with all and any requests and questions regarding our services before you sign with the bigger guys.  

Since 1980 in the design and furnishing trades, since 1999 in transitions, staging and liquidations!

Memory Trash, Let it Go for 2014!

Accumulation is the cause of much suffering. Suffering is caused by the "holding" onto. Events happened. The accumulation of personal history. Our emotional, mental and physical being reflect all events, regardless of good or bad, happy or sad. We squish and squash our emotions, "stuff" hurt and quell happiness, for survival, to get through the days. There's a "pay-off" to this, regardless of how it affects our lives in the now. Some of us re-live events on a daily or momentary basis whether it occurred today or years ago, by over dramatizing, embellishing what actually happened, adding drama. The "What Happened" is no longer what is important.  Whether it's the morning traffic, abuse we suffered at the hands of some bad person, the pain of loss of a loved one, an in-completion of a love affair, it all builds up and has an effect. To be free of it, It takes mindfulness. How are we making ourselves miserable? Who is contributing to this? Re-directing our intention, being willing to "Let Go" is key to moving forward.  We are not history. We are also not our Stuff. 
Unless a person has done a mental, emotional and physical purging of personal belongings, i.e. their "Stuff", and has come to terms that he or she is absolutely not not IT..."Stuff", most of us are caught up in the history, or the emotional satisfaction, dysfunction or not, that "Stuff" can bring. 
Like the woman who frantically rifled through a trash bag of junk (my definition) that I had filled with her permission ( she had hired me to do this, ) while cleaning her office, exclaiming how "this plastic beer cup was from a rock concert in 1978", ( broken, faded, illegible, to me,) WAS the event...many items in her home had become the event in her life that made her "whole" again! 
Compulsive behavior is like filling emotional holes and "Stuff," for some, is a way of finding self worth, fulfillment, feelings of satisfaction, and for some is a compulsive habit. Memory can be a powerful addiction.
I work with all people, regardless of how much stuff they have, to help them move out of the realm of "Stuff" into the reality of their lives-to go forward. 
The clients who really need the help, again says I ( the packrats), if they call me on their own accord, are the ones who have seen a glimpse of the dysfunction. They are brave. Most clients are ready to move forward to their next home and stage in life and are looking forward to leaving the "stuff" behind. 

LIFE CHANGES; WE HANDLE THE DETAILS!

SAVE TIME, MONEY AND GET YOUR LIFE IN ORDER!

RE-Cover, RE-Cycle and RE-Move 

( What's No Longer Needed or Wanted!)

The Great Estate RE-Cycle

SINCE 1999, 32 Years Overall Professional Experience in Interiors, Design, Relocation, Project Management and Sales

TRANSITIONING to or from the Washington DC Metro?

• Seniors Downsizing, Family Relocations? We Handle all the Details, working with you to get you strategized, organized, downsized!
• Packing, Unpacking and Setup, Custom Floor Plans ( Laurie Zook, Owner/Operator  has a degree in interior design and 15 years experience in that business. ) We are one of the first transitions management companies in the Washington DC area. 
• Our Liquidation services sell on site at the property, route to appropriate auctions or broker for the estate or heirs or client to get the highest price on valuables. Check out our on-line stores too.
• Home Staging and Property Improvement is on our menu of design-related services. We work with licensed contractors on interior and exterior improvements.
• 10% Off always for Seniors and Package prices available for turn key transitions, relocations and estate programs. Call at 301-332-5585
• lauriezook@missiontransition.net
• The Great Estate ReCycle: Downsize, Sell, Salvage and Re-Cycle! Trash is always the last resort!
• State of Maryland Certified Green Business!

B.A.D.- We are Born, We Accumulate, And We Deny. The M.T. "Trans-ACT-ON" Plan Toward Change!

MISSION TRANSITION LLC
B.A.D.- We are Born, we Accumulate, we Deny.


Downsizing is not a human inclination, but it sure cleans things up before it's too late.


Mission:Transition LLC, Laurie Zook 301-332-5585
This article can not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission by the author.

DOWNSIZING: Keys to a Successful Transition:
"ACT-ON" STEPS TOWARD YOUR FUTURE!


1.R. B. D.- Relocation By Design: Design a Plan and an exit strategy... with your Realtor, Transitions Manager, Attorney, CPA; all the professionals you count on. Then “work it”....getting the right help is important at the start.

2. D.O.S.-Downsize, Organize and Strategize: The 1 year rule of thumb. Put a plan into action 1 year before listing your home, or before ( when you think of it, it’s time…)The amount of time and energy you dedicate to this depends on your other obligation, your health and energy level. However, If you do not take time to attend to this it will catch up with you, and you might find yourself in a time crisis.
Behaviors to Be Aware of:
Denial and Procrastination Creates Crisis. Bottom line, number one reason for life going sour.
Stop (Accumulating). Put the money you would normally spend on more 'stuff' aside in a separate bank account to purchase new things you want after your move.
Beware the Arm Chair Professional: The neighbor or other acquaintance offering advice in your time of stress. Maintain Perspective. A professional is tested in their craft and has to hold their own in a very competitive market. The neighbor does not. Ask for and call professional references.

3. L.B.Y.L.- Live by your List: Write it all down. At first, generalize, then get specific as you work your plan. Who (to give to) ,What ( to move or give), When( to do it all,) Where ( to move, etc. ) Why ( All the reasons) This is your business plan for your future. When in doubt, read it for affirmation.

4. H.O.H- Hire Objective Help. Family can be helpful, but is generally not objective nor empathetic enough to see you through the process without undue stress. Do not burden them with your stuff or your time crisis. Hire an experienced, professional Transitions manager/ downsizer who can work with you to assess your situation, develop a plan, contact the right professionals for you...such as auction houses, charities, etc.; go through your stuff with you, pack it up as you go, work with you to find the right moving company, manage the move itself, and get you set up afterwards AND sell your stuff. This is the person who sees you through the confusion and keeps you on target. Your right hand, and extra brain.

5. S.Y.S.- Sell Your Stuff: With the help of a professional, you can sell almost anything that you decide you do not want to relocate with you. Everything from furnishings, to tools to "throw aways"....With the money made, buy new furnishings for your new home, or go on vacation.
Keep it Simple: The old adage, but in times of big change, always the best policy. Move less, add later.

Live Happy, Live Well!
copyright Laurie Zook 2011

The Great Estate RE-Cycle, Minimizing Waste & Maximizing Returns!

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs023/1102632010301/archive/1103138925399.html

A Newsletter I sent out a few months ago. But it says it all and thought I'd post it again.

The Great Estate RE-Cycle, Minimizing Waste & Maximizing Returns!

The Process of Downsizing and Organizing an individual to prepare for a relocation always results in boxes and bags of items to be gotten rid of in some way. 

Fortunately, during that process, we usually discover 'lost', hidden or forgotten valuables for the individual or estate. Sometimes this pays for the investment in our services and many times pays for relocation costs!

Over the past 11 years I have donated thousands of items to charity on behalf of my clients, whether individuals in transition or estates. I have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of collectibles, antiques, kitsch and household goods for estates, salvaged thousands of pounds of leftover metal and architectural pieces, and recycled un-measurable quantities of paper, cardboard, plastics, batteries- anything that is recycle-able, we try to recycle.  Unfortunately, there is always trash left behind. This goes to the landfill.

What makes Mission:Transition different is our focus and attention to DETAIL, RE-USE AND RE-CYCLING before Trash is considered. It is always the last resort. I feel the result is a project of higher integrity. 

Senior Housing Link- Seniors For Living, Check it out if Considering a Move in Your Future!

SENIOR HOUSING SITE.

http://www.seniorsforliving.com/fastfind/?gclid=CPrW2dGA0aYCFcNM4Aod9yjMIA&

Going into 2011, Getting PRE-pared?

Winter is NOT my favorite season and I am doing the best I can to NOT project gloom and doom on the months ahead. With the current financial crisis in this country and paralleled in my business, on a very small scale, how, I ask, do I go forward with RE-newed vigor for my business? Winter has always been the slow season. NOW how to survive this? 

Whatever, it's not a quick fix. There is no one solution to this problem for me, or for anyone in small business. 

How do I continue to create new possibilities in what looks so grim? Where do I find that next client? I know there are at least a thousand seniors out there, within my physical range of daily work, at least, who are lost when they think about getting their properties ready so they can sell them and move on. They are not capable of going it alone or sometimes with skilled help, like me. 


This leads me to review: What is it that I do for my clients? How could I change to capture more clients? These are some of the right questions to ask myself. I can ask and ask and end up at the same answers. What I do is work with people on the physical management aspects of transition. 


Question is: Where is my next client?


Survival as a small specialized service business. Yikes. Enough said.

11 Years Later in the Transitions Business and Here I am!

Not much has changed with people over the past 11 years since I found myself suddenly jobless, living in Chevy Chase, MD and decided to hang out a flyer at the local market. "Packrats and Dustbunnies, I am the Gunk n' Junk Exterminator!"

Immediately got a client with a house full of disarray, a history of cancer, two kids in college, clothes in her closet from size 12 through size 28, and a husband in a downtown office building. 4 weeks later, we had gone through her closets, downsized her wardrobe, hauled bag after bag of too small but very nice clothes to charity, ransacked the catacombs under her daughter's bed, thrown out old food, cleaned the pool area, organized her studio, cleaned out the attic, sat and watched her cry, conducted a very large yard sale,  upholstered a headboard, and cleaned as we went. I had a woman working with me on that job who cleaned as I organized. She would not let me touch her bedroom and handle the final details of paperwork that was strewn around the room. Two months after, I called her and she had slipped and fallen on a few magazines on the floor, on the carpet and broken an ankle. Fragile bones- those chemo patients have. So, she was back in bed, wallowing in her self imposed prison.

Dozens of clients later and  hundreds of stories I have found they all have the same characteristic: Self imposed resistance to going forward. They stop me at a point where, for some reason, something begins to slap them in the face. Something very uncomfortable.  Or they feel like "they've done enough" and can handle the rest on their own...but they never do. IF  they could they would have in the first place. Their house would not be a ( be nice, Laurie, ) pig sty, shambles, disaster waiting to happen. Their dysfunction would not be overwhelming their function. Yikes!

My latest story is with two younger seniors who hired me to help them downsize, and sell their junque. Their situation: Illness, lack of finances, large mortgage, and a super duper case of DENIAL and OVERWHELM. We were going forward, with positive stride, until yesterday when life hit him, at least, square in the jaw. She has been passive-aggressive, reluctant to make any direct wishes known.

The " I can'ts, I won't, I don't know how, started pouring out of him. History running into the present. Reality smacking him on the head. SMACK! "ou are sick, you can not do this any longer, your life has changed, you have to change with it." He freaked. NO MORE! He completely stopped the progress he was making. Dead stop.

I wrote him an email last night and told him he has experts working with him, fulfilling his wishes, and working with he and his wife to forward their lives. All they have to do is be there, communicate and get out of the way and watch the transformation occur. He called me and said he was stopping the work and firing his realtor.

Y'know. I get so sick and tired of this. But that's my problem.

People create their own realities. What is mine going to be? Where have I come from, where am I now and where am I going? Working with the mentally ill was never what I thought I'd be doing. Transforming environments and the lives within them, as a result, has always  been what I wanted to do. What is my next step?

Getting on With It

missiontransition.net

Services for those who welcome change...lol

Over the past ten years I have completed a lot of projects, all different, yet sharing a goal: Getting rid of stuff and taking either a client(s) or property to the next level of 'being', in some way.

When working with a client, (vs an estate where what happens to the stuff is typically solely my call....) going through the  stages of downsizing with a client, is challenging and difficult. For the client and me. It's hard work.

I am there as a provocoteur, expediter and manager. I use the  tag "Transition is Tough", because it appeals to the pain we people feel when up against a a major life change. Whether emotional or physical, or both, dealing with "what's next" is not easy.  Clear headed, self assessment is available to the clear headed and that says it all.  Moving forward can be nearly impossible for some.  (What step to take, where to go, how to think this through, what to do first?)

Regardless of a person's age and experience and physical condition, tackling transition is an act of logical, linear thinking and action. I have worked with a few people in their 40's, who were lost as to how to proceed, their house blinds (and mind) drawn closed; depressed, junk-filled houses-dead zones. Stuck. The idea of change, frightening.  I've met with a woman in her mid 80's who asked me in for a free consultation, just to pick my brain. She had her transition and move organized like a pro. No problem. Most people are somewhere in between.

The process goes something like this:

The initial downsizing; The Finding  "Oh, fantastic! This (cell phone, ring, coin, letter....) has been missing for a year!" The Rescuing (" I have to save this from (inevitable loss and destruction,) it's so important, I've had it since the 1979 Mardi Gras," The Denial, " I am not 80 years old, I am not moving, I am not in delicate health and I will NOT give it up!" to The Acknowledging, "OK, then, my doctor ( daughter, son, friend, minister, realtor) is right. I don't need this big house any more, it's too much for me to maintain...." The Re-Living, "When I was 11 the Nazi's were occupying Austria, my mother was dead, my father and uncle owned a linen factory and it was all taken." The the Decision Making, " It IS time to move- now to look at all of my options and set a deadline..." and finally The Action," Moving day is next Tuesday, I am excited, and am looking forward to this new home!" then The Letting Go Of,  "It's such a relief to have that big house and all that stuff in someone else's hands now, whew! I can see now how it held me down" and Gratitude, " I am so grateful that I am in this great new place and had the help I did to get here!"

Although those responses might seem a little idealistic, most of my client's have expressed these feelings, and lots of stories, during and after their transition. A few are not so open, whining and blaming me for their plight. "The Big R", Resistance, raising it's ugly head. 

If I am "The Bad Guy" to a few clients for doing my job, I figure it comes with the territory. They, heels dug in, creeping forward, spitting nails on ocassion. Me, "The Enforcer of Reality." How much fun that is. I walk away,moving day over, blood streaming down my body, impaled, but alive. I get them to their next place, as is my job. Later, they come to terms with life. 

I welcome that beautiful, rare human being who could call me up and say
 " Hey, can you help me get rid of my trash, and resell and recycle the good stuff? I am ready to do this, and want it done now! 

I'm 290 years old, getting on with my life, hate all of this junk and will pay you excellent money to do this for me. I'm on my way to Mars to set up a colony.

Those who love the idea of "giving it up" like a celebration of being alive, are the enlightened ones.


Taking out the trash is a good thing for the spirit.

Small Business: Frederick MD or Anywhere! Check out Merchant's Circle,

Connect with Other Small Business!

http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/MISSION.TRANSITION.LLC.301-332-5585

MISSION:TRANSITION, Frederick MD, Relocation, Transitions, Estates, Short-Term Rentals: Letting Go Without Losing Touch

MISSION:TRANSITION, Frederick MD, Relocation, Transitions, Estates, Short-Term Rentals: Letting Go Without Losing Touch

Himself at 78At 30

Letting Go Without Losing Touch

Letting Go Without Losing Touch


My dad died July 16, 2008. Congestive Heart Failure. Over the last 5 years of his life he would comment that IT was "a slippery slope."



I was grieving before he died and I'm still grieving, which might or might not be 'normal' by someone else's standards, but for me it is what it is. I'm dealing with it.



It creeps up on me several times a day. Today I was struggling to screw a hook into a sinker in a brick wall, to hold a bracket for a lamp, a "hickey" (dad word,) and in my frustration at the prospect of having yet one more thing to get done around here, I heard in my brain," I'll fik it", (dad term said in light-hearted determination when faced with a broken or 'not-right thing'.)



This is my grieving, and when it happens it makes me want to exhale, (vomit) my sadness. But I suck it up and keep on keeping on. Just like I've been taught to do. No time to sit and cry and feel bad. The "whim-whams" have to be overcome. Just go forward. Survive this recession. Go get business!



Dad was the one who had a "Never Give Up" poster on his office wall, years past, when life had become very tough for he and my mom. She credits herself with getting him out of bed many mornings, which I believe. That poster was just a backup.



With his illness, it annoyed him, to put it lightly, to feel himself becoming weak. He would exclaim "Well, Hell, there's nothing wrong with me!" when I'd stupidly insinuated he should put his feet up or ask if there was something I could do for him. Eventually, he came to terms with it.

What choice did he have...



My clients, many of them seniors, are suffering through the loss of a spouse or other VIP, and have been through what I am going through many times in the past, no doubt.

I can appreciate this more now. Death is harsh.



When I work with them to downsize their personal belongings and move them forward to their next home. I ask them to "let go" of their stuff, the things that are outdated, not useful any longer, worn out, and sometimes they leave behind the good things, which I take to charity or sell for them.



Letting go of belongings is also letting go of the emotional attachment to it. I have sat through stories and tears with more than one client. I cajole and do my best to keep them on track. Sometimes they rear up in resistance, get angry, blame me for their situation, but eventually we move on.



The death of my father is the precursor to my mother's downsizing. She decided for several reasons, including health, to move in with my sister and brother in law and my 13 year old nephew. There she can have her own suite and as close to a normal family life as is possible. She's in the midst of the downsizing and packing process, and seems to be managing it well, and has not asked me for my assistance, since, after all- she trained me...



I just came back from my parent's house, with, among several inherited treasures, my dad's special mid-century chair. He and mom purchased it in 1956 right after they married, with other special, very " hip" furnishings which they brought to their tiny town in central PA. Dad also purchased the first Chevrolet Corvette ever to grace the roads of that beautiful valley, in 1954.



(He was interested in innovation and progress, not willing to settle for Victorian" fluff"; the stuff of his mother and her sisters.)



This chair is an icon of that era and a symbol that I relate directly to him and my childhood. As a little kid, I would lie on my back on the ottoman and twirl around observing the geography of the ceiling, deep in thought, wondering what it would be like to walk on the ceiling and wondering why I couldn't.



That chair seems strange and foreign here in my home. I walk into the room and subconsciously ignore it, in denial that it is empty of him, I guess. An adjustment I'm going through, like squinting to see in the dark. Last night I sat in it, closed my eyes and observed being there. Quietly, for once.



Staying in touch with my history, my memories, while being present to my present is a challenge.

One Day FREE Seniors Downsizing and TRANS-ACT-ON Plan!

I am seeking one deserving senior who HAS to start getting their house in order for a FREE ONE Day Start UP Downsizing. I will work with them to assess their home, organize a plan of action, work on one critical area of their home and try and organize a support system for them to go forward.
In turn, I will be permitted to tape our work together: the intake process, the hands-on work, the day's work in it's entirety. This will be used for my promotional purposes, only.
Additional work is at my seniors rates.
Please email me if you have that senior and can make a personal introduction. DC MEtro area only. Thank you.

Washington DC and Maryland Realtors and MISSION:Transition Collaborate!

Hi. I am looking for a three agressive realtors who want to hone new business by educating their customer base on the fine art of downsizing.

One in NW DC, one in Montgomery County and one in Frederick County.

Together we can set up a one hour or so workshop, once a month or so. I will conduct the workshop with the realtor, and go through my step by step
"TRans-ACTION" Plan for Successful Transitions!

Please let me know if you have any interest. Thanks!