Tips for selling your vehicle
Depersonalize your vehicle
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
Depersonalize your vehicle
That not only means cleaning the vehicle, but also getting rid of any add-ons like bumper stickers to make the car look as neutral as possible.
Clean your car
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
Depersonalize your vehicle
Cleaning a car thoroughly signals that your car is well taken care of.
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
When it comes to a car's condition, sellers need to be honest with themselves before they can be honest with buyers. Try and evaluate your car as if you were a buyer coming to look at it.
Mileage is relative...
Brand matters, to an extent
Be honest with yourself about your car's condition
A car's odometer doesn't tell the whole story. Some cars tend to last longer than others, so number of miles on the clock can mean vastly different things for different makes and models.
Brand matters, to an extent
Brand matters, to an extent
Brand matters, to an extent
Sellers shouldn't think that they can demand more for a car simply because it's considered to be a durable model.
Just because you have a well-known, reliable car, that doesn't automatically free you from maintenance or cleanliness or adhering to pricing guidelines.
What is your time worth...
Brand matters, to an extent
Brand matters, to an extent
Call senior Auto Solutions or send us an inquiry today. After collecting a few items of information we can schedule a time to visit you wherever you are, evaluate your vehicle, and provide you with an offer. If you like our offer we can write you a check and drive off in your car right then.
5 Ways to get Social Later in Life
Volunteer your talents
Not only can volunteering a few times a week or month bring structure to one’s life, but it can also create connections with others. Whether you went to college or not, you have a lot of life experience when you get older. Maybe you’re a wonderful cook or knitter or are great at playing bridge or chess or scrabble. You can use that knowledge to teach others and interact with them.
Find a hobby
Practicing something you enjoy can fill time, bring joy, and help you meet new people. If you like doing pottery or water coloring or playing music, get out there and meet others who like to do the same things you do. Make sure it’s something that you like and you’ll stick to it.
Learn something new
Community colleges and senior centers offer courses in many subjects, as well as private businesses. Acquiring new skills and trades can maintain mental health for seniors.
Travel
Seeing new places can encourage interactions with others. Travel can expose you to different cultures and people even within your own city or country. Travel can also can get you physically active with walking and sightseeing.
Embrace Social Media
For those who are homebound or unable to get out and about, online tools offer a way to stay connected with family and friends, and even provide opportunities to meet new friends. The internet expands people’s world. Now with social media you can go online and see grandchildren or friends. For those who are wary of technology, ask a younger relative for help.
Tips for downsizing later in life
Additional Information
1. Start early.
Give yourself plenty of time for this process because it will inevitably take longer than you expect. Take your time, and do not try to sort through your entire house in one day or weekend. A couple of weeks to a month is a more realistic timeline. Take it one room at a time and take breaks throughout.
Go through each item one by one. It’s important to give everything you own your attention for at least a second or two. It will also help you develop a great decision-making system because you’re learning how to focus and then choose.
2. Start small.
You probably already have things you want to get rid of in the kitchen or garage, but avoid diving into such a big room at the very beginning. You have years and years of things to sort through. Start in an area with little emotional attachment. The laundry room or linen closet are good options. Understand your needs. If you’re moving into a two-bedroom house, four sets of sheets should be plenty. The rest can go.
Garages/attics/basements are notorious for being the hardest rooms to tackle. These rooms tend to accumulate all the old hobbies, boxes, old holiday decorations, and clutter. They’re also known to be rather uncomfortable spaces.
3. Eliminate rooms you won’t have in your new home.
If you’re moving to an apartment or townhome, you might not have a garage or office space. Nearly everything in those spaces will need to be sold, donated, tossed, or relocated to other rooms. Storage space is also often reduced, will you have room for your car, a potential second car, or your RV? If not, sell them.
4. Get rid of duplicates.
You’ll find this is especially true in your kitchen. You have two or three spatulas and ladles, a couple of oversized stock pots, and four different sized cookie sheets. Now’s the time to reduce the clutter. If you’re feeling wary of handing off that second roasting pan because you use it every Christmas (but at no other time during the year), consider giving it to a child or grandchild who can bring it over for the holiday and take it home when they leave.
5. Only make Yes or No piles — no Maybes.
When you’re going through years of belongings, some things are going to tug at your heartstrings, and you’ll be tempted to make a third pile of things to keep if you have space. Don’t fall for it. You’ll end up with a Maybe pile that’s bigger than either of the other two. When that happens, you haven’t really made any progress in sorting, just moved it across the room. Take a hard look at every item you pick up. If you use it regularly, keep it. But it’s time to let something go if it’s been sitting in a closet or on a shelf for a year or more.
6. Reduce collections creatively.
It can be hard to let go of a lifetime collection of porcelain dolls or snow globes from all your vacations, but they will eat up a lot of space or end up stored in a box where you’ll never see them. Instead, pick a couple to keep and take high-resolution photos of the rest, then have them made into a photo book that can sit on your coffee table or mantle. You and guests will be able to enjoy them without the clutter.
7. Don’t be afraid to sell things yourself.
With Craigslist, Ebay, numerous smartphone apps, yard sales, and an abundance of consignment shops, selling your belongings has never been easier. You probably won’t make a ton of money on most items, so consider how much time you want to invest.
Yard sales are usually faster, but items won’t sell for as much. Craigslist has its drawbacks, but you’ll have a much wider audience and can probably get more for your stuff. Consignment is a good option for high-end furniture, handbags, and other accessories; prices are reasonable, and they’ll sometimes pick-up heavy furniture for you.
If you aren’t handy with a computer, your grandchildren can probably help. But if that all sounds like more than you care to deal with, hiring a firm to run an estate sale might be your best bet.
8. Consider legacy gifts early.
Is there an antique clock in your foyer that you plan to one day leave to your son? Maybe a china collection your granddaughter adores? If there are certain heirlooms or pieces you plan to leave to your family in your will, consider giving those gifts now.
This has two benefits: you’ll get the items out of our way, and you’ll be able to enjoy the feeling of giving those items to your loved ones now. While you’re at it, find out if there are any items your children want that you don’t know about — you might find an easy way to make them happy and lighten your load.
9. Allow some time to reminisce.
While you’re cleaning and sorting, there will be some days when you want to stop emptying the kids’ bedrooms and just look through the kindergarten drawings, soccer trophies, and once-prized stuffed animals. It’s OK to pause and let the nostalgia take over for a bit. Cry if you need to, or move on to another room and come back. This is why you started early — just don’t let it prevent you from eventually getting the job done.
10. Use this as a chance to bond.
Invite the kids and grandkids over for the weekend. Talk to the young ones about where you bought your favorite trinkets. Tell them about your family’s heirlooms. Let them help pack, ask questions, and spend time with you. Get help posting items for sale online. It can be one more moment your family shares together in the house you’ve loved — before you start making those memories together in your next home. Remember that it’s your family that’s important for the memories you cherish, not the stuff
Help for speaking to loved ones about aging
Discussing tough issues with a senior parent or loved one is not easy. Most older people want to remain as independent as they possibly can, and tough conversations can often feel like an intrusion into their privacy. In addition, aging adults often find the role reversal of their children suddenly being in charge to be a difficult pill to swallow.
Gather Information First
It is essential for all those involved in carrying out the difficult conversation to be prepared beforehand. It is helpful to arm yourself with facts and consider all possibilities before discussing the topic. Make the effort to be well-informed before entering into a hard conversation with an older adult. The last thing you want to do is offend your loved one by having the conversation revolve around unfounded and unfair accusations.
How do you know how your loved one is doing? A good way to start is by observing the person in daily life. That way, you can see how they are getting around, and whether they truly need extra assistance. Try and pay extra attention to the following areas:
· Hygiene
· Driving
· Meals
· Housekeeping and home maintenance
· Ability to manage their schedule – scheduling, attending, and follow up on appointments
List out what you see, looking both for areas in which there are problems but also areas in which your loved one is doing well. Once you’ve made some observations, you should be able to determine their limitations and will be better able to assess their needs moving forward.
Consider your Loved One's Feelings
It can be challenging for older adults to admit they are aging and are no longer able to do the things they once could. If a senior is finding it burdensome to care for him or herself, a dangerous situation could develop and it is time for a serious talk. The conversation is going to be most effective if you can put yourself in the shoes of your parent or loved one, and think about how he or she might be feeling.
Bring Up the Subject Lightly
Think of some conversation starters that would get the ball rolling in a non-threatening manner. For example: during a conversation, you could bring up an issue that you noticed your loved one struggling with when you were making observations. Do your best to keep it comfortable and non-confrontational. A great way to start sensitively is to bring up one of your own struggles, and then proceed to ask how the senior is coping with theirs. This allows the parent to take on the more comfortable role as guide or teacher. Bringing up the subject in a casual manner, before any formal, sit-down talk, can help you gauge how the senior may react when you approach them with the difficult conversation.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Seniors, just like all of us, have good and bad days. In particular, seniors who are dealing with early Alzheimer’s disease or dementia symptoms or memory loss are likely to be more receptive if they are having a good day and do not feel overly frustrated. The following are some mistakes that should be avoided when dealing with an uncomfortable conversation with a senior:
· Do not make accusations that could be hurtful, even if they are true.
· Listen as much as you speak.
· Do not make demands.
· Do not talk down to the senior.
· Do not raise your voice or become angry.
· Do not have the conversation when the senior is tired or not feeling well.
· Do not expect any major decisions to be made with one conversation.
The tone of the conversation can either open up the lines of communication or cause them to come crashing to a close. It is critical to keep calm and avoid raising your voice. Arguments are not conducive to an effective conversation.
Many people attempt to schedule a formal meeting with the senior in their life, but this approach can sometimes backfire. If the senior feels like they are being pushed or forced into something, they are likely to become upset, and may just cancel the meeting.
Keeping a level head and a calm tone during the conversation will help everyone stay focused and unflustered. Because it may take more than one conversation, opt to open the lines of communication early! It’s easier to begin by discussing an easier topic such as hiring a non-medical home care provider and then move on to more difficult subjects like long-term care, end-of-life care, palliative care, and whether your loved one has an advance directive
Tips for Speaking with a Senior on Tough Subject Matters
· It is important to speak clearly and distinctly. Many seniors have difficulty hearing, even if they do not admit there is a problem.
· Make sure the conversation takes place with as few distractions as possible.
· Keep the conversation as light-hearted as possible. Jokes are great, as long as they are respectful.
· Allow the senior to be a part of any decisions being made.
· Make sure to stay respectful at all times.
· Keep an open mind.
· Make the decision about what is best for the senior, not you.
· Be honest at all times and show love.
· Use the experiences of their friends or their parents as real life examples
Alternative to selling your vehicle
Donate
An alternative to selling your vehicle is to donate it. Many local and national non-profit organizations accept car, truck, boat, RV, golf cart, and other vehicle donations. Some people we have worked with in the past have decided they would rather donate their vehicle to charity than sell it for cash. This can be a good alternative if you have an old car, serious mechanical issues, damages, or do not need/want the money. Just like Senior Auto Solutions, most charities will come and pick up your vehicle(s). Below you will find a list of national organizations that accept vehicle donations (note this is not a complete list):
· American Council for The Blind
· American Lung Association
· Habitat for Humanity
· Humane Society
· Lymphoma Foundation of America
· Make a Wish Foundation
· National Cancer Society
· National Kidney Foundation
· Volunteers of America
Local Portland Partners
Kerry Nelson, CarePatrol
With CarePatrol’s help, your loved one will receive the care they need in a safe and appropriate senior living community. Kerry is a Certified Senior Advisor who will take the time to conduct a Complete Care Assessment to help identify the safest community providing the level of care to best suit your loved ones needs.