Testimonial Tales

Transitions Liquidation Services helped professors Beverly and Jerry Weiss in their retirement move from Wayland, Massachusetts, to Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Our realtor recommended Marie LeBlanc and we’re very grateful that she did,” the Weiss’ said.

“We were well organized, and had made our plans, but a medical emergency forced us to turn over a large portion of the work to Marie on short notice. Marie understood our situation and our needs, and she went to work promptly and diligently to help us accomplish our move. It was really a relief to have someone else take charge,” Beverly and Jerry remembered.

“Marie helped us coordinate our moving sale, arranged for donations to charity, consignment shop placement, and sales to antique dealers, and then took care of the final cleanout, and prepared the house for a smooth closing,” they said.

Some of the items needing new homes were unique.

Beverly Weiss was the proud owner of a more than 60-pound cast-iron school bell and base — the very bell that once rang outside a family member’s country schoolhouse in Ohio.

“It’s uncommon to see a decorative school bell on a New England lawn. To complicate matters, at the time of the move, the economy was sluggish, and I had no clever ideas about how I’d market this particular item,” said LeBlanc.

As it turned out, the Weiss home in Wayland was just down the street from a curling center.

“There was a tournament the weekend of the estate sale. A few folks stopped by early in the morning. They went back and told the other people at the arena and the next thing I knew, there was interest in not only the bell, but a number of other mid-western items. A couple from St. Louis, in town for the tournament, bought the bell and had it shipped home. The new owners said the cost was still less than what they would have paid for one locally,” explained LeBlanc.

“It’s good to know the bell has new owners who will proudly display their discovery,” she added.

Drs. Beverly and Jerry Weiss
Scottsdale, Arizona
beverlyandjerald_weiss@compuserve.com

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Steve Sheldon is an attorney for the estate of an elderly gentlemen who died without a will leaving behind a house packed full with papers, furniture and collectibles. The man was survived by two sons, neither of whom had the time or inclination to sort out the “mess” left behind.

“The estate had to be organized and inventoried. I hired Marie LeBlanc and Transitions Liquidation Services to organize the home, search for valuables, and gather important documents. I asked Marie to look for life insurance policies, bank books, and collectibles,” said the Pepperell attorney.

“She tackled the task room by room — basement to attic — and cataloged everything.

“There were reams and reams of paperwork alone, most of which should have been discarded years ago. I trusted Marie to decipher between junk — such as long expired auto and homeowner policies — and necessary documents. Anything of questionable value she set aside for my review,” explained Attorney Sheldon.

“During the process, Marie found antique jewelry, baseball cards, life insurance policies and old documents pertaining to the long deceased wife’s estate. Marie also found numerous boxes of valuable coins in several different locations within the home.

“Marie is someone you can trust — that’s critical. And, she has a professional attitude. Hiring Transitions Liquidation Services was a good use of my time. There is no way I could have done this on my own.

“It is likely that the house will eventually be sold, and when that happens, I’ll hire Marie again to do a clean out and prepare it for sale. “I am most pleased to recommend Transition Liquidation Services to any family or lawyer involved with probating an estate,” Attorney Sheldon concluded.

Steve Sheldon
Sheldon Law
Pepperell, MA
978.433.6400
ssheldon@sheldonlaw.com

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Dan Burke first spied a Transitions Liquidation Services brochure when he accompanied his in-laws to look at a house for sale in Westford. When the current owner said he’d hired TLS to catalog and move nearly 40 years of household items, Burke was skeptical the huge task would be completed in time for the closing.

TLS rose to the challenge and Burke was convinced his family needed Marie LeBlanc’s magic touch as well. Since that chance encounter, LeBlanc has helped Burke and his family deal with his mother’s move to an in-law apartment — a two-step process.

“Mom’s home was filled with items that she’s been collecting her whole life — furniture, antiques, collectables and other memorabilia, as well as important documents. At first, Mom was definitely against the idea of having someone else go through her things,” said Burke, “but Marie had an uncanny ability to read Mom’s personality and that opened her up to the process.”

The first phase of LeBlanc’s work involved taking a detailed inventory of everything in his Mom’s home. Scores of items were cataloged onto spreadsheets, then packed into labeled boxes, and cross-referenced to the corresponding spreadsheet. Burke said the detailed lists are helpful not only during the transition process, but will come in handy for future distribution decisions.

“Marie did not bring preconceived notions of what was important, but rather had a collaborative manner. She even brought in Skinners [Auctioneers] to appraise Mom’s antiques. Marie skillfully guided Mom to make the decisions that needed to be made,” said Burke.

“She didn’t just make recommendations, but helped us implement them from start to finish. Marie actually sketched out a plan of attack. She pulled out her notebook and created a diagram or project management flow chart. Marie broke everything into manageable sub-tasks and before we knew it, we had reached the goal.

“It’s easy to work with Marie — she’s got the right personality. She’s part counselor, part advisor, and amazing worker bee. A qualified, independent, disinterested, yet compassionate third party,” said Burke.

LeBlanc is currently working with the family to review the contents of the home to which the in-law apartment will be added. According to Burke, that second home, which has been in his family for years and, in fact, is the home where he and his siblings were raised, is also full of items that must be inventoried before major renovations can begin.

“Marie is even helping us to decide which pieces of furniture to store during construction, and even finding the storage facility,” explained Burke.

The next phase will likely include space planning, decisions regarding retained items, and a sale of unwanted items. Then, Transitions Liquidation Services will help the Burkes tackle the actual move and dispose of everything that will not fit in the new apartment.

“Marie helped us through an overwhelming task — sorting through and prioritizing a lifetime of treasures. I can’t imagine doing any of this without Marie’s help,” concluded Burke.

Dan Burke
Collaborative Wealth Advisors
Westford, MA
978.392.3630

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Nashoba Valley Elder Care provides court appointed Guardianship and Conservatorship services for elders and family directed Geriatric Care Management services. Over the years, President Regina Bragdon has hired Transitions Liquidation Services to perform everything from general cleanouts and estate sales, to acting as a general contractor for repairs or updates.

“Normally the houses are so neglected and distressed — from peeling wallpaper to code violations — they need a little bit of everything. Marie coordinates painters, plumbers, electricians. . . . She even arranged a chimney replacement quote,” said Bragdon. Transitions Liquidation Services then stages the house for sale.

“As a result, the houses sold much faster and at a much higher price than expected,” said Bragdon.

“Transitions Liquidation Services allows me to provide a much broader set of services to my clients while I remain focused on what I do best — overseeing medical and legal issues on their behalf,” she explained.

Regina Towne Bragdon, President
Nashoba Valley Elder Care, Inc.
Harvard, MA
978.456.9988
reginabragdon@charter.net