Doris Bettin uses the second bedroom in her Monarch Landing apartment home as an art studio. (Submitted photo)

Doris Bettin has been retired for more than a decade, but her life is every bit as full as it was when she was working and raising three children with her husband.

Bettin worked as the director of Christian education at her Glen Ellyn church. In her position, she ran the Sunday school, trained and recruited volunteers, and organized special events. During the course of her career, Bettin returned to school to complete her bachelor’s degree and became certified as a rostered associated minister for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Bettin says she truly enjoyed her work and found it rewarding, but after nearly 20 years on the job, she was ready to retire. With some newfound leisure time, she turned her attention to painting and drawing, a hobby she had put on the back burner while she was building her career and her family.

A hobby, lost and found

As a child, Bettin loved painting and drawing, and when she picked it back up as an adult, she discovered that she still had the knack.

She joined the DuPage Art League in Wheaton, Ill., and began creating paintings in pastels and watercolors. Bettin has exhibited her artwork in several local galleries and has sold pieces to people in eight different states.

“It’s been very gratifying for someone my age to take up a hobby like that and have it also be beneficial financially,” Bettin says.

A new studio and a new start

She and her husband recently sold their Glen Ellyn house and moved to an apartment home at Monarch Landing, the Erickson community in Naperville, Ill., where Bettin uses the second bedroom as an art studio. She says she enjoys painting in her new studio because the room has eastern exposure and plenty of morning sunshine. She is currently working on portraits of her grandchildren.

Bettin was pleased to learn Monarch Landing has an on-site art studio where residents can exhibit work. And, she has found yet another market in her new neighbors—she sold two paintings at a recent Monarch Landing craft fair.

When Bettin isn’t painting or spending time with her children and grandchildren, she and her husband are enjoying their retirement, whether that is at home at Monarch Landing or out and about in the community. Bettin also remains involved with her Glen Ellyn church, where she is a member of the women’s group. In addition, she and Bill are both members of Morton Arboretum.

At Monarch Landing, Bettin and her husband are also enjoying getting involved with their new community. She has joined a Monarch Landing Bible study group and helps to organize mid-week interfaith services, while he has joined the golf league and regularly works out at the on-site fitness and aquatic center. Together, the couple has enjoyed special events like the recent Monarch Landing Artist Series, where they took in a performance of The New Odyssey, a trio that dazzles crowds with musical performances involving 30 different instruments. Bettin says she and her husband are looking forward to enjoying the warm summer weather outside on the patio near the community’s swimming pool.

“There is always something going on here at Monarch Landing,” Bettin says. “My daughter thinks it is like a landlocked cruise ship.”

Making new friends and rediscovering old ones

One of the most enjoyable things about living at Monarch Landing, Bettin says, is getting to know their neighbors. They already knew one couple from their church before they moved in, and since then, she has reconnected with an old college friend who is also a Monarch Landing resident.

“We are very impressed with the atmosphere here at Monarch Landing—the friendliness of staff and residents,” Bettin says. “There are no pretensions and the smiles are genuine; there is an air of relaxation.”

Elliott Kroger, M.D., supervised Kimberly Jenson, M.D., during her residency at West Suburban Medical Center. Now both are at Sedgebrook, where Jenson appreciates the time she can spend with each person: “This is how we should be practicing medicine.”

“Over 150 new residents moved to the campus in 2009, a demonstration of the strength of the Erickson name in Chicagoland,” says Executive Director Ian Brown.

Kimberly Jenson, M.D., joined Medical Director Elliott Kroger, M.D., at the beginning of this year. Jenson had worked under Kroger during her residency at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Ill., and when he needed to find another doctor to join his growing practice, he called on his former mentee.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Jenson join us at Sedgebrook,” Kroger says. “She brings compassion, fine judgment, and great skill to the medical center and Renaissance Gardens [Sedgebrook’s extended-care neighbhorhood], which can only translate into fine care for all our residents.”

Time to ‘treat the whole person’

A few months into her new job, Jenson says she especially appreciates the approach to patient care at Sedgebrook’s medical center. She notes that the system is designed so doctors have plenty of time for each appointment, and as a result, they can really get to know each patient and fully address all of his/her medical needs.

“This is how we should be practicing medicine,” Jenson says. “We treat the whole person here.”

Since Jenson has plenty of time to spend with her patients, she can identify and treat those things that may go overlooked by another doctor. For example, someone who is taking care of a sick spouse could develop symptoms of depression. So in addition to performing examinations and writing prescriptions, Jenson—who was chief resident at West Suburban—attempts to treat the psychosocial issues that often come into play for older patients.

And Jenson knows that Sedgebrook residents are a health-savvy bunch. She says they often come in, having researched their own ailments, with specific questions for her.

“I love when people come in with a list,” Jenson says. “We can go through it and then type up answers that they can share with their families.”

The doctor is on call

Jenson’s patients don’t necessarily have to schedule an appointment to get the benefit of her medical expertise either. Like Kroger, Jenson hosts regular lectures in Sedgebrook’s clubhouse to provide residents with information on different health and medical topics. She recently did one talk on generic medications and another on skin care.

From a medical perspective, Jenson says Sedgebrook residents have a built-in advantage when it comes to maintaining good health as they age. Not only does the on-site medical center make routine care more convenient, but residents have the benefit of living in a vibrant community among their peers—which goes a long way in maintaining physical, emotional, and psychological well being.

“The environment here is that of a great community,” Jenson says. “There is a lot of community support, people really are happy and thriving, and they push each other to be better.”

Sedgebrook is an Erickson retirement community in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Erickson manages a network of 19 communities nationwide that combine a maintenance-free, active lifestyle with social activities, amenities, and medical offerings proven to improve both physical and mental health.

Bill Bettin, Bob Rickert, John Torri, and Ron Olsen hit one of several greens around Monarch Landing, where they live.

For one group of Monarch Landing neighbors, weekly golf games have become a tradition they look forward to resuming each year during the warmer months. Every Wednesday morning around 7 a.m., Bob Rickert, John Torri, Bill Bettin and Ron Olsen tee off at one of five different area golf courses.

“We are really fortunate to have such a selection all within 10 miles [of Monarch Landing],” Rickert says. “We tend to go on a cycle, where we try to alternate courses every week.” His favorite is Settler’s Hill in Batavia, Ill. The course was built on top of a landfill, which creates hills and varying elevations not typically found in the notoriously flat Midwest. The foursome also plays at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago, Fox Bend Golf Course in Oswego, Phillips Park Golf Course in Aurora, and Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville.

The active group always plays 18 holes, Rickert says, giving them ample opportunity to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

Illinois certainly isn’t known for its great weather, but the Monarch Landing golfers manage to make the most of the temperate months and stretch the season as long as they can. Last year, they didn’t put their clubs away until just before Thanksgiving, and Rickert says they were able to hit the driving range this year on an unseasonably warm and sunny March afternoon.

“We almost make it an eight-month season, so who needs to go south?” Rickert jokes.

Forming friendships on the green

Rickert and his golf buddies all have similar handicaps and share the same attitude about the game, he says. They don’t take themselves too seriously or play for money.

“What is really great about it is the camaraderie,” Rickert says. “We tend to mix very well.”

That sense of camaraderie is exactly what drew Bettin, the newest member, into the foursome. Bettin met Torri last summer in Monarch Landing’s parking garage. Torri was putting away his clubs, and Bettin struck up a conversation about golf. As luck would have it, Torri and his friends were looking for a fourth, so Bettin joined their Wednesday morning golf club.

Bettin says the weekly golf outings also give the four men a chance to talk and get to know each other better.

“We’re all involved in different things, so that makes it interesting,” Bettin says. “And we all catch up on what the others are doing.”

Monarch Landing is an Erickson retirement community in Naperville, Illinois. Erickson manages a network of 19 communities nationwide that combine a maintenance-free, active lifestyle with social activities, amenities, and medical offerings proven to improve both physical and mental health.

Case in point: Monarch Landing resident Raymond Nerhus and his wife, Astrid, sold their Naperville duplex in just three weeks.

When the couple made the decision to move to Monarch Landing, they gained access to Erickson Realty & Moving Services, a free program through which new residents can access a suite of services to assist them in selling their houses.

Monarch Landing’s Personal Moving Consultant Brenda Weaver met with the Nerhuses and provided them with referrals to knowledgeable and experienced real estate professionals who have successfully helped other residents close sales.

Mr. Nerhus said he and his wife had already done some work on the house prior to putting it on the market, so it was in good condition and nicely decorated. But, he says, Weaver was able to provide them with a few staging and decluttering tips, like removing personal items and family photos—small changes that make a property stand out from the competition in a tough market where buyers want to be able to visualize the home as their own.

“The Nerhuses were a wonderful couple to work with,” Weaver says. “They listened to the staging advice that I and their preferred real estate agent gave them.”

If the price is right

Of course, it’s not just the condition and décor of a house that matter. In today’s market, proper pricing can mean the difference between a speedy sale and months of poorly attended open houses, Weaver says. That’s why she works with prospective Monarch Landing residents and their agents to help them identify the right price that will bring in buyers, while still reflecting the value of the property. Based on her knowledge of the real estate market, Weaver says she did advise the Nerhuses to drop their price a bit.

“When it came time to choose a listing price, they of course wanted more, like everyone does when they try to sell their home,” Weaver says. “They were, however, realistic and listened to the advice of their preferred real estate agent. This combination of pricing right and decluttering made for a quick sale.”

Smooth moves

Once the house sold, Weaver was still nearby to help the Nerhuses with their move to Monarch Landing. She referred them to a moving company that handles many residents’ moves, and she assisted them with designing floor plans to arrange furniture in their new Monarch Landing apartment home.

Now the couple is settled in their new home, and Mr. Nerhus says he and his wife are “delighted.” They chose a Patterson-style apartment home, which features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and sunroom.

“We’re very much at home here,” Mr. Nerhus says. “We moved from six rooms and a basement into here, and almost all of our furniture fit.”

When they are not spending quality time together in their apartment home, he and his wife are enjoying getting to know their new neighbors.

“The staff is beautiful here,” he says, “and the residents are lovely people.”

Monarch Landing is an Erickson retirement community in Naperville, Illinois. Erickson manages a network of 19 communities nationwide that combine a maintenance-free, active lifestyle with social activities, amenities, and medical offerings proven to improve both physical and mental health.

Tallgrass Creek resident and former FBI agent Jim Graham reviews the many newspaper clippings his wife, Marlene, saved that outlined his career. (Photo by Mary Bush)

“I was a street agent at the time and was in my car,” says former FBI agent Jim Graham, who now lives at Tallgrass Creek. “I was connected to the highway patrol’s radio, and the news came over the air.”

Two days later, Jack Ruby murdered Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Graham found himself in Dallas along with hundreds of other law enforcement representatives, investigating the astonishing turn of events.

Graham recounted those highlights and more to about 100 Tallgrass Creek residents during one of the community’s recent “Tell Your Story” presentations. Held the fourth Monday of each month, the event features different staff members or residents who have had unique experiences.

On this afternoon, Graham explained that after the assassination, he spent a month in Dallas pursuing thousands of leads that might link to Oswald. That information eventually became part of the Warren Commission’s report, the 880-page investigation of the Kennedy assassination. Graham re-mains a firm believer there was no conspiracy to kill Kennedy.

Above: President Kennedy and wife, Jacqueline, in Dallas. Below: The bullet that caused the nonlethal wounds of President Kennedy and the wounds of Governor Connally. (Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News; Penn Jones Jr. Collection, W. R. Poage Legislative Library. Baylor University)

Graham was also the lead negotiator during Kansas City’s only airline hijacking, in 1977. The saga began in Grand Island, Nebr., when an armed hijacker boarded a Frontier Airlines flight and demanded $3 million, release of a friend in prison, and transport to Cuba. The plane landed in Kansas City, Mo., to refuel and Graham’s negotiations began.

“He wanted money and transport to Cuba, and we wanted all the people safely off the plane,” says Graham. “It was a very tense one-and-a- half hour standoff.”

Graham convinced the hijacker to release most of the passengers and told him he would need to change planes in Atlanta since the plane wouldn’t make it to Cuba. When the plane landed in Atlanta, the hijacker killed himself without harming the remaining passengers and crew.

Investigating a career

Graham graduated from Notre Dame in 1952 and spent two years in the Air Force as the deputy financial officer for the Alaskan Air Command in Anchorage, Alaska. He became familiar with the FBI when he discovered some of his unit’s payroll missing and the Bureau sent agents to investigate.

Graham joined the FBI in 1955 and spent most of his 25-year career in the criminal division of the Kansas City office. He dealt with crimes such as car theft rings, interstate theft, and unlawful fugitive flight cases. He was in charge of the major criminal squad for the last ten years of his career.

One assignment he supervised was an eight-month sting operation that resulted in shutting down several large fencing operations. He went into business with the thieves in order to catch them.

“We rented some office space and set up shop,” says Graham. “It didn’t take long before we had ‘customers’ wanting to fence everything from stolen cars to chain saws.”

The transactions were taped and all those caught fencing stolen property pled guilty.

Crime stopper

After retirement from the FBI in 1980, Graham headed up the Kansas City Crime Commission, a nonprofit organization consisting of business and community leaders. The commission, established in the ‘40s to help ensure the legitimacy of top law enforcement, is still an active organization today.

“Our city has a fine police force now,” says Graham. “But there was a time when there was quite a lot of corruption and the commission provided a watchdog.”

Kansas City’s popular TIPS hotline was established during Graham’s tenure as head of the city’s crime commission. The hotline is responsible for hundreds of solved crimes every year.

In 1984, Graham received the Officer of the Year award for his contributions to the crime commission and the FBI. The award is sponsored by the local NBC affiliate and the metropolitan police chiefs’ and sheriffs’ associations. Recipients are voted on by their peers in local, state, and federal law enforcement.

Lots of learning at Tallgrass Creek

Graham is the fourth speaker in the “Tell Your Story” series, which kicked off last October. Other speakers include resident Betsy Heimke, who at age 12 was a civilian POW in the Philippines during World War II; and Phyllis Koropp, who described her life abroad. Koropp was born in Shanghai, China, and educated in England. She is also a weaver and during her presentation showed several outfits she has designed and woven. Koropp is a member of the Creative Hands Club that meets twice a month at Tallgrass Creek.

“It is just amazing the careers and experiences many of our residents have had,” says John Belden, chair of Tallgrass Creek’s Lifelong Learning Series, which selects speakers for the “Tell Your Story” presentations. “You could almost write a book about it.

Jerrianne Iseley lives at Monarch Landing and leads retreats nationally. (Submitted photo)

In Alabama—where she met her husband, Lee—she was a stay-at-home mother and an active volunteer while he worked as a pastor in a church. When Mr. Iseley’s job brought the family to Illinois for the first time in 1988, Mrs. Iseley continued volunteering with her church while raising her children.

In 2002, the couple packed their bags again and moved to Philadelphia, Pa., where Mr. Iseley was offered a job as the director of a missionary organization. So Mrs. Iseley volunteered with the outfit as its women’s ministries coordinator. She also started working with Ethnic Network America, a coalition promoting diversity. Through this group, she began traveling about once a month to different cities around the country to conduct conferences with people involved with ethnic ministries. She is also a public speaker and has conducted women’s retreats promoting spiritual growth across the country.

Sharing her life lessons

After many years of traveling and working as a missionary, Mrs. Iseley, who is also a writer, compiled her experiences and the wisdom she had gained in a book called Life Lessons.

“These are true stories about what I have learned about people, places, and the events of life,” she says. “These are stories about God saying, ‘Will you slow down long enough to listen to what I am saying here?’”

After six years in Philadelphia, the Iseleys decided they wanted to move back to Illinois to be closer to their childrenand grandchildren. So last year, they moved back and started researching retirement communities.

“We looked at about ten [communities], but once we saw Erickson, we started comparing everything else to it,” she says.

In December 2009, the couple moved to an apartment home at Monarch Landing, the Erickson community in Naperville, Ill.

But the pair is far from “retired.” Mrs. Iseley remains an active volunteer in her church and her community, and her husband continues to work as an interim pastor at a church in Bartlett, Ill.

In just a short period of time, Mrs. Iseley has already gotten involved with several activities at Monarch Landing. She is a member of the choir and participates in a Bible study group, and she recently spoke about her book at one of the community’s interfaith gatherings.

“This past Thursday, Monarch Landing had an activity fair, and as I walked around that room, I realized that there is a lot of stuff I could get involved in,” Mrs. Iseley says. “I do want to give back to this community.”

Putting the web to work

Also an online entrepreneur, Mrs. Iseley has started a side business selling some of her husband’s vast collection of books on eBay.com. Already, she’s sold about 1,500 rare and signed books on the popular online auction site, bringing in some extra money and paring down their home library.

When she moved to Monarch Landing, Mrs. Iseley learned about the community’s Treasure Chest, an onsite resale shop where residents can donate unwanted furniture, house wares, clothing, jewelry, and other items. Proceeds from sales are donated to Monarch Landing’s Benevolent Care Fund, which helps support residents in financial need. Drawing on her experience selling books online, Mrs. Iseley is currently talking to the Treasure Chest about selling its merchandise on eBay.com to increase profits.

“There are so many things at Monarch Landing,” Mrs. Iseley says. “It’s like living on a cruise ship— you can pick and choose whatever you want to get involved in.”

When she’s not busy volunteering, Mrs. Iseley spends time with her children and grandchildren. A diehard Cubs fan, she is happy to be back in the Chicago area and even traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., for the team’s spring training.

Verie Sandborg always thought she would pursue a Ph.D. when she retired. But after getting a taste of international travel through her job, she took an educational journey of a different sort. Instead of learning about the world from books, she decided she would see it for herself.

Verie Sandborg (Submitted photo)

To date, Sandborg, a resident at Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire, Ill., has visited 32 countries and 40 U.S. states. An adventurer to say the least, Sandborg is not just lounging on beaches and strolling in museums.

“I call it ‘travel’ and not ‘vacation’ because it’s like taking a class,” she says.

She has hiked to the breathtaking Iguassu Falls that straddle the Brazilian- Argentinian border, spent the night in an authentically recreated Zulu village, and was once charged by an elephant on safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

“That worked out okay because I’m here to tell about it,” Sandborg says with a laugh.

The start of a world tour

Tunisia (Submitted photo)

While working as an environmental and sustainability executive at Baxter International, Sandborg traveled extensively. Since retiring, she’s continued to make her way around the globe. In 2000, after her daughter’s graduation from law school and her son’s completion of his Ph.D., the family took a trip to Italy to celebrate. Just about every year since then, Sandborg has taken at least one trip abroad, usually with her daughter. Sometimes she schedules a second international adventure with friends.

Over the years, Sandborg says she has learned a great deal about history and different cultures. On a visit to England, she was particularly touched by the Coventry Cathedral, which was bombed in World War I and later rebuilt. Resurrection of the cathedral began the day after the bombing—not as “an act of defiance, but rather a sign of faith, trust, and hope for the future of the world,” according to the cathedral’s website.

“I was so moved by how they could come back from that,” Sandborg says.

One of her favorite countries is Tunisia, where Sandborg was impressed by the people and the country’s long history of promoting human rights and economic development.

Stonehenge (Submitted photo)

When it comes to dining abroad, her top pick is China. As a vegetarian, she says Chinese cuisine offers her more choices than she is able to find in many other countries.

The history in our own backyard

While she has logged more than a few frequent flier miles exploring the globe, Sandborg says there are plenty of opportunities to get a deeper understanding of our nation’s history right here in the U.S. She counts the Civil Rights Museum in Alabama among her favorites.

“I was very touched by that and by what people had gone through to get where we are now,” she says of what she learned at the museum. “It was a beautiful place and engaged your emotions.”

Verie Sandborg dances to samba music in front of a train-car full of passengers while the train descends Corcovado mountain in Brazil. (Submitted photo)

Just a few hours’ drive from Chicagoland, the Lincoln Memorial Museum in Springfield, Ill., is another one of Sandborg’s top travel destinations. While the museum provides plenty of historical facts and relics, Sandborg says what she appreciates is its ability to conjure the spirit of the 1860 Presidential election.

Using technology to document her travels

Sandborg doesn’t usually collect a lot of souvenirs (except for pillow covers, which she says are easy to pack and add a global flavor to her home’s décor), but she has always taken plenty of photos and kept journals of her adventures. As family and friends became increasingly eager to hear about Sandborg’s travels, the tech-savvy retiree decided to start a blog, where she archives her photographs and written memories.

“I’ve developed a new skill that I didn’t think about earlier,” she says. “I had already been writing up things in my journals, and it seemed like a natural thing to do next.”

Sandborg says her globe-trotting is far from over. She’s currently planning a trip to Egypt with her son and daughter. Australia, Sweden, Norway, and Cambodia are all on her “must-see” travel list.

And, she says, “I also would love to get back to Africa to do a safari again. I just want it all!”

To read more about Sandborg’s travel adventures, visit her blog at http://veriesandborg.gather.com.

That is what Sandy Leedy and her husband, Ed, learned when they put their 40-year-old home up for sale last year. The house was on well and septic—a feature that can turn off buyers who aren’t familiar with that type of water system. Mrs. Leedy says finding a real estate professional who was not only well-versed in the neighborhood (unincorporated Naperville) but who could also attract buyers willing to purchase a home with well and septic was crucial.

After interviewing a number of real estate agents, she and her husband were confident they had found the best one.

Bring in the buyers

Of course, choosing an agent is only the first step in selling a house. The process was made a little easier for the Leedys because Monarch Landing’s Personal Moving Consultant, Brenda Weaver, was on hand to help all along the way. “I knew that if I had a question I could always call her,” says Mrs. Leedy.

One of the biggest challenges for older home sellers is transforming a home they’ve lived in for many decades into a house that appeals to today’s younger homebuyers. Weaver visited the house and suggested changes and upgrades to help it sell faster.

“We did a major overhaul of the house because it was 40 years old,” Mrs. Leedy says. “[Weaver] suggested that this be done because people in this market are looking for a home that is ready to move into, and they don’t want to have to do anything to it.”

In the Leedys’ case, that meant removing wallpaper, giving walls a fresh coat of paint, replacing carpeting, and installing new counters and light fixtures. While few homeowners relish the idea of making upgrades just before they move, it can be well worth it when it results in a successful sale, which is what happened for the Leedys.

Right-size the right way

Of course, making the transition from a large house to a space that better suits your retirement lifestyle also has its challenges.

“But Brenda [Weaver] was right there,” Mrs. Leedy says. “She came over to our house, looked at what we had, and drew up a floor plan of the furniture we [planned] to bring.”

Now the couple is living at Monarch Landing in a Worthington-style apartment home that features two bedrooms, a den, two bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen, and a large great room. Mrs. Leedy says she and her husband are thrilled they no longer have to deal with removing snow from their 150-foot driveway.

She loves cooking and baking in her new kitchen, but she also appreciates the fact that she and her husband can dine with friends at the on-site Millstone Restaurant, if they prefer. Says Mrs. Leedy: “It’s awfully nice to know that I don’t have to worry anymore about what I’m going to make for dinner.”

In early February, a group of about 60 residents and staff members spent a day assembling food packets for people in Haiti. They volunteered through Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization that prepares packaged meals and ships them to children in third-world countries.

The Monarch Landing team joined hundreds of other volunteers in Aurora, where they worked in an assembly line scooping rice and soy protein, sealing packets, and filling cartons. In just a few short hours, the dedicated group packaged 51,000 meals for shipment to Haiti.

“It’s intensive for a couple hours, but it’s really satisfying,” says Barbara Abram, who volunteered twice before with Feed My Starving Children through Monarch Landing. She says living at the Naperville retirement community makes it easier and

Volunteers unite to help Feed My Starving Children, an organization that prepares meals for children in third-world countries. (Photos courtesy of Feed My Starving Children)

more convenient for her to do volunteer work.

“The opportunity is offered here to take busloads of us over,” Abram says. “So it is a great way and easy way to get to the [volunteer sites].”

Edith Rickert lives at Monarch Landing as well and finds the importance of volunteering unsurpassable. Whether through her church or other organizations, it has long been a part of her life—and she continues to give back now that she lives at Monarch Landing.

Like Abram, Rickert has also worked on Feed My Starving Children projects in the past. One of the best parts of the most recent experience, Rickert says, is the sense of camaraderie she felt with the other volunteers, some of whom were her neighbors from Monarch Landing and others whom she had met for the first time that day.

“You could be working with people you didn’t know and interact with them like you’re buddies,” she says of the experience.

Not only was she satisfied that she was able to help people in Haiti in a very real and tangible way, but Rickert left feeling inspired by the other volunteers. “The amazement is that people really want to give of their time and help people,” she says. “I have never seen that kind of desire; it’s not just that they want to do it—they have to do it, and I have not seen that level of enthusiasm in my life.”

Catherine Reed’s split-level house had hardwood floors—one of the most sought-after features among home buyers—beneath carpeting. Reed’s personal moving consultant helped her play up these kinds of assets, resulting in a January sale. (Photo by Gerry Fey)

husband raised their family in the Deerfield, Ill., house and lived there for 40 years.

But she knew she was ready to make a change. “It was getting to the point where I didn’t want to take care of snow or landscaping anymore,” she says, “and I didn’t need that much room.”

So she made the decision to put her house on the market. But unlike many first-time sellers, she didn’t have to go it alone. Since Reed had decided to move to an Erickson community, she had the help of a personal moving consultant along the way. Reed credits Sedgebrook’s Personal Moving Consultant Debby Warnick with a number of suggestions that helped make the Deerfield house stand out from other properties on the market. For example, Reed’s house had wall-to-wall carpeting, and Warnick recommended pulling up the rugs instead of installing new carpeting.

“I was kind of surprised by that,” Reed says.

The carpeting was removed to reveal hardwood floors in good condition—one of the most sought-after features among younger home buyers. The result was a low-cost upgrade that helped Reed make a sale while other houses lingered on the market.

In addition to high-impact changes, Warnick also worked with Reed and her real estate agent to make minor decorative adjustments, like rearranging furniture. Often, seemingly small changes can make a big difference in buyers’ eyes.

In January, Reed sold her house and moved to Sedgebrook. Her two-bedroom apartment home is a better fit for her, she says, and she is close enough to continue to visit with her friends in Deerfield on a regular basis.

While Reed was able to sell her house during the winter, Warnick says spring sellers typically have even better luck. Buyers are motivated by warmer temperatures that make moving easier, and parents want to move before school starts in the fall.

This spring is expected to be a particularly robust season for home sales. “The government is offering $8,000 for first-time home buyers and $6,500 for current owners of homes,” Warnick says. “People should take advantage of this time of year and this refund program.”