Written by Juanita Fox
On Tuesday, March 13 Garden Spot Village offered a Future Resident Conference that included seminars by Pete Shaub of A Life Transition Service and Carol Lehman and Greg Hostetter of Hostetter Realty. About 35 future residents attended the morning and afternoon sessions as well as lunch in the Indoor Park.
During his morning seminar, Pete shared tips and tricks for preparing to downsize, including working through your home one room at a time and labeling belongings as “Keep,” “Donate,” “Sell” and “Trash.” Pete also walked through the benefits of auctioning your home versus listing it on the real estate market. The lively presentation kept attendees laughing but also gave them tools they needed to begin preparing for their move to Garden Spot Village.
Carol Lehman and Greg Hostetter of Hostetter Realty presented tips for preparing your home for listing on the real estate market. Again, future residents enjoyed a lively presentation which included ideas for staging your home and some insight as to which inexpensive home improvements can lead to a positive first impression for buyers.
Carolyn and Carl Drasher, who currently live in Muhlenberg Township in Berks County attended the sessions. They joined the Radar Screen in December 2017 and hope to move to a cottage sometime in 2019. They still have a good amount of time to prepare their home for sale. But, Carolyn says, “It’s a huge transition and the more information we have, the better. Also, it’s never too early to start downsizing.”
The Drashers learned about Garden Spot Village through friends. And, once they saw the campus, they said, “Nothing else came close.” The beauty of the campus and the amenities as well as the rural setting and the option for a cottage with a garage convinced them to move.
They look forward to getting involved, meeting new people and using the on-site wellness center in addition to learning more about the Woodshop, Train Room and other social clubs.
Betty Noble and Linda Fanning live next door to each other in Glenside, Montgomery County. They attended the conference as Future Residents, interested in learning more about downsizing and listing their homes for sale.
Betty says Greg affirmed her decisions to paint and install flooring but was glad to hear that she didn’t need to invest a lot of money into upgrading her kitchen and bathrooms. She said his suggestions for staging dovetailed with Pete’s tips for downsizing and she recognized the need to declutter sooner rather than later.
Linda says she learned “not to say, ‘I’ll decide later,” but to follow through and make decisions now.” She also appreciated the chance to ask questions.
Betty and Linda visited several communities and as they evaluated their next steps said Garden Spot Village was the community without any “negatives.” They say Garden Spot Village felt “vibrant” during their visits.
Linda says, “When we visit, people are out and about doing things. They are not in their apartments. It makes a big difference in the experience of the community.” Plus, she adds, “Everyone is friendly.”
Interested in becoming a Future Resident at Garden Spot Village? Contact Megan Farber or Kelly Sweigart at 717.355.6000 to learn how you can become a Future Resident today.