Meet Ingrid and John Sullivan of Senior Downsizing Experts in Arlington

Ingrid and John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We are real estate agents and former Realtor coaches. We began in the industry in the mid-90’s by teaching and coaching real estate agents on technology and marketing and eventually became full-time real estate agents in the early 2000’s.

About 8 years ago, through our experiences helping our own parents with downsizing moves, we found that there was a great void in the industry when it comes to older adults. The 55+ clients need specialized attention and not every Realtor has the time or patience to pursue that so we began to focus on and develop that niche.

Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge is helping people as they go through the process of releasing a lifetime of possessions and coping with the move from a home they may have owned for decades – where they raised their family and made many memories. It can be quite emotional, overwhelming, and difficult for them and their adult children.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Senior Downsizing Experts – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Though we work with clients of every age and every stage of life, we have focused our real estate business on helping boomers, seniors and children of aging parents with these often emotional moves.

We offer a complete downsizing solution and have surrounded ourselves with a team of professionals who can help our clients with all aspects involved in the often overwhelming process of downsizing. Our partners include home repair professionals, packing specialists, estate liquidators, movers and many other businesses that might come in to play with these types of moves. We also have a vast knowledge of the housing options available to seniors and great relationships with many senior communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That’s how we differentiate our business.

We have completed specialized training with the National Association of Realtors to become Seniors Real Estate Specialists (SRES) as well as with the Seniors Real Estate Institute to achieve the Certified Senior Housing Professional (CSHP) designation.

We recently published a book, “The Ultimate Guide to Downsizing”, which is now available on Amazon.com. In it, we offer a roadmap to help with planning, preparation and execution of a downsizing move.

We are actively involved in providing educational seminars in retirement communities and other senior venues around the Metroplex. Our newest offering, “The Smart Senior Series,” a six-class series kicks off in Arlington in January and we are working out details for other cities as well.

It is a great source of pride for us to have helped hundreds of families through this process. It is very rewarding to help our clients relieve stress and get to a place where they can live a safer and healthier lifestyle.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love the diversity, the good economy, and the great abundance of things to do.

What we are lacking in much of this area is transportation options and affordable housing for seniors. With the senior population growing exponentially, these things will become more and more important.  Many seniors just want something smaller/more manageable and ADA compliant where they can live safely and do things like garden, walk their dog, and have transportation options for doctors visits, errands and other social activities which keeps us on the hunt.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1301 S. Bowen Road, Suite 125
  Arlington, TX 76013
• Website: www.DallasFortWorthSeniorLiving.com
• Phone: 817-330-9235
• Email: sullivandfwhomes@gmail.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/seniordownsizingexperts
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sullivandfwhome
• Other: www.sullivandfwhomes.com

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