Senior moves and downsizing in Northwest Reno and Somersett

Northwest Reno and Somersett is a newer area of homes, with a median build year of 1999 and 5.3 percent built before 1980. About 61 percent of homes are owned, and the median age is 41.5. A move planned here is frequently a family event as much as a household one: parents moving closer to children, or children helping a parent who is leaving a house they bought new.

Newer homes, different moves

A house from 1999 or later usually has wide doorways, an open staircase and a garage with real depth. That makes the carrying easier. The weight is in the contents. A two-car garage can hold power tools, holiday decorations and a second refrigerator, all of which are itemized on the estimate and can be packed or left for a donation pickup.

When the family helps from afar

With about 30 percent of Northwest Reno householders moving in during 2020 or later, this is also an area where newer households have settled, and their parents may live elsewhere, so the planning happens by phone. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm at 775-359-6683, and the written estimate can be shared with the whole family.

Where an I-80 run leads

From Somersett to the Sparks warehouse the route runs along I-80 and takes about 14 minutes. That makes a same-day trip to vault storage ordinary. The vaults are wooden, 7 ft x 7 ft x 5 ft, and vault storage begins at $40 per month.

A checklist for the weeks before

1. Walk each room with a pad of paper and mark keep, family, storage or donate.
2. Use the home inventory builder to turn the marks into a list.
3. Share the list with the estimator before the in-home visit.
4. Keep the first-night box items out of the cartons.

Why the estimate comes first

The in-home estimate is where a plan becomes specific. The estimator looks at the garage, the pantry and the upstairs rooms, then writes an itemized written estimate. Family members who cannot attend can read the same document afterward, and the 10 free heavy-duty boxes that come with the visit let sorting start the same day.