Susan Planalp and Richard Weissman thought about downsizing and selling their Denver home for more than a year.
But they weren’t ready until they hired Blair Bryant, an agent with The Steller Group Senior Solutions.
Planalp, 75, is a painter, retired art teacher, and former Colorado Artist-in-Residence. Weissman, 87, is a former music professor, music producer, and studio musician who played guitar and banjo on hundreds of recordings, including performing with Chubby Checker and Connie Francis. He’s also written and collected hundreds of books about music.
Planalp and Weissman bought their south Denver home nine years ago after returning to Colorado’s sunshine from rainy Portland.
“We knew this wouldn’t be like any other move,” Planalp says. “Steller made it stress-free. If we would have had to do it on our own, it would have been much harder.”
Making the decision
Before hiring Bryant, the couple interviewed other agents but knew The Steller Group could provide the services they needed.
“Steller handled everything, from recommending movers to helping us find our new home at Overture 9th + CO,” Planalp says.
Bryant had “a good idea of what the house is worth, and was ready to help with movers, stagers—all of it,” Weissman says. “The idea of having to hire stagers didn’t appeal.”
Steller helps make it easy by providing services ranging from cleaning and home repairs to recommending move managers and then ultimately providing free staging when listing the home.
A strategic move is all a matter of timing, Bryant says. Many people are ready but fear the process. For those ready to dip their toes in the water, The Steller Group offers free downsizing seminars year-round. Topics include decluttering, how to maximize profits from a home sale, financing options, and Denver metro downsizing options. Their seminar “Decluttering and Where to Start” will be offered on two separate occasions this month (see sidebar).
Leaving a dream home
When the couple bought their house, they replaced a fence, added landscaping, and repainted the interior with the perfect soft white.
The house is open, with big windows that provide lots of natural light. Best of all, it has studio space for both.
The home’s open floor plan features a main floor atrium, wood-burning fireplace, kitchen, dining room, living room, and flex space that can be a bedroom or family room. It sits in a quiet neighborhood near Crestmoor Park and offers access to shopping and dining.
While they loved the home, the couple wanted a lock-and-leave lifestyle to allow more time for travel.
With Bryant’s help, they sorted through their stuff. Some items went to Goodwill, others to friends and family. Weissman donated his books and sheet music collection to the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa.
With the couple settled happily in their new home, their former home is ready for the next family, with the help of Steller’s in-house home presentation and staging team.
“Staging is important,” Bryant says. “It helps create a vision so buyers can picture themselves here and see the home’s value.”
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.