Five Moves: One Team

With the right team, anything is possible. Challenges that at first seem insurmountable can quickly become easy— and even enjoyable. Teams work.

It’s no surprise, then, that one of life’s most daunting challenges—moving and downsizing—is best addressed by a team. Perhaps no team is better equipped to turn this challenge into an opportunity than The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Integrity. Owned and operated by Bob Lucido, the successful real estate team serves clients throughout the Baltimore-Washington area and has recently expanded into Pennsylvania and Florida. Beyond their traditional real estate services, The Bob Lucido Team also has a special focus on meeting the unique needs of senior clients through The Silver Group, which is led by Victoria Hathaway, CSA, CSHP, SRES.

Like any great team, The Bob Lucido Team has some dedicated fans. While they are not painting their faces or reciting cheers, their feelings are no less ardent.

Help When She Needed it Most
Victoria (Vicki) Barr knew she needed help. Her husband, Chas, had been diagnosed with dementia and maintaining their home of 43 years was becoming difficult. Luckily, Vicki knew where to turn.

A longtime teacher, she taught Bob and Tracy Lucido’s sons and quickly decided to enlist their help with downsizing and moving.

Vicki and Chas moved to Charlestown, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Baltimore County, with the help of The Bob Lucido Team. “Bob went through the house and gave me suggestions of things I should do and how I should do it,” Vicki recalled. “He also gave me a plethora of information on professionals who could help.”

While the experience of downsizing was challenging, Vicki knows that moving was the right choice, and the timing could not have been better. Shortly after the couple moved, Chas began to experience more health challenges and transferred to the nursing center on campus.

“We moved just two weeks before he needed care, so I think it was meant to be,” Vicki said. Chas has since passed away, and Vicki is thankful to have new friends to support her. She is also grateful that her move was made simple because of the expert assistance of Bob and his team.

From Isolated to Connected
Being part of a close-knit community has its benefits. Anne Nix and George Barbehenn, two of the inaugural residents of The Lutheran Village at MILLER’S GRANT, are excited to be a part of such a community. Both Anne and George enlisted the help of The Bob Lucido Team to make their moves possible.

A retired educator, Anne Nix persevered after her husband of 52 years passed away in 2011. She focused on thinking positively about her “new normal” and changing her lifestyle. Then she learned about MILLER’S GRANT, a new CCRC in Ellicott City, MD.

Not only did Anne decide to make the community her new home, she also opted to help make connections even before the community was completed. She started a newspaper that helped establish MILLER’S GRANT as “a community without walls” long before construction was finished. She also hosted a Coffee Connection social monthly, which helped build relationships among the future residents.

While Anne focused on creating friendships, she left the details of downsizing, selling and moving to The Bob Lucido Team. “We bought our house 55 years ago,” she said. “I had no idea how much Realtors now do to help you with the selling process.”

An Air Force veteran, George Barbehenn enjoyed a successful career working as a contractor on various NASA projects, including the Apollo 11 Mission and the Hubble Space Telescope Program. When he retired in 2005, he was the Control Center Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope.

After his second wife passed away, George found himself living alone in a large house. “We had lived there for 20 years, and the house was full of stuff. I had no idea how I was going to get it all out of the house and get it sold,” George recalled. “I met Bob Lucido and started talking to him about my situation, and I quickly began to see that this was not such a hard thing to do. I knew that Bob and his team could get me through this.”

The Team helped George update his home and prepare it to sell, providing recommendations for professionals to handle all the work. “It was amazing. It wasn’t like picking someone out of the Yellow Pages. These people were coming over with Bob Lucido’s blessing, and they all did an incredible job,” he explained.

Now that his move is almost over, George is excited about his new lifestyle. “As you get older, you have fewer and fewer friends, and it becomes a bit lonely,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to moving, and thanks to all the groups and activities, I already know a bunch of people.”

More Service, Less Stress
When Joan Henry went to bed, she was fine. The next day she started to have trouble breathing and then slipped into a coma. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a rare virus, but she spent weeks in the hospital recovering.

At the urging of her grandchildren, Joan began to consider making a move shortly after being released from the hospital. After a brief search, she chose Vantage House, a CCRC in Columbia, MD.

“I called The Bob Lucido Team, and Bob told me that he would personally come and talk to me, but I didn’t believe it,” Joan recalled. “Sure enough, he showed up and spent three hours with me explaining the whole process. I was thrilled.”

As Joan began downsizing, Victoria Hathaway proved to be an invaluable advisor. “Victoria was so helpful. I don’t think the move would have been as easy if she hadn’t helped me.”

With her move complete, Joan is enjoying some much deserved time to relax. An avid volunteer, she spent decades donating her time to a wide variety of local charities, including the Hospital Auxiliary and the Free Clinic. A lifelong learner, she enjoys having the opportunity to pursue her interests and the chance to read widely. “I made my foyer into a reading center. I love to read so much, and now I actually have time to read a lot,” she said.

Moving on From Maintenance
Letha and James Miller had a beautiful home and an immaculate yard, but it was too much. After 48 years in their home, the Millers began to realize that they could no longer maintain the property.

Although James, who has macular degeneration, was initially hesitant, he warmed up to the idea of moving after Letha found nearby Augsburg Village, a CCRC in Baltimore, MD. When Letha heard the presentation The Bob Lucido Team gave about moving and downsizing, she knew the move was doable.

“After we got rid of the junk, they put the house on the market quickly. The whole team was so organized and efficient. We had showings on Friday and Saturday, and on Monday we had nine contracts,” Letha said. James added, “We were so glad to get rid of the house and not dump all of that on our son. Now he won’t have to deal with it.”

Since moving, Letha and James have been making friends and enjoying delicious meals. “The people here are amazing, such a great group of loving, caring residents,” Letha said. “And one of the things I really love is that I don’t have to cook. That’s great.”

Instead of working on the house or in the yard, Letha and James now spend their spare time walking around the community grounds and on the indoor walkways. Letha also loves gardening and is a regular at the community garden—where she can exercise her green thumb without getting exhausted.

When It’s Time To Move
Whether they were dreading downsizing or anxiously anticipating new social opportunities, all of these senior clients turned to The Bob Lucido Team to make moving manageable. Too often, seniors and their families are overwhelmed by the thought of a move, but there are professionals available to help with every step of the moving process—from downsizing and decluttering to selling and packing.

The Bob Lucido Team is ready—and able—to make the moving process simple for older adults. “We’re very sensitive and experienced with this particular demographic,” said Bob Lucido. “You want a specialist to do your next medical procedure. You also want a specialist to help you make the most important move of your life.”

As their clients have attested, The Bob Lucido Team works. They make moving easy, so their senior clients can focus on moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

By Christy Brudin

For more information search keyword: The Silver Group of The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Integrity