Consumer Case Studies
NAPO member transforms stressful international relocation into exciting journey
Selling your house, finding a new home across town, and packing and moving are stressful enough. Now, imagine that your new residence is halfway around the world.
That was Dina McMearn’s story. Her job at Apple Computer transferred her from Austin, Texas, to Ireland. But, before she could relocate, McMearn had to determine—rather quickly—what had to be moved now or later, stored or discarded.
McMearn, normally an organized person, suddenly found her life in disarray. “While I was preparing to move, I was also showing my house,” McMearn recalls. “The stager wanted me to move certain things out. We also knew that I was moving to Ireland and certain things were going to go by air and certain things were going to go by sea.”
NAPO Professional Organizer to the Rescue
Feeling overwhelmed, McMearn surfed the Web looking for help. She discovered the National Association of Professional Organizers and, with help from a NAPO member in her hometown, was able to break her daunting to-do list into more manageable pieces.
With the professional organizer by her side, McMearn spent two days sorting through her belongings, figuring out what she could part with and determining where it would go—to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, storage or the trash. “I could not have done that on my own,” McMearn says. “It’s a very emotional process, and the professional organizer is able to take the emotion out of it.”
Once her packing reached the midway point, McMearn put her home up for sale. And, despite a weakened housing market, she received an offer and sold her home quickly.
Next, McMearn and the organizer settled on what she would move with her to Ireland right away and what would be shipped or flown to her once she was settled. Sorting items in different colored containers advanced the process, and the organizer helped keep her on task. “I think I would’ve been able to do it without a professional organizer. But, I don’t think it would have been as efficient,” McMearn says now. “I think I would’ve spent more money. I would’ve moved things that didn’t need to be moved. It also would have made setting up here in Ireland a whole lot harder.”
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