For many longtime homeowners, deciding to move is only the beginning. The bigger question is often: How am I going to get everything done?

I recently had the opportunity to help a 98-year-old homeowner who was ready to make a move. After many years in her home, there was much more involved than simply putting the house on the market.

We helped coordinate the pieces that needed to happen along the way—from dealing with belongings she no longer needed to arranging the work necessary to prepare the home for sale. That included coordinating an estate sale, donations, painting, flooring, cleaning and other details that could easily have become overwhelming.

What I love about this story is that it shows what selling a longtime home can really look like.

Sometimes my job as a real estate agent starts well before the For Sale sign goes up. It can mean helping determine what needs to be done, finding the right people to do it, coordinating the work, and creating a plan so the homeowner and family don't have to figure everything out on their own.

And not every home—or every homeowner—needs the same plan.

Sometimes the right answer is to do very little. Other times, a few carefully chosen improvements can make a significant difference in how a home presents and sells. The goal is to help make good decisions about where to spend time and money—and where not to.

If you or someone you know is thinking about a move but wondering, “How would we ever manage everything that needs to happen first?”, that's a conversation I'm always happy to have.

You don't need to have everything figured out before you call. Sometimes the best place to start is simply making a plan.