Senior and Retirement Community Moving in New Lenox, IL
Downsizing moves into Clarendale of Mokena, Tinley Court, Smith Crossing and other communities, done slowly and carefully with families who are often out of state.
Leaving a house somebody lived in for forty years is not really a moving problem. The truck part is small. A one bedroom apartment at Clarendale of Mokena or Tinley Court holds maybe a fifth of what is currently in that house, and every decision about the other four fifths is harder than any box we will carry. We slow these jobs down on purpose. We work off a list made in advance, we do not rush anybody through a hallway, and we set the new apartment up completely before we leave, because a bed that is made and a chair in the right spot by the window is the difference between an apartment and a pile of furniture.
Serving New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena, Joliet, Manhattan, Lockport, Homer Glen, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Plainfield, Shorewood, Crest Hill and nearby.
Hourly rates posted, two hour minimum
Blankets, wrap, dollies and runners included
Same crew that quotes the job carries it
Card, cash, Zelle or Venmo when the job is done
What Is Included
The measuring tape comes out before the truck does
The single most useful hour of a senior move happens a week early, in the new apartment, with a tape measure. Most independent and assisted living units around here run somewhere between four and eight hundred square feet, and the furniture that fit a living room in a Frankfort ranch is not going to fit. Measuring first turns a painful surprise on move day into a decision made calmly at the kitchen table.
We walk the current house with whoever is deciding and mark three groups: what goes to the new apartment, what goes to family, and what stays behind for an estate sale or a cleanout company. Anything undecided stays in place for that round. It is far easier to make one more small trip than to explain where something went.
Communities have their own logistics too. Many have a designated move in entrance, a service elevator, and a required window of hours. Some ask for a certificate of insurance from the mover. Ask the move in coordinator at Clarendale, Tinley Court, Smith Crossing, Victorian Village, Frankfort Terrace or Our Lady of Angels what they need, and pass it to us early so it is handled before the day.
Working with adult children who live somewhere else
A lot of these calls come from a son in Arizona or a daughter in Denver who is trying to coordinate a parent's move from two time zones away. We are used to that. We will do the walkthrough by video call, send photos of what is in each room, and confirm the plan in writing so there are three people looking at the same list instead of a phone game.
On move day we send photos as the truck loads and again when the apartment is set. If something turns up that was not on the list, a locked box, a stack of paperwork, a jewelry case, we set it aside in one place and call rather than making the decision ourselves. Families find things after the fact more often than they expect.
We also do not push. If your mother wants to sit in the chair for twenty minutes while we work around her, that is a fine use of an hourly rate, and it is a better move than one that gets finished ten minutes faster.
Setting up the new place the same day
The goal is that the first night in the apartment is not spent looking at boxes. Bed goes together first and gets made if the linens are labeled. The recliner goes by the window. The television gets plugged back in and set on the same channel it was on at home. Kitchen boxes get opened and put in cabinets that are actually reachable, which usually means the lower shelves, not the top ones.
Pictures on the walls are worth asking for. It takes fifteen minutes and it is the thing that makes a room feel like it belongs to somebody. Bring a level and the right hardware and we will hang them where you point.
If part of the load is going to a family member's house in Homer Glen or Orland Park and part is going into storage, we will do it as one job with two stops rather than two separate bookings. It is cheaper and it means everything happens on a single day.
What It Costs
Senior moves run on the standard hourly rate. They are usually smaller loads than a house move and they usually take longer per box, and both of those are fine.
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Two movers and the truck | $150 per hour, two hour minimum |
| Three movers and the truck | $195 per hour |
| One bedroom apartment into a community | $400 to $650 |
| Two bedroom unit or a small townhome | $650 to $950 |
| House downsizing with stops at two addresses | $1,000 to $1,600 |
| A few pieces delivered to a resident's room | $250 to $400 |
The flat $50 travel fee applies inside the core service area. There is no charge for stairs, blankets or wrap, and no charge for the time we spend setting the apartment up. If the community requires a certificate of insurance, give us a few days notice and we will send it over. Call or text (815) 763-8200, and if the family is out of state we are happy to do the walkthrough by video call.
Get a Same-Day Estimate
Call or text with both addresses, the date, and photos of the big pieces. We reply the same day with movers, hours, and a total at the rates on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to move into a retirement community?
Most one bedroom apartment moves land at $400 to $650, and a two bedroom unit at $650 to $950. A full house downsizing with a stop at a family member's house on the way is typically $1,000 to $1,600. Everything is at the hourly rate plus the $50 travel fee.
Which communities do you go into?
We regularly move into Clarendale of Mokena, Tinley Court, Smith Crossing in Orland Park, Victorian Village in Homer Glen, Frankfort Terrace and Our Lady of Angels in Joliet, plus a lot of smaller buildings around Will County. If your community has move in hours or paperwork requirements, tell us and we work around them.
Can you handle it if I live out of state?
Yes, and we do it often. We will do the walkthrough by video call, confirm the plan in writing, and send photos as we load and again when the apartment is set up. You do not need to fly in for the truck.
What happens to the furniture that does not fit?
We can drop it at a family member's house or at a donation site as a second stop on the same job, which is cheaper than a separate trip. Anything that needs a full estate sale or a house cleanout is a different service, and we will tell you rather than pretending otherwise.
Will you set the apartment up, not just carry it in?
Yes, and that is most of the value. Beds get put together, the recliner goes where it belongs, the TV gets plugged back in, and kitchen boxes get unpacked into reachable cabinets. We will hang pictures too if you point at the wall.