Meeting John and Debbi Barr came during the first days of Covid. They were my first clients to tour homes wearing masks, gloves and opening all closet doors with an antibacterial wipe in hand.

Relocating from Normal, Illinois, married for 35 years, and parents to 3 grown children, they were ready to transplant their lives and spend not just quality time with their 6 grandchildren but QUANTITY of time as well.

John and Debbi were ON THE SAME PAGE. They were in total agreement about this next chapter of life and excited to begin. They had a specific time-line in mind, a desired location, and an agreed upon budget. So noticeable was their synchronized thinking, I began to wonder how and when this began. Had they been talking about this stage of life early on in the marriage or had this idea to “pick it all up” and move north struck them one evening a month ago?

As we walked through each home, they openly discussed the redesign process they could envision. Debbi is an active artist, accustomed to seeing a vision of what “could be”. John knew what it would take to make it a reality. John is a house painter, has seen his share of layouts, lighting, design.
I discovered that their home in Normal was incredibly unique, custom and called for a specific buyer, no doubt. They were ready and willing to relinquish the sanctuary they had created down south for the purposeful and intentional choice of having close relationships with their family and the ability to see them on a daily basis. Nothing was going to hold them back from this decision…not a pandemic or an aggressive, competitive real estate market.

They found the perfect home in the White Eagle subdivision in Naperville within a week! Three bedrooms, two and a half baths with a full unfinished basement that they would transform!

John and Debbi came to me as decisive buyers with a plan of action. They are an anomaly. This is a highly unusual state of mind for a couple who has lived in a home for many years. They have parents they are caring for AND children and grandchildren they want to be near and spend time with.
John had a successful business with a local reputation. Debbi had lived in Normal for years, belonged to a church she loved and had many friends in the area. Yet they made multiple decisions, packed up boxes and loaded up the truck.

Working with them created intrigue for me. Why are some people in this stage of life we refer to as empty-nesting, “stuck”? How do some people get stuck in a home they have lived in, stuck with items collected over many years, stuck with home décor purchased “back in the day”? The weight of the years and accumulated items seemingly blocking each and every path they could take to a new phase of life.

Now I began to wonder…

How can I create a process that allows people to embrace this stage of life in a liberating, invigorating, decisive way? What can I do to facilitate the process and encourage all empty nesters to consider themselves FreeNesters!!!

The term was coined on a walk with my husband shortly after my daughter left for college. I told my husband “I don’t want this to be a negative time, I want this to be an exciting time in my life, our lives.” He was 100% on board.

How can I help those curious about what this stage of life could hold and catapult them into a decision-making mode?