I am delighted to provide a reference for Laurie Gunton and her business, Smooth Move For Seniors, based on her superb support for my mother, aged 85, as she moved from her home into an assisted living residence. My mother had lived on her own in the same house for 30 years, and, like many seniors, is fiercely independent. However, with failing health, she finally accepted the need to downsize and move to an assisted living residence where she would receive full time care. A complicating factor was that I and my siblings all live abroad, and it was clear to us that my mother would need significant and sustained help to make this huge, life-changing move.

It is fair to say that Laurie was instrumental in getting my mother out of her house and settled into her new residence.  I really do not think this move would have happened without her, or happened with a happy client (my mother) and 4 happy siblings.

In the run up to the sale of the house and subsequent move, Laurie worked daily
with my mother to sort through her furniture, art, clothes, and the goods
accumulated over a lifetime, both to prepare the house for sale and also prepare for a major downsizing in space. Laurie found good homes for or arranged to sell furniture and fittings that had value but were not making the move. She quickly established a pace and style of working that was comfortable for my mother. Just as important for me and my sister, living thousands of miles away, Laurie kept us fully informed of progress and any issues arising from the process or my mother’s health.

Throughout this period, Laurie was also responsible for making sure she was eating, etc, in other words, keeping my mother’s life on the road during what was an exhausting process for her. Following the sale and move, Laurie and her team cleared all the remaining furniture and detritus from the house so we were able to hand the house over to the new owners ‘stripped’, as required.

I can recommend Laurie and Smooth Move to any family facing similar challenges with a difficult move. I would be happy to provide more detail or answer any specific questions as may be useful.
—Johanna Waterous (daughter of Joan Waterous)

Smooth Move for Seniors was the right move for my 86 year old mother! Laurie Gunton, CEO, is a friendly, caring, hardworking, organized person. She managed all details of the move from a two bedroom, two bathroom condo on Queens Quay to a one bedroom apartment at a senior’s residence, in downtown Toronto.

Laurie made an immediate personal connection with my Mom, as she lives in the town of Niagara on the Lake, where my mother had a home for over 30 years. She organized every detail of the move, including three additional separate small moves. Moves of furniture to a Granddaughter’s Toronto apartment, donations to The Furniture Bank and a grand piano to The Etobicoke School for the Arts.

Laurie made helpful minor and major suggestions about decisions regarding furniture layout and pieces that would be manageable in the new smaller apartment. Laurie gathered all the supplies and equipment to pack my mother’s precious collections of furniture, china, pictures, photos, and lamps. Memories of a lifetime. Communicating all of the arrangements by phone or email. On move in day the elevators were secured and everyone arrived early in the morning to move everything to the truck. My mother and I had a quiet morning at my home and we met Laurie at the residence in the afternoon. Laurie supervised the movers, arranged for the cable and phone to be installed, and the use of another apartment for the boxes to be placed, while the furniture was arranged. She volunteered to take two boxes, items that my mother decided she no longer needed, to a donation centre at the end of a very long day!

2020 has been an emotionally exhausting year for my mother since her husband, of over sixty years, passed away in December 2019. The worry of the pandemic, the upcoming cold winter months and making decisions without Dad was difficult. Laurie made those decisions and the move to a completely different lifestyle easier for her and our family. Laurie’s company and her compassionate, well organized service was so welcome and appreciated during this uncertain time. My family is so thankful that Laurie’s service was recommended to us. I would highly recommend Smooth Move for Seniors to anyone.—M. Doyle

Laurie was a Godsend in helping to move my mother to a different floor. She downsized from a 2 bedroom at the retirement residence (Royal Henley) to a studio, but a nice sized one with a full wall of windows at the end and a gorgeous leafy tree right outside the window. Laurie packed up kitchen and bathroom for us and transferred it all to the new suite. As she said she then returned on Friday just to check on things and was able to stay for 3 more hours to continue to pack and move all kinds of things that I just couldn’t seem to get to. She tended to emptying shelves and cupboards and all the small things in the apartment (of which there were a lot!) which made my life a whole lot easier as I was dealing with Mum settling into her new surroundings. Laurie is a very sweet, caring person who seemed to be tireless and up to the task at hand. Get her involved in your move. She takes direction very well and then takes right over when you’re too tired to move anymore. A very successful move! Thank you so much Laurie. —Barb M.

Laurie recently helped my parents (93 and 92) move from their family home of 51 wonderful years to a retirement home (Belmont). What could have been an overwhelming and daunting task was made very smooth and manageable all due to Laurie. She was so kind and helpful with both my parents and really took the time to listen to them and help them with decisions to make their new residence their “home”. Laurie’s organizational skills are second to none. On the actual moving day, Laurie had my parents new home set up down to every last detail by the time they arrived at 4 pm. —C. Saunders (Daughter)

From start to finish, Laurie was extremely dependable, hardworking, and very capable of organizing my move into a retirement home. She made excellent recommendations for selling items that I could not fit into my new home through an auctioneer house or local charity. I was always able to reach her by e-mail or phone when I had questions no matter how trivial they seemed to be. She always honoured my needs.

Laurie is a very warm, patient and caring person and always knew how difficult and stressful it is for a senior to move into a retirement home. When we encountered laborious tasks, she always remained calm and reasonable. She has a good sense of humour and common sense time skills that achieved my very smooth and successful move. I look forward to keeping in touch with her for any further needs. I would highly recommend Laurie and her business, Smooth Move for Seniors.—Geoffrey Mitchell

Recently my wife and I (age 88 and 90) decided to move to a retirement home. There were oodles of clothing and furniture that we had t get rid of or give away etc. Into our lives came a very polite, intelligent young lady with a pleasing personality and pleasant smile. She took over this daunting task of helping us move. A more determined, persevering and delightful person you will ever meet. She was punctual, constantly at our beck and call and a tireless worker. She worked miracles on an impossible task and made our move more bearable. I have no hesitation in recommending her highly for the task she is obviously well suited for. —Dr. Robert Farber

We used the above company for a recent move from one retirement home to a smaller one four days ago and Laurie made our move so much easier.

She is a master at organization, a hard worker and a knowledgeable person when it comes to putting unused articles to work in another setting, in saving money and even making it, and at packing. I am 85 and my husband is 97.  I bit off more than I could chew and even with the wonderful help of our daughter and daughter-in-law, I had to turn again to Laurie to finish the job she had started so skillfully.  On the last day, when I should no longer have had need for her, she put in 5½ hours at the last minute finishing up what I couldn’t. I had a lot of things I was sure would never find a home.  Laurie found them, places that gave me pride.  She was unfailingly pleasant and easy to work with, not to mention cheerful and upbeat when I needed it the most.

I would not hesitate to recommend Smooth Move for Seniors to anyone and in fact have already done so, to the leasing manager of the village I just left who called to ask how the move went.  She is worth every penny we paid her and more. —Judy K

Two weeks ago we moved from a three story home which we bought thirty five years ago to a one story condo. The decision to move was accelerated by the fact that my Husband had his leg amputated five months ago.

We were very lucky to have found Smooth Moves for Seniors. This service is owned and run by Laurie Gunton.

She was fabulous. She came to the house several times to pack, having provided the boxes and wrappings. She also filled her car several times with unwanted items for charity, or to the dump with rejects, and to appropriate venders with items to be sold. Besides this she selected the movers, who turned out to be wonderful. Her husband and sons also helped to make the move as smooth as it was. Laurie has a way of anticipating things we never thought of, i.e. buying felt pads for chairs to save the newly re finished hardwood floors.

We would not hesitate to highly recommend Smooth Moves for Seniors. Laurie is very competent and   a charming person to deal with. Besides this, she is super energetic and enthusiastic. She makes a daunting task very manageable. We are very grateful for all her help. —Valerie and David Christie

Thank you for helping me out so much with my move to Concorde Place. I am indebted to you for all your hard work and finding a new home for all the items I got rid of!!
The movers were great and so efficient in every way, they got it all done very quickly considering all the boxes and extras I had. I would recommend you and the moving company without any hesitation to any of my friends who are considering their next move.

Thank you again. You are fantastic and you have a very warm personality.  —Cathie McCormick

It was a lucky day for me when a colleague at Royal LePage suggested that I enlist the services of Laurie Gunton (Smooth Move for Seniors) to clear my client’s home.

Although this Seller was already living comfortably in a seniors home, she was reluctant to part with belongings she had accumulated over 75 years in that house. Refined and diplomatic in her approach, SMFS was most considerate of her feelings and proceeded with her assignment on time. SMFS laboured for 6 weeks, sorting, packing, moving and distributing “the stuff” always being accountable for the smallest items and taking changes of direction with good humour and compliance.

I could not have closed this sale on time without their hard work and resolve! As we all know, most seniors are non compliant and it takes a professional like SMFS to handle the daily chores, appease their concerns and end up on a happy note.

I owe Laurie Gunton a grateful thanks. —Elizabeth Low / Jethro Seymour (Sales Representative, Accredited Senior Agent.Future Group Realty Services Ltd., Brokerage, Toronto / Broker, Toronto Listing Specialist. Royal LePage R.E.S., Ltd. Johnston & Daniel Division)

“Laurie was instrumental in helping us move our Dad to a retirement home, and her help was greatly appreciated. Her cheerful and pragmatic manner ensured that the move went smoothly. Always patient and respectful, Laurie helped us sort through a multitude of items, packing his belongings and facilitating the donation of other items. She created a workable floor plan in his new home, was onsite during moving day and generally coordinated and organized a lot of moving pieces. Laurie recommended and liaised with movers, researched storage facilities, made numerous trips to goodwill, put us in touch with an auction house and generally supported all of us throughout the move. Invaluable was her onsite support and management of moving day. We would recommend her to others who are moving or downsizing.” —Kathryn Cronin & Heather Montgomery

During 2017 I moved from a house into an Apartment.  Smooth Move for Seniors assisted me with every aspect of the move.

They were pleasant to work with, always competent, polite and thoughtful, anticipating problems in time to deal with them in advance. Laurie is an unusually strong young woman and does not tire easily. Laurie is experienced and very careful at moving all kinds of household goods.  She carries essentials in her vehicle having an endless supply of boxes, bubble wrap, strings, tapes and tools, etc., available.

Smooth Move for Seniors was always on time, or early. They kept in touch by telephone when not on site. They have a wide outreach to other businesses, which can extend their services. When required, Smooth Move for Seniors was able to have a dumpster placed on my driveway and later rented a conveniently located locker when it was needed.

Moving involves disposing of all sorts of items. SMFS was versatile in working with everyone from Antique Dealers to Charity pick-ups. They had many good ideas as to where difficult articles could be sold or at least, unloaded.

When an unexpected health situation arose, Laurie made a quick run to the Hospital and took charge upon arrival.

Over a period of six months Laurie made herself available to help this very senior lady whose own family resources were minimal and distant. This move from an over-furnished, long established home to a generously–sized Apartment was a major feat !

I cannot imagine how it could have been accomplished without the caring assistance of Smooth Move for Seniors. —Dorothy DeHaas

Laurie helped move our mom into a retirement residence and also played a key role with the downsizing process. She is excellent in every regard. Punctual, meticulous, trustworthy, highly intelligent, organized and with a warm, caring manner that immediately puts clients at ease. She worked very hard to make a tight deadline. She knows how to communicate both with vulnerable seniors and their families.

I can’t recommend her highly enough.

Reducing household after many years in one location is a challenging task. It is difficult physically and emotionally to select belonging which had sentimental values, to dispose of accumulated items no longer necessary in the smaller space and in a different way of living.

It seems an almost unsurpassable task in which Laurie’s help proves to be essential. She shows great understanding of individual needs of her clients, supported by very professional knowledge of the process. Laurie is working methodically, avoiding any pressure on her clients, resolving each situation with calm and intelligent support.

She provides invaluable suggestions of sources and institutions for donations or disposal. Through the entire process I felt supported by Laurie’s well meaning, hard working, highly professional service. Her always calm disposition creates an atmosphere of trust, in which I felt save and protected by a friend who has my well being in mind.

—Lilian L (North Toronto)

Laurie had a calming and reassuring manner and together with her crew, they had all of the items in the home professionally packed and identified. They did all of this within the time-frame that they promised. Laurie also recommended a mover that she has worked with before, and they too turned out to be a very good choice. After all of the early drama and anxiety, the property closed as scheduled. End result is that we have a happy client, and two agents with their blood pressure back to normal again!

If the occasion arises we will not hesitate to recommend Laurie again. I’m sure there are many other agents in our office that could benefit from having her contact information and finding out the different services that her company provides.
—Frank T. Coppola
Broker, MVA-Residential
Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.

Planning any kind of move ..
I give Smooth Move and Laurie Gunton .. FIVE STARS & ALL THUMBS UP. We recently worked together in a 7000+sf home going through every room decluttering, tidying, sending a large truckload to storage and purging years of saved items no longer of use or value. Laurie was particularly respectful of our homeowners privacy, she created a timeline plan and over achieved getting everything done well ahead of time.
Laurie Gunton more that exceeded expectations and I would highly recommend her to everyone planning any kind of move.
—James R. Metcalfe
Realtor® Broker
Johnston & Daniel Div.
Royal LePage RES Ltd Brokerage

I trusted Laurie to deliver her very best service to my most precious of family members, to help ease the tension of a very stressful and emotional move. Laurie not only delivered her expected skill and management of the physical aspects of content management, but went above and beyond to continuously deliver a high level of service, above and beyond our expectations. Thank you, Laurie.
—Sue Beard
Royal LePage Signature Realty
416-444-2818 (direct)

“My Clients know they have to move – he has health issues looming; they have no family in town to pitch in. I see my client’s distress – she is paralyzed by the enormity of the task ahead. Enter Laurie Gunton: generous, kind, respectful. She works logically and quickly and I can see how supported my client feels now.
That’s good business.”

“My clients said “thank you for bringing Laurie Gunton our way”. As a Realtor, I want to say thank you to Laurie for coming my way!”

“With Laurie Gunton, it is “one-stop-shopping”: she knows who takes donations, who gives tax receipts, who takes consignment and what they will accept… when you bring Laurie on board, it’s like she becomes part of your team. She keeps your name front and center.”

“The past year I have given Laurie challenges around Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, out-of-town decision makers and some very tight time lines within which she has had to act, and she handled it all with aplomb. She is a real professional.”

“One phrase sums Laurie up: “Grace under pressure”. She is an asset to any situation. She has helped my business.”

—Robin Tully,
Broker,
Johnston & Daniel