The Next Step Forward Inc

Clare is exactly the person my family needed. Prior to hiring Clare, we spent seven months trying to clear out an estate ourselves in order to get it ready to list. That project was daunting, overwhelming, and we got nowhere doing it month after month on our own. Upon hiring Clare, the entire estate was emptied (contents sold and junk removed) within a month. She handled the physical tasks, admin tasks, and the emotional toll that clearing an estate has on a family. Clare was the shining star our family needed and I truly don't believe anyone could have helped us with this project to the level Clare did. Thank you sincerely <3

We were clearing out our family home, which was an overwhelming tasks. We contacted The Next Step Forward. Clare came and took charge. She guided us through the work required to have items posted on MaxSold, online auction site. She coordinated it all, from researching items at hand, photography and writing description for each lot. We had a total of 153 lots, and sold 151 of them. A tremendous success.

This was all done with professionalism, and she made it all feel seamless.

I will highly recommend The Next Step forward to anyone looking for this type of service.

Clare was exceptional it was a good size house with a lot of decluttering.. Took her about 3 weeks that was doing a sale of most of my items. she also arranged for my movers. Could not of done this without her. She was amazing. Would use her services again and would highly recc.omend her to everyone.

Clare did a great job helping me clear decades of accumulated stuff
She is a joy to work with and made the entire task easier than I thought it could be

Since the start of the pandemic, my small apartment has become over-run with too much stuff! I have wanted to organize it all myself, but could not find the time. I literally handed the keys to Clare and Hazel and asked them to work their magic. Not only did they declutter, dispose of all the items in my home I no longer needed, they even assembled all the awesome storage suggestions they sourced for our space. They helped create more room than even know what to do with. This has really improved my wellbeing and mental health - even my relationship! I can breathe and am still discovering all the little touches they so thoughtfully put together for us. Thank you so much for all your hard work and support. Hope to work together again!

We have nothing but praise and thanks for Clare and The Next Step Forward. Clare was completely professional and skilled in setting up and coordinating our down-sizing online auction on MaxSold, and she was considerate and respectful of the emotional steps we needed to take in order to move forward without anxiety or hesitation. Worth every penny - we had terrific results. We do not hesitate in recommending the services of Clare Platt and The Next Step Forward.

Clare and her team are a pleasure to work with! They are professional and thorough - but still sensitive to the emotional component of dealing with, and letting go of, material things. Would highly recommend!

I have hired Clare and her team at The Next Step Forward several times to help with a move into a new house as well as several decluttering projects. Their work was excellent. The Next Step Forward is prompt in responding to requests and the team works very hard during their time on the job. Clare has great organization skills and a good eye for setting up a room. She is a pleasure to work with and is a good problem solver with many useful suggestions and a network of contacts for any related work needed to be done.

I worked with Claire in cleaning out my mothers home after she had moved. Clare was very knowledgeable & organized throughout the process. She used Max Sold to sell items we were not going to take with us to my mothers new house. She was very thorough, including knowing what would sell, grouping items strategically to generate the most bids & grouping the sold items into lots for pick up so it was streamlined and organized. Many of the purchasers had dealt with estate sales before and commented that this was the most organized and efficient pick up they had experienced! Clare was also very personable and made everybody picking up the item feel that they had made an excellent purchase! Being a realtor it’s also important to me that I have a trusted partners I can refer to clients without hesitation. Clare is someone I would recommend with pleasure & full confidence knowing my clients would be treated with professionalism and care.

The Next Step Forward were truly amazing. Clare and her team managed every aspect of preparing my mother’s apartment. From auctioning to junk removal to logistics and the final cleaning. Everything was done with incredible efficiency, respect and care. It would have been a nightmare for me and my family, without Clare running the show. We’re really grateful to have found The Next Step Forward, and recommend them very highly.