Friendship Village of Schaumburg held its first in a three-part informational series entitled It's Time to Get Moving. The program has been designed to help seniors navigate the many opportunities, options, and steps involved in making a move to a senior living community. The first part, Market Moves, presented on Wednesday, February 24^th, was a real estate panel. Three area professionals who are part of Friendship Village's preferred realtor network presented the market's current state and shared information about how sellers can get the highest value for their homes. The Zoom conference, attended by dozens of area residents, featured Royal Hartwig of Royal Family Real Estate, Diana Ahlf of REMAX All Pro, and Leslie Ambrose of Baird and Warner.

"The message is clear," said Katherine St.Clair, sales manager at Friendship Village. "After what's been a really tough time on so many levels, the real estate market in the Chicago area is extremely competitive. Homes are selling very quickly, the inventory available for sale is small, and interest rates are low for borrowers. This is definitely a seller's market."

The conference series comes at a perfect time as Friendship Village is increasingly opening its programs, services, and activities. "Since the pandemic started, we've carefully followed the guidelines of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of our activities have been virtual, streamed over our in-house television channels 12-hours a day. Meals have been delivered to the residents' apartments. Everything was done in the interest of keeping our residents safe and healthy, and we've done a great job. But now we're excited to start moving back to our vibrant, in-person calendar of activities and the reopening of our fabulous dining venues," said Jill Steco, lifestyles director. "All of the residents and staff have been able to get vaccinated, and that gives us confidence for the future.”

"The stars are really perfectly aligned," said St.Clair. "It's an ideal time for people to sell their homes and move into Friendship Village where they'll have no burden of homeownership and all of the safety, security, and opportunities of living in an active and engaging senior living community."

Friendship Village's It's Time to Get Moving series will continue with Choosing the Right Senior Living Options on March 10^th and Moving to the Perfect Space: Downsizing Event on March 24^th. The events are online and free of charge. For additional information, visit www.FriendshipVillage.org.