About
Our Mission: To assist you in moving forward so you can thrive in your next chapter by downsizing with dignity, honoring your legacy and creating a safe space for change.
Someone once said to me, "I have to remind myself, that is someone's baby," and it changed the way I think about things. Our clients are going through a major life change, often on their own. The difficult days, the indecisiveness, the exhaustion, and the raw emotions all compound and overwhelm us. One day my own kids will navigate a major life change without me. I hope to care for my clients the way I would want my own children to be cared for.
That is the heart of abiRiver. It is not that our clients cannot do this themselves. It is that they deserve the attention, the patience, and the care, regardless of their age or stage in life. Every person who calls us is someone's loved one. We show up the way we hope someone would show up for us and for the people we love.
Our purpose has always been caring for others in a crisis, and that purpose has followed me into emergency medicine, into real estate, and eventually into building abiRiver. This work lets me fill the gap in care that healthcare workers, social workers, mental health workers, and friends and family see every day.
We have heard over and over, "If only there was a company like you around when my own parents went through this." We saw the need, and we are filling it.
Therese Johnson,
Owner and Licensed REALTOR
So, how did we end up here?
For 12 years, I worked as a critical care paramedic across rural North Dakota and Minnesota. That work taught me how to solve problems fast, with limited time and resources, and to stay calm no matter what came through the door. I also have a background in emergency management. I am certified in the National Incident Management System, NIMS, through FEMA, and I served with the ND Medical Volunteer Corps, responding to large scale natural disasters.
Bridging real estate with guiding clients through a crisis was a natural fit for us as we built abiRiver.
What We Stand For
Advocacy. We are a voice for the people who are not always being heard. Our clients deserve someone in their corner who will speak up for them when needed, and we bring in neutral parties to review or offer advice whenever possible.
Transparency. We never want a client to feel misunderstood or taken advantage of. Clear rates, clear timelines, and honest conversations from the very first call. No surprises, no fine print, no pressure.
Respect. This is a stage of life that many people fear. We want our clients to thrive in it, to look forward to it, and to feel that what they have built and who they are is honored every step of the way. We want them to step forward with confidence.
Quality. People work hard their entire lives to arrive at this chapter, and they deserve care and service that reflects that. We do not cut corners on the experience, especially where doing so could cause further problems or uncertainty.
Who We Serve
abiRiver was built around the needs of people navigating major life transitions, but that does not mean we serve only one kind of client. Our work spans a wide range of people and situations.
We work with homeowners in their 50s, 60s, and beyond who are ready to make a move on their own terms, before a health event forces the decision, before the house becomes a burden, and while the choice still belongs entirely to them.
We work with adult children who are helping a parent through a transition, from nearby or from a distance, people who need a trusted resource on the ground they can hand this to without worrying about what gets missed.
We work with busy professionals and growing families who are buying, selling, or relocating and need someone who can manage the moving parts so they do not have to.
We work with healthcare providers, social workers, first responders, and discharge planners who need a reliable resource for the families they serve, especially when a home is no longer safe or a transition cannot wait.
We work with builders and developers who want to offer their buyers something no one else in this market provides, an agent who understands Universal Design, aging in place, and the full picture of what it means to build a home that works for every stage of life.
We work with investors who have both the heart and the funds to help clients in distress, people who deserve a clear path forward and a fair sale, without feeling rushed, pushed, or confused about selling their home.
If you are in the middle of something big and you are not sure where to start, you are in the right place.
Our Team
Supporting my clients through big changes matters deeply to me, and so does how my team is treated along the way. I know firsthand how important it is to have work that respects your time, your effort, and the fact that life is unpredictable. That is a big part of who I am, and I am proud to be a business owner who creates valuable opportunities for my staff.
I offer flexible, nontraditional roles so our team can set their own schedules, build relationships with clients, and coordinate sessions together. We support each other through sick days, much needed time off, and busy stretches. We also give our team the chance to focus on projects they feel confident in, learn new skills together, and change direction when they need to.
I never want a client to feel discomfort or judgment from someone they have invited into their home. Our staff are members of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Hoarding Coalition, and they take on the projects they do because they know they can make a real difference in someone’s life, and they want it to be a good experience for the client too.
Therese
Johnson
Owner | REALTOR® | Downsizing Specialist
Therese Johnson spent twelve years as a critical care paramedic in rural North Dakota and Minnesota, the kind of work that teaches you to solve problems fast, advocate fiercely, and stay calm when everything around you is not. She carried those instincts directly into real estate, and eventually into building abiRiver Consulting from the ground up.
With eight years in real estate and a team behind her that brings backgrounds in healthcare, senior living, interior design, and estate sales, Therese has built something this market has never had before, a single resource that handles every layer of a life transition, from the first hard conversation to the moment a client walks into their new home and kicks off their shoes.
She holds a Certificate in Universal Design through the National Association of Home Builders, is a member of the National Aging in Place Council, and serves as Co-Founder of For Safer Spaces and Secretary of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Hoarding Coalition. She is licensed in both North Dakota and Minnesota.
What drives her is not the transaction. It is the moment someone realizes they do not have to figure this out alone.
abiRiver Consulting is a family business in the truest sense. Therese and Andrew Johnson built it on the same foundation, the belief that people deserve more support, more care, and more patience during the hardest transitions of their lives. They bring different backgrounds and different strengths to that mission, and together they make it work.
Andrew
Johnson
Co-Owner| Downsizing Specialist
Andrew Johnson spent over 20 years working in his family’s small grocery businesses in Minnesota’s lakes area, where knowing and caring for your neighbors was the cornerstone of the work. That experience shaped something in him that no credential can replicate, a genuine interest in people, a talent for making them feel known, and an instinct for showing up as a trusted resource before anyone has to ask.
At abiRiver, Andrew channels that same approach into building the relationships and community partnerships that make our work possible. He connects with families, local providers, and the broader network of professionals who support people through major life changes, because the best transitions happen when everyone involved already trusts each other. That is the kind of groundwork Andrew lays.
Outside of work, Andrew is most at home feeding people, whether that means cooking for friends and family or planning the next trip. His love of travel led him to earn a travel agent license, with a long term vision of helping clients plan meaningful journeys once the dust of a big move has settled. Whether it is finally visiting a grandchild across the country or checking a dream destination off a lifelong list, he believes the next chapter should include something to look forward to.
Andrew and Therese share two boys who keep life full and grounded. Family is at the center of everything they do, and it continues to shape the purpose behind the work they show up for every day.
Get Ahold Of Us
Do you or a parent need to relocate to retire, transitioning to senior living or are you stepping in for a family member who has an estate to clean out? Call abiRiver Consulting for more information or to schedule a free consult.
Contact
Address
515 19th St N
Fargo, ND 58102, USA
High Valley Real Estate
Therese Johnson, REALTOR®
