What do I do when a family member has passed away and they have left a lot of contents in the home? Should I have an estate sale?
It can be very overwhelming for the person who’s in charge of an estate after a person passes away because that person may have gathered a lot of stuff. We all have stuff and the longer you live the more of that stuff you accumulate. There are a variety of things in a home, ranging from items that really matter to people like pictures or jewelry, to things nobody cares about like the old couch, and then all different things in between.
Many times, families jump in and decide, “Hey, we’re going to have an estate sale.” Unfortunately, what I’ve observed is that it’s really hard to watch things that have a meaning to you get sold for 25 cents or a dollar. An estate sale is essential just a garage sale to other people. For this reason, it is my strong recommendation to try and avoid that if you can.
There are places that will come in and clean out the entire property, donate things for you, and really honor the memory. But there are also places that don’t do a good job, so we recommend doing it your self with our help. We can provide anything you need from people that can go in and clean out a house of debris, to contractors and people that can help you get that house ready. Many times cleaning up is the only barrier to getting the house sold, which is the only barrier to getting the probate or the trust moved along right.