There’s nothing more painful than trying to decide what happens next when a loved one dies. When someone close to you has passed away you go through a process of grieving, but while you are going through that process you have to deal with their estate. If they weren’t married and they didn’t have any children, but they are a relative to you, usually an estate would be divided between their parents and siblings, other relatives and friends that they may have dictated in their will.
It can be very complex and time consuming to deal with a deceased estate, and estate sales companies can help you. If the person who has passed away owned property or had significant debts, the executor of the estate is responsible for dealing with all of these assets and liabilities as well as any obligations to pay down debt and tax. But what do you do with all of their stuff? When somebody lives an entire life, they accumulate a lot of property. It’s not just houses, but possessions.
Here are the things that you can do with the items of a deceased estate.
- Decide What You’d Like to Keep. The first thing to consider is whether there are any sentimental items that you’d like to keep after somebody passes away. These can include jewelry, photographs, and even keepsakes. Sift through everything and go room to room so that you can choose things that speak to you.
- Open the House to Family Members. Some family members may want older furniture, photos or other keepsakes in the same way that you did. If you allow family members to come in, they can select some of the items as well and this will stop you from inadvertently donating something that would have been precious to somebody else.
- Start Making a Donation Pile. Go through all of their things and make a list of things that you’d like to donate. This could be to their favorite charity store, or to specific locations. When you know that something is going to a charity, it can make it easier to let those items go. While you are also donating items and ornaments, don’t forget to donate their clothes. Not all clothes will be in good enough condition to sell, so take those to charity shops as well.
- List Items for Sale. You can list some of the leftover items on eBay or Facebook marketplace. Always include pictures and descriptions of each item and tried to price the items as fairly as possible. This will ensure a quicker sale and you won’t have to drag it out too long when you are trying to grieve.
- Hold an Estate Sale. Because you need to sell every item in the house separately to get the highest price this could take a lot longer. A professional estate sale is there to ensure that all of the items can be sold and you won’t have to deal with it yourself.
