The process of moving past the loss of a loved one can never be easy. The turmoil of funerals, paperwork, assets, and liquidation can be very taxing. Sometimes, it can feel like the whole world is against you, especially when investors and banks start giving you time limits on when to have things done. One frustrating ordeal can be clearing out a home.

We’re taking this month to give you some helpful tips on getting through this process with a clear and open mind, rather than racing against the clock to put the loved one’s memory and belongings behind you. Join us as we recount some steps to take during this time:

• Even though you want to quit, be thorough. You have absolutely no idea how many lost treasures lie in someone’s home. We see it every day. Make sure to do your research and inquire about unknown items. This whole time, they could have been sitting on a nest egg!
• Locate the financial papers. Most often, people think in terms of “well, they’re not around anymore so none of this matters.” Unfortunately, any recently departed person’s debt or monetary troubles do not just disappear. The opposite is true, too. There are many accounts of acute and organized filing of papers leading to a financial gain for family members.
• Family comes first. If you’re spearheading the process of liquidating an estate, get your family involved. Ask what sort of items they’d like, help in the moving process, and how they’d like to divide bipartisan items (something that belongs to more than one person).
• Bring in a liquidator. Aside from a little self-promotion, we can’t stress this enough. Selling a whole estate can be VERY taxing, especially when you aren’t sure of the steps to take. A liquidator needs to be trusted, though. Have a conversation with them about the whole process before committing. You need to feel comfortable handing over your estate to someone who can get the job done, and done well.

With the Ladies, there are no upfront fees to the client. We receive a commission on the back end, so your only cost initially would be trash removal. The last thing you want is to spend a ton of money on a sale that doesn’t produce results. Always remember, big or small, the Ladies handle it all! Give us a call for any questions you may have, or to get your estate sale underway!