If your parents’ house is a cluttered mess, expect to invest in outside help to sort through the contents.
Fair warning: Before you call in the haulers, make sure you go through the aforementioned “bag of bags” and check to make sure that nothing of value has been hidden. And finally, an ethical junk hauler will remove unwanted contents and make sure they are distributed properly to recycling and donation centers. Selling clothing and household items, both locally and online, may be an option. Even though COVID has challenged the accessibility of former drop-off donation locations, they are still out there - it just takes a bit more effort to research. With the help of Google searches, it’s easy to find sites to donate or sell household items. These are some of the typical items found in homes: the infamous bag of bags, luggage, trash, expired food and medication, piles of mail, excess craft supplies, clothing, guns/ammunition, musical instruments, books, paper goods, household chemicals, photographs, slides, dishes, old appliances, jewelry, love letters, pornographic magazines, beauty products, home furnishings and children’s games. If there are lots of valuable items, there are online services available to track value and explain how these pieces can be fairly distributed among family members. Be realistic about what you want to keep before you fill up the SUV with Mom and Dad’s furniture. Other supplies should include Sharpies, cartons and packing tape. Purchase some good-quality contractor bags (black for trash, clear for clothing), and find out when the local garbage collection is scheduled so you can save money on junk hauling. Photo courtesy of Getty Imagesīegin sorting room by room, making piles of items to keep, donate, toss, recycle or sell. Take note: Your next steps will require an open mind and a positive attitude as well.Īs you go through the belongings, use good-quality contractor bags by color: black for trash, clear for clothing. A quick sort through the drawers of a bureau in the primary bedroom resulted in the discovery of jewelry and watches that were immediately sold for cash. Within the first hour, I found a folder in the living room containing stock certificates from the 1960s for several hundred shares of a Fortune 500 company. With a positive outlook, I offered an assessment at no charge and was confident that we would find something of value that could be sold. New Jersey had just gone into COVID lockdown, and we had no idea how the real estate market was going to play out. In late March 2020, I was asked to conduct a home assessment by an administrator of an estate and was warned that, until the house was sold, there was no money to pay for organizing services. There’s no telling the types of items you’ll find as you go through your parents’ possessions, but take it one container at a time. Worst-case scenario: The house is a cluttered mess, or even qualifies for the A&E show, “ Hoarders.” If that’s the case, expect to invest in outside help to sort through the contents while searching for hidden treasures, including bank books, cash, jewelry and the missing Woodstock tickets that you thought were lost forever.
#THE PATHLESS HIGHEST UPDRAFT HOW TO#
How to move forward will depend on the condition of the home at the time you take over. The range of project management styles may vary from getting a dumpster and tossing everything, to sorting through every carton and drawer with great care and detail. But first, I offer my condolences I understand the void it creates in your heart, and the changes in family dynamics after your parents are gone.Įxpect to experience a mixed bag of emotions when you begin, and if you have siblings, I guarantee that you will not agree on how to approach the task at hand. Say hello to cartons of mementos, photos, childhood report cards, camp letters and tons of stuff you couldn’t possibly keep - and probably don’t even want. Your parents have passed, and now you’re tasked with sorting through the contents of your childhood home.
0 kommentar(er)
