There is no way to appropriately describe what losing a loved one feels likes. For many, having to sort through pack up their loved ones home and possessions is all too painful.
During this time tough decisions need to be made by the family. Clearing a Deceased Estate for sale or settlement with your loved ones possessions still left inside can be completely overwhelming, and trying to decide what things you would like to keep can extremely difficult.
Below we have put together our tips to help manage and make this process easier for loved ones.
- 1. Planning and starting early: create a timeline for when tasks need to be completed by, and start actioning these as soon as possible to reduce feeling overwhelmed as looming sale or settlement days approach. You should allocate at least half a day of clearing work to each room in the house; with this in mind it could take a week to two weeks to clear a property depending on the size of the house and amount of possessions
- 2. Locate important documents first: these may include bank statements, wills, insurance policies, certificate of title/property deeds, shares information and tax returns. Finding important personal papers and documents could be crucial to solicitors, executors of estates and family in winding up a probate or other legal and financial matters on the estate.
- 3. Get family members to select and remove their wanted items: it is best to start the clearing process with family members going through and pulling out items that are wanted first. This way the remainder of the items in the property can be removed more efficiently. It is easier to start the clearing process by removing wanted items, rather then getting bogged down with what to do with unwanted items and getting overwhelmed by the amount of things to sort.
- 4.Sorting methodically: Set up 3 designated workstations for the remaining items: one for rubbish, charity, and items to sell. It is best to work on one room at a time and clear this completely before moving onto the next room. A completely clear room will help to stay on track and work methodically, as well as motivate you to continue with the other spaces.
- 5.Organise the removal of unwanted items: Once you have decluttered and sorted your items into 3 designated piles, it is time to organise the removal of the items that need to be sold, go to charity or rubbish. It is best to have second hand dealers and auction houses come through first so anything that may not be saleable can be put into the charity pile. For items to go to charity, many companies will come and collect items from the home for free if they are in good condition. Other smaller local charities may also have stores where you can drive down and donate small goods.
- For items to be disposed of, we suggest ringing up your local council and taking advantage of any hard rubbish collections you may have, before hiring a rubbish removal company. Avoid using skips as these are costly and often your neighbours like to use it to get rid of their items at your expense! Rubbish removal companies (like us!) have their own truck and trailer where you only have to pay for the rubbish that has been removed, whereas with skips you have to pay for the full bin even if it is not completely filled.
- 6. Avoid regrets: it is best to remove unwatned items as quickly as possible to help stop seconding-guessing your decisions. Surround yourself with loving family members or friends to help you during this time and relieve you from feeling guilty at letting your loved ones possesions go. Try to remember it isn’t disrespectful to repurpose or sell your loved ones possessions if you have no need for them. Your loved one wouldn’t want to burden you with their items and second guessing your decisions will only prolong the clearing process, adding to the stress of the situation.
- 7. Enlist professional help: For many the task of clearing a deceased estate for sale or settlement can be too overwhelming and it may be best to enlist the help of an expert. At Home Moving Planners we provide a fast, respectful and professional estate clearance and house clearance services. Our empathetic team of staff has had years of experience clearing deceased estates for sale and settlement. Our staff are trained experts at finding important personal papers. We are also able to identify and locate other important items, valuables and even money inside the home. The remaining unwanted items will be removed quickly either through donations to charity or disposed of. Home Moving Planners is here to help you during this challenging time and managed the clearing of yours or loved ones home respectfully and empathically