A home is never just property. People lived there, made memories inside, and had full lives there. As such, putting a home on the market after someone passes away can be an emotional and logistically complex process.
The role of an executor or estate trustee can be complicated — they need to sort out the paperwork, navigate complex financial processes, and deal with funeral arrangements, all while helping grieving beneficiaries. Making matters worse, it’s common for the executor to grieve for the deceased, as people often name relatives their executors.
That’s why many executors use services that carefully and compassionately sort, organize and prepare a home before listing it for sale. Here’s what defines this service’s industry leaders.
Compassion
When an estate needs to be cleared, you can’t just blindly throw things out in a bin. Rather than assume everything is junk, professional estate cleanout services sort through contents, isolating things that could hold monetary or sentimental value or be worthy of donation or recycling. They don’t cut corners or look to do the job quickly.
Instead, their goal is to ensure everything eventually finds its right place. It’s a thorough, empathetic process that needs to be done correctly. The items in question may have priceless sentimental value or considerable financial value, or they could ultimately be discarded.
Empathy during this process is essential. The professional clearout service will work with the executor and family members to determine where or to whom each item should be allocated. They’ll also help when items need to be donated, sold, or, sometimes, thrown out.
How to Handle Certain Materials
There are some items found in an estate that could cause problems if the executor doesn’t know how to handle them. Recognizing what’s vital and knowing how to handle it is essential.
For example, an executor needs to identify any memorabilia or an important legal or professional document. Otherwise, they may overlook something of immense emotional significance to a loved one or relative – or accidentally toss out papers needed to carry out the estate settlement.
When people die, they may have among their possessions things they never intended to be seen by anybody, like a diary or love letters. Leading estate services companies are familiar with these and other common issues and know how to handle them tactfully and discreetly.
Real Estate Prep
Estate executors usually hire a professional estate services company as a prelude to selling the property. The contents of a house are harder to divide than the money it yields on the market.
Leading estate clearout services have an eye on preparing the home for real estate photography and or staging, even if that’s typically the listing agent’s responsibility.
They don’t need to fulfill every obligation of the stager or take on a real estate agent’s job requirement, but it helps when the clearout company is familiar with home staging and has some experience putting a home’s best foot forward.
Selling a home within an estate can be emotionally draining, legally complex, and just an overall chore. If you hire the right clearout service, you’ll complete a difficult task more effectively and, in less time, ultimately netting the estate the best possible price for the home.