Not sure how to handle an estate cleanout?
Removing items from a house after a death is an incredibly difficult and emotional process.
Here are four steps you can take to clean out your late parent’s home.
Give Yourself Time To Mourn
Not sure when to dispose of deceased belongings?
Before you begin cleaning out houses, it’s essential to give yourself time to mourn. But ensure you keep the home locked and secure until you’re ready to begin the process.
It can be an incredibly challenging process to clean out the home of a loved one, but you can make the process less painful by giving yourself breaks and spending time with your siblings while cleaning out the home.
Sort Out Their Paperwork
Instead of digging through your late parent’s items, you should begin by sorting out their paperwork. This includes collecting all their essential documents:
- Credit card statements
- Utility bills
- Passwords or usernames for online accounts
- Invoices, receipts or paperwork for art or jewelry
- Pay stubs and tax forms
- Mortgage payments, deeds and car registrations
- Insurance policies and will
- Social security card
Once you’ve found all the above documents, you should place them in a secure spot like a safe or file.
Sort Out Their Belongings
It’s important to sort out your late parent’s belongings carefully by setting aside any items that may seem valuable. These high-value items should be evaluated by an appraiser. We recommend getting jewelry, antiques, furniture, fine art, collectibles appraised.
Hire an Estate Appraiser to Value Furniture, Jewelry and Antiques
It’s crucial to hire an appraiser to help you and your siblings determine the value of certain antiques, jewelry pieces, and furniture. This way, your family can easily decide which items should be sold and which should remain amongst the family.
An estate appraiser will give you a visual inventory of all the items in the home and help you distribute items equally amongst you and your siblings. Moreover, appraisers can also provide additional information about a particular family heirloom.
If you’re looking for a professional estate cleanout company, visit the Jerry’s Antiques and Estate Sales website.
We provide a wide array of services, including full or partial cleanouts, complete liquidation of contents, estate sales, private sales of a few items, and more throughout New Jersey.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your estate cleanout.
