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Estate Clearance - disposing of the personal property of a loved one
Making sure that the property is secured is important when no one is living there anymore. Here are some steps to take.
- Step up security following the death. The obituary in the paper can be a tip off for robbers.
- Make a video of each room in the home to document what is in the home at the time of the death.
- Install a security system, ask neighbors to be extra watchful, talk to the local police, and make sure everyone has your cell phone #.
- Check in with the property insurance agency and let them know what’s going on, and insure that the property remains insured. Transfer the mailing address to your own.
- Contact all the utilities and make sure these services stay in effect. Transfer the mailing address to your own.
- Change the locks on the doors. You don’t know who has keys.
- Cancel cleaning service, newspaper and any other in house services.
- Hire lawn maintenance to keep the house looking lived in.
- Install nightime light timers to turn lights on and off.
- Gather all jewelry, coins, stock certificates, precious metals, anything of value for more secure storage.
- Transfer the mail.
If you take these steps immediately following the death, it may give you some peace of mind while you are getting through those first few difficult weeks. Once the will has been read and is ready to executed, you can begin working on the dispersion of the personal belongings.
Here are some steps to take:
- Walk through the home with other family members, make notes of who wants what if it hasn’t been specifically designated in the will.
- Access the safe deposit box, or any other offsite storage of valuable.
- Look for hiding places where $ or jewelry might have been hidden in the house. (Favorite places include a hole in the wall under the basement stairs, under the paper liner in dresser drawers, a shoe box in the closet, a glass jar in the kitchen or basement, under a portion of carpet, pockets of suits or purses. Be sure to thoroughly check the insides of everything before giving it away or donating it.
- Consider hiring some professional help - I am available to help families with an estate clearance. I can hire an antique appraiser to determine values, get organized for the dispersal of personal belongings among family members (act as a mediator if necessary), organize and run an estate sale, arrange for items to be taken to consignment, vintage or antique dealers, and arrange for donations, arrange for painting, carpet cleaning, deep house cleaning in order to prepare the home to be sold.
Try to move through this process quickly. Your goal is dispersal of the items and estate clearance. It is very easy to get caught up in the memories and get stuck.
Remember, its a smart decision to ask for help! Let's Get Organized! can help. |
