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I am curious how have people handled cleaning out a home/place after one has died. Especially curious about companies/organizations that will do such when nearest family members are not local as in they are 1,000 miles away.
My neighbor, wife and I have been assisting an 88 year old widow whose 90 year old husband dies last month.
The neighbor went through all the files with the widow maklng sure that she had all of the papers that she needed and getting rid of years of records that she did not. She also made sure that all bills were set up for auto payment and the like.
The widow had her family clear out what they wanted (which was minimal).
She called in the golf buddies and had them take the golf equipment they wanted.
She called in the VA and they sent a volunteer to take the rest of the clothes for needy veterans and the like.
My wife and I will head up there periodically and help clean out other things that she does not want. They are donated top the local White Elephant,
Sure, you could call 1-800-GOT-JUNK but we prefer to give things to charities that help the community.
Don't assume that the deceased has nothing of value. I have seen $25k assets thrown out or given away because the person had NO IDEA as what they had.
My parents lived in a CCRC in an area with several retirement communities. There were a few small local companies that did "estate clearing," and I hired one of those to clear the house. They gave me stickers to put on everything I wanted to keep and arranged to auction the items I wanted auctioned and donate the rest to the charity thrift shop of my choosing. They advertised and sold some items because they said I would get more money for them that way, advertised and sold sold my Dad's mobility scooters and his scooter-modified minivan, and transported everything I was keeping to my house about 100 miles away. if you can find someone like that, they are like gold. Their services were not cheap, but they were worth every penny.
Should I be left a widow, after suitable grieving period, I plan to contact an estate sale company such as www.ebth.com and sell most of what is in my house. All the wall art, doo dads, most furniture, etc.
I will then have a company come in and clean my home then put it on the market.
During this time I will relocate to an extended stay hotel until the house sells, then decide to purchase a small condo or rent a downtown apartment.
You HAVE to have a plan! If I go first, I'm not going to worry about a thing.
Try searching in your local area for estate sales. These people will usually price everything and run the sale. They might agree to set aside personal papers etc.
Look for second hand dealers. But you would probably have to be their.
I would look for charities that pick up at the home. Again you would have to be their.
When my mother passed, she did not have a lot, lived in a low-income assisted living type place. It was 1997 and my sisters were not interested in helping out. I was advised by someone at the building she lived in to leave it, that many people that lived there were in need of the kind of stuff she had. So that made cleaning out so much easier for me. I took a sweater and a mirror.
When my middle sister died, she had three kids that took care of it all, so I had no involvement in it.
When my oldest sister died over a year ago in a nursing home, figuring out what to do with her stuff was easy since she did not have much. Her daughter took whatever she wanted, I took a small scrap book I had made for my sister with pictures, letters, etc. (sentimental value to me), and the clothes were of course distributed among the other female residents who could use them.
When I die, I want it as simple as possible. There is a refugee resettlement group through a Catholic church in Syracuse. A phone call will be made and they can come and get it all. I'm sure I have nothing anyone in family will want. They can take the car, too.
When I did my Mom's and my sister's belongings, it was very emotional for me. It just really clinches it that I would never see them again. For me, very sad.
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
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I don't know, the adult step children of my father's second wife stole everything and his rightful heirs were powerless to stop it because there was no will.
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