Probate is the process of administering a deceased person’s estate. This can include distributing their property, settling debts and taxes, and resolving any disputes over the will. The executor of the estate is responsible for ensuring that all necessary legal formalities are carried out before they distribute anything from an estate to beneficiaries. If you’re going through this process with your own family member or friend, we will go over what you shouldn’t do when your administrator of the estate.
I frequently witness the most aggravation in executors and administrators during the house clean-out process. And it’s not without cause; they’re generally in command of cleaning out a single-family home, with a lifetime’s worth of accumulation.
Executors frequently contact me after a few weekends’ worths of cleaning and dumping, but the cleaning has not yet been completed. The executor is frequently perplexed by how to get everything out of there. I am always glad to assist, but I typically recognize that the executor or administrator was not completely informed about all of the choices available from the beginning. The goal of this blog is to prevent some common mistakes and give you a few tips that I’ve learned over the years about how to clean out an estate or home.
While it may be tempting to begin cleaning out your house as soon as possible, you should wait until you have consulted with a professional. This will guarantee that you are following all of the necessary legal procedures.
Understand all of Your Options
Rule number one when making a big decision is to know everything there is to know about your alternatives! How will you ever know if you made the correct choice if you don’t understand all of your options? This is why I wanted to provide the top five things you need to do while cleaning your home. Being informed before you start the clean-out may save you time and money in the long run.
- Do not start cleaning out your house until you have:
- Consulted with a professional
- Determined what to do with large items
- Resolved any estate or family disputes
- Contacted creditors if there is any outstanding debt
- Paid off all debts of the deceased person
Here are the 6 most common mistakes when cleaning out an estate
- Make sure you get all the inherited personal property items out of the home. You’ll be shocked at how many individuals wait until the last minute to grab anything inherited, and items are frequently thrown away or sold. Consider a family heirloom being trashed. What a bummer that would be!
- Get the Appropriate Insurance policy– If the property is vacant, the insurance should be updated as well, you should double-check to ensure that it covers both personal and real assets. Check with your insurance provider to verify that the estate is adequately insured.
- Make sure to get a professional opinion from a local estate sale company– In my opinion, you should hire a professional to evaluate your house. What if what you think is valuable isn’t really valuable? What if what you believe is trash might be useful? Pickers are frequently given the moniker “Jems” by collectors, because they get the first look at everything. Speak with a few experts to get their thoughts on how best to utilize the property.
- Make sure you get a professional opinion from a local trash removal company– There’s no need to begin cleaning without first consulting with a buyout or trash removal business if the estate sale company isn’t an option. Buyout firms may frequently clean your home completely and offer you a very competitive price. This is because the cost is often changed if they are able to obtain scrap metal or other property for a profit. On the other hand, a trash removal company will generally charge you for the amount of space your items take up in their truck. This is usually more expensive but can be less time consuming.
- Wait to Sell Furniture and Other Large Items– Many people make the mistake of trying to sell furniture and other large items before they have even consulted with an estate sale company. This can lead to a lot of unnecessary hassle, and you may not get the best price for your items. Big ticket furniture will likely sell better at an estate sale than on Craigslist or eBay.
- Make sure you consult a Local Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist- This is a Real Estate Agent that has gone through the probate procedure and is certified and skilled in working with it. This individual can get started suggesting all of the tasks involved in preparing a property to sell. They may also assist you in finding cleaning services, estate sale businesses, handymen (if the house requires repairs), and start pre-marketing your home.
As you finish the tasks mentioned, you’ll be able to construct a comprehensive picture of all your choices before you even start emptying your home. After examining all of your alternatives, you can then decide if the estate sale will raise the cash-out amount of the estate or if it will pay for a cleaning service.
I’d want you to bear in mind that when it comes to cleaning everything yourself, you should be conservative. There is nothing wrong with being cautious; many estate representatives clean their own houses. Keep in mind, as I said previously, that most people underestimate the amount of time and effort required for a clean-out. When feasible, move through the process cautiously and methodically to avoid any potential problems.