Q. I live out of town and I know there are important documents relating to the estate as well as items bequeathed to friends and family listed in my dad’s will that are still somewhere in the house.
A. Often people pass on before they have a chance to gather and organize documents and items they have willed to beneficiaries. The Executor Assists team will do their best to locate these items. Sometimes, although you may not find a will or other document, papers from financial institutions or lawyers may give you the contact you need to track one down. Note! Items in the will may have already been given to a beneficiary or even someone else (especially with dementia involved). We do our best to find items but unfortunately it is also possible that items were inadvertently thrown out or taken by an employee, a “new” friend, or a neighbor.
Q. We want to get the house on the market as soon as possible. How long would it take to clear out a fairly full 3 bedroom home and get it ready for sale?
A. The first step is to talk with you, visit the estate and do a detailed assessment of the work that needs to be done. We can give an estimated cost and timeline based upon the amount of “stuff” in the home, the location, and the size and condition of the home. We have cleared 3 bedrooms homes and readied them for sale in less than a week and others with lots of “sorting” and more complex requirements within in a few weeks.
We worked on a 5 bedroom home with a family member and actually emptied it in one day. Everything was identified. Items were removed to be delivered to family members by our professional movers first. Then an auctioneer arrived and removed the items that would be sold. A charity arrived and took their designated items before items were taken for recycle and disposal. Last was the professional cleaners who left the home ready for the new owners.
We have emptied a long term care room within 24 hours and we can usually handle one or two room suites in a retirement residence in a matter of days.
As you can see we network with many professionals to expedite this.
Q. How are your services respectful of the environment?
A. Our aim is to take as little to landfill as possible. We sort through every box, bag and pocket searching for useful items and “treasures.” Any clean, unbroken usable items are donated to charities. We have donated clothes, linens, games, toys, kitchenware, furniture, appliances, books, medical equipment, art and sewing supplies to over 50 charities. Metal, plastic, glass, electronics, batteries, tires and paper are recycled.
Items of possible value are viewed by our accredited appraisers or other experts and considered for sale through dealers, auction houses or consignment stores when warranted. If the estate has a large number of items of significant value, an estate sale or on-line auction are also possibilities.
Q. My mom used to collect Hummel’s and decorative plates and she has quite an impressive collection that she paid a lot for. Can we make money by selling them?
A. There is a trend for both seniors and their boomer children to be downsizing. This has caused the market to be flooded with various kinds of collectables such as Hummels, decorative plates, china, and numbered prints. Few people are willing to pay very much for them.
Q. My dad had a live in girlfriend and he passed away a year ago and we can’t seem to get her to move out so we can sell the house. We’ve been patient, because she was so good to my dad in his latter years, but we really need to sell asap. Could you help her find, and settle into a new place?
A. In this situation consult with a lawyer for guidance. When a move is imminent we are able to help in many ways.
Q. Are you able to put items into storage for a time?
We are frequently asked to do this and it is not a problem. You do have to do the paperwork with the storage facility though.