I need to clean out the home of my father who just moved into an assisted living facility and had to leave most of the household items, a mixture of valuable things, useful items and junk. The house will be sold once I've cleaned it out but I'm overwhelmed and at a loss about where or how to begin. What's the best way to go about maximizing profit for him and minimizing the time commitment for me?
"This is a daunting project and is becoming more common as [senior citizens] do not always live out their lives in the family home surrounded by their acquisitions," says professional organizer Becca Clark, owner of Creative Convenience (convenientlyorganized.com).
"Expect an emotional and physically challenging job with a significant time commitment when you are called upon to empty out a home filled with memories," Clark says.
She offers the following advice.
ASSESSMENT
"This is the big picture review of the contents," Clark says. "It's best to begin after they have moved and taken everything they need for their new home."
She suggests beginning by walking through the house room by room with a clipboard or notebook with an attached page dedicated for each room. In each room, write down the larger items as well as a more general mention of smaller things.
"It's not an individual inventory which takes a long time and should not be needed unless there is a trust involved," Clark says. Expect to spend less than 15-20 minutes per room and place a star by items expected to be desired by family members or friends.
When creating this list, make note of other items that will not be given away because there is real cash value, more than $10 or $20.
"For items less than that, it usually makes more sense to donate. Items that should not be given away include antiques, serious collectibles, modern appliances in working condition, tools
and furniture in very good condition," she says.
Use the assessment to create categories for sorting items.
SORTING
The next step is to again go through the house, this time in a methodical manner, room by room, either marking with sticky notes or placing items into a designated category.
Clark suggests having designated spaces in different rooms for each category to help with the sorting.
The categories include giving to family or friends, selling, donating, tossing or recycling.
"This is the most time-consuming and emotional part of the job," she says. "So leave yourself plenty of time and take a lot of breaks. You may need to watch for hidden or lost valuable items, too, depending upon your father's habits."
Once the items have been sorted, the next step should be giving away the items set aside for family or friends.
"Hopefully, this was decided before your relative left the home, but if not you will need to have friends and family members come to the home and find an equitable way to divide the treasures," Clark says, adding that photos and information can be sent to those who are out of town.
"The key thing here is to set a deadline," she says. "Notify everyone when the final sale/pickup/toss will happen and the absolute last day that they may come and take the appropriate things," she says. "You'll want to get an attorney involved early on if there are very valuable items or dissension about the dispersal."
When it comes to selling items, methods include auctions, estate sales, entire-house sales or garage sales.
"The best choice depends upon the value of the items and the timeline for clearing the home," Clark says. "If you do it yourself, find appraisers for valuables. I personally think the garage sale is an absolute last option," she says, adding that it's a lot of work for a small financial return.
For donations, choose a charity that is meaningful to your loved one.
"It helps if you know the things are going to a cause he supports," Clark says. Items with no value to others should be discarded or recycled. Finally, make sure the house is properly cleaned.
"I absolutely recommend hiring a professional cleaning company once it's empty," she says. "They'll get into every nook and cranny to make it shine for sale; more importantly it will save you hours of hard work."
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:
lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 06/04/2016