Once the majority of the legal and financial issues, you’ll need to go through and dispose of the contents of your parents’ home before you can list the property for sale.
This process can be overwhelming both emotionally and physically. Be sure to get help from a trusted partner.
Distribute what’s owed to heirs
First off, find and dispense any personal property that your parents have bequeathed to other heirs, friends, and family.
If you are the personal representative, you’re responsible for getting the Fiesta ware to your sister and your grandmother’s ring to niece, if that’s what the will says to do.
Note: Probate court may need to be involved in this process depending on Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida laws. In fact, all property might need to be inventoried before the courts let you distribute anything.
If there is no named executor, or personal representative, it’s the heirs to decide what happens to the contents of the house. This can get a bit tricky, if multiple heirs want the same item.
As a last resort, you may need to get a mediator involved to handle your parents’ personal property as well as the home sale decisions.
Clear out the rest of the house with an estate sale
Once you’ve dispensed the big ticket items and cherished possessions, you’ll likely still be left random stuff. Like most families, you’ll hit a wall where you just want to toss it all so you can be done!
However, there is an alternative that might just net you a little extra cash & take the pressure off you: have an estate sale.
Estate sale companies can orchestrate the sale of unclaimed personal property so you can get a little money for those items.
An estate sale or an auction may also be a great option to solve personal property disputes between bickering heirs. If an agreement cannot be made on an item, then simply put the item up for sale and let the best bid win.
Step 10 of the process is to prepare the house for sale.
