Estate Cleanout Checklist: How to Clean Out a Loved One’s Home

Cleaning out a parent’s home after their death is as much an emotionally demanding process as a physical and administrative one. It’s easy to end up with long to-do lists with deadlines, pressure to decide what to do with the home, and a need to get back to your own responsibilities. That’s why our estate cleanout team, who specializes in estate cleanouts and selling inherited property, have put together a helpful checklist filled with advice and tips we’ve learned along the way.

#1 – Find Important Documents

Check the safe, filing cabinet, and study for all important documents. This includes:

• Home insurance and life insurance policies
• Bank/financial account statements
• Last Will and Testament
• Birth certificate and passport
• Stocks and bond certificates
• Outstanding bills

If your parent was reasonably tech-savvy, remember to take their computer or copy their documents onto your cloud account or a backup hard drive. This will ensure that you have their contacts as well as all digital paperwork.

It’s also important to set aside any personal papers that may bring you or another loved one comfort, like collections of school certificates, letters, poetry, recipes, and other items.

#2 – Rehome Pets

If your parent had pets, you’ll need to find them a new home. They may have been left to someone in particular (many people include a request in their Will and even a financial incentive to help care for their pets). If there are no instructions, it’s time to look for a home where they would be cared for just like your loved one would’ve wanted. This could be with a family member, a friend, or a neighbor. You can also advertise on neighborhood groups and animal welfare groups.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and share your pets far and wide on social media. Maybe you can’t take on a dog, but your friend’s cousin’s child is looking for a furry companion!

#3 – Read Through Their Will

A Last Will and Testament can be a great help during this process, as many people want to leave specific items to certain loved ones, charities, and organizations. As this is a legally binding document, the last thing you want is to sell or throw out something that was a bequest.

Make a list of who is inheriting what and store those items in a separate room or space. Contact the heirs and make plans for them to collect, ship or sell these items so that they don’t get damaged or lost in the house cleanout process.

Once you have separated items that are to be inherited, it’s a good idea to invite groups of people close to your loved one who might want an item for sentimental or practical reasons. This should start with family first and then friends and should be done as fairly as possible. Try to make a day of it where you gather to remember your parent and select items close to your heart.

#3 – Start Sorting

Sort the items in the house according to each of these categories, placing them in separate rooms as you work:

• Keep – Items of sentimental or practical value.
• Sell – You can sell directly to a thrift or secondhand goods store, or use local buy and sell Facebook groups, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace.
• Donate – Choose a charity that your parent would have approved of and that will be able to collect from the property, saving you some time and heavy lifting.
• Recycle – Plastics, glass, paper, tins, and electronics can all be recycled. Remember to follow local regulations, wipe any electronics clean of data (if needed), and shred any paperwork that contains sensitive financial or personal information.
• Appraisal – Put aside items of value for a professional appraisal. These can be sold by you at a later stage or at an estate sale. If you’re unsure if an item is valuable or not, rather keep it for the appraiser.
• Discard – Broken, non-recyclable items, and trash. You may need to rent a small dumpster or use a collection service if there is more than you can reasonably fit in the trash can.

Work room-by-room rather than taking on the whole house, get family and loved ones to help out. Remember not to strain yourself physical and to take regular breaks if you are feeling emotional. Sometimes it can help to start in the least sentimental space (maybe a laundry room, the garage or a guest bedroom) and work your way up. This will help you get into the rhythm of cleaning to the house and make progress.

Another good idea is to take care of sentimental items and items you want to sell, and let professional house cleanout services take care of the rest.

#4 – Scrub, Repair, and Freshen Up

If you are selling the home through an estate agency or privately, then it will need to look good even while completely empty. This is dependent on the overall condition of the property, but most spaces benefit from:

• Deep cleaning – Including cabinets and wardrobes, ovens, and appliances.
• Repairs – Fix up any eye-catching and obvious repairs and ensure that the structure is sound, leak-free, pest-free, and in good working order.
• Repaint – While you can do pretty much any renovations you want, they don’t usually deliver particularly good returns. A fresh coat of paint, however, does wonders. We recommend a light neutral in a calm or warm shade, as this makes homes feel spacious, suits every room in the house, and creates a clean slate.

Clean Out and Sell an Inherited House the Simple Way

If you have decided that the best course of action is to sell your inherited property in Fort Worth, then we’re here to help. Our team of cash house buyers works to make this process easy for our clients by simplifying the selling process and handling it all for you, from professional estate cleanout services to selling it as-is.

If you want to sell property fast without having to look for a buyer, dealing with a real estate agent and paying their commission, or even emptying the house, then the best option is to sell directly to cash house buyers in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Cash House Buyers – No Commission, No Fuss, Just Compassionate, Professional Service

We can sell your house in 24 hours, putting a lump sum into your account in just a few days. Here’s how our process works:

• You enter your information on our website. We’ll contact you directly to discuss an offer for your property (you can also get a free property evaluation from our website)
• You can accept or reject the FREE NO-OBLIGATION offer
• Cash will be deposited into your bank account – with no real estate agent fees
• We can handle all aspects of the process, including clearing out the house
• You can also call us directly on 469-858-008

That’s all there is to it!

You can also download our FREE eBook for more information on how to sell your house in 24 hours.

Our estate cleanout and real estate teams are compassionate and highly motivated to offer you the best possible market-related price for your house, so you can sell your house in 24 hours. Not only does this cash go straight into your bank account as soon as the sale goes through, but you also pay zero real estate agent commission.

At Shiny Key Properties, our trained consultants have years of experience in assisting local and out-of-state homeowners to sell an inherited house. Want to find out more about our cash for houses Fort Worth service for selling inherited property or our estate cleanout services? Please contact us today and speak to one of our friendly team members.