Losing someone close to you is never easy. The legalities of dealing with the paperwork such as insurance, taxes, bank accounts, and wills, will require expert advice you’re your solicitor and bank.
When you are the one that has to sort out their home and their belongings, it becomes a more practical problem of how to even begin. You will be faced with the question of what to do with these assets which could include furniture, antiques, and artworks. This is when you are likely to need the services of a self storage facility so that you can store these items safely while the terms that are stated in the will are carried out.
Where to Start? Deceased Estate Storage
After the loss of a loved one, dealing with their house and possessions can be very emotional. The house has to be cleaned out and the furniture and other belongings need to be dealt with. Because sorting through the possessions of a loved one is emotional, it is difficult to begin. But putting it off indefinitely is also not advised, so start as soon as you feel emotionally able.
Enlist Some Assistance
Sorting through these possessions will be difficult for you, especially if you are dealing with your partner’s possessions, so enlisting the assistance of a friend or a family member will help you. It is very difficult to do this alone as you are emotionally attached to these belongings. An outsider brings a more objective attitude and will be able to make practical decisions on what should be donated, tossed, or stored. Sorting out the belongings into these three piles should speed up the process. Hiring a self storage unit to keep those items that are still wanted will make life so much easier. The advantage of using a storage facility is that the goods will be kept safely for as long as needed while the rest of the estate is wound up.
Follow Up on the Will
If the Will stipulates who inherits which items, then this is a good place to start. The heirs can fetch their stuff so if the house needs to be prepared for sale, the emptying process can begin. Any disputed items can be placed in the storage facility to be dealt with at a later stage when emotions are not running high.
Sell, Donate, or Discard
There will be items that are remaining but instead of binning that collection of vintage tins that your grandma collected over the years, or your grandpa’s precious tools, rather put them on eBay or some other platform and let someone else who has the same passion buy them. You will be amazed at what people are prepared to pay for, and you may be pleasantly surprised at how much they are prepared to pay for something you have no interest in!
Preparing the House for Sale
If the house of your loved one needs to be sold it is important to make sure it is presented in the best possible way to obtain the maximum price. This is particularly important if the partner that is left behind needs the proceeds to downsize.
Before putting it on the market it is important to get it ready for an appraisal by a realtor. If the people have been living in the house for a long time, it is probably showing signs of wear and tear. It is worth spending a bit of time and money sprucing the property up to get it market ready.
- If the house is full of stuff that hasn’t been packed up yet, sort through these items, tossing or donating those that are no longer wanted, and boxing the ones that are still needed. Store these boxes in a self storage unit. This will make the house appear spacious, and as any realtor will tell you, space sells houses.
- Old, worn furniture like sofas and chairs needs to go. Bulky dark furniture makes a space look smaller and can also be taken to the self storage unit for safekeeping. Only keep furniture if it is in good condition and likely to appeal to the buyer you are targeting.
- Does the carpeting need a good cleaning or even replacement? Dark, stained carpets will detract from the value of the house.
- A light, bright house will appeal to more buyers. Consider painting the walls a neutral colour to freshen things up.
- Heavy, dark drapes on the windows may be blocking natural light, so remove them if they are dated.
- Give the house a good clean, inside, and out. Make sure the garden gets some attention too.
Although it is difficult cleaning out the house after someone has died, taking these steps will enable you to put it on the market looking its best, and hopefully, it will attract higher offers.
Stop & Store Fareham – Perfect for your Storage Needs!
We offer our customers many options for solving the storage problems associated with sorting out a deceased estate. This is often a time when extra storage space is needed.
- If security is your number one requirement, this is the place for you. The security systems we have in place at our facility are amongst the best in the business, so you can rest assured that your goods will be safe as it is protected by CCTV cameras which are monitored 24/7. We also have intruder alarms and access to the facility is strictly controlled.
- Our units, which are steel partitioned, lockable rooms, are dry and safe to keep your belongings from being damaged by moisture or pests.
- Hire a unit for any of your short-term or long-term, personal storage needs.
- Our units vary in size from 12sq ft to 200sq ft, so whether you need to store something small like a few valuables, or even the contents of a three-bedroomed home, we have the right-sized unit for you.
- If you are not sure which unit to book, check out the space calculator on our website to give you an idea of what can be stored in which size. Otherwise please contact us.
Address: Thackeray Mall, Unit C (First Floor) 26a, Fareham PO16 0PQ, United Kingdom
Tel: 01329 556174