A hard week, and a house you don't know where to start with
Most families who call us about an estate are tired. Someone has just died, or Mom has just moved into memory care, and now there is a house. Maybe you knew it was full. Maybe you hadn't been inside in a few years and you opened the door last weekend and just stood there.
That's a normal reaction. A very full home after a loss is heavy in two ways. There's the physical weight of it, and there's the grief on top, because every box was something your parent chose to keep.
We don't rush that. Between Abel and the project managers, the team has worked in hundreds of hoarded homes, and estate work is the part Abel cares about most. It's the job where a careful crew makes the biggest difference to a family.
What makes an estate cleanout different from a regular cleanout?
A regular cleanout is mostly about getting things out. An estate cleanout is mostly about finding things first.
In a parent's home, the important papers are rarely in one place. A car title can end up in a kitchen drawer under takeout menus. A will can be tucked inside a cookbook. Cash hides in envelopes, coat pockets and coffee cans. So a crew can't just fill a dumpster. Every pile gets looked through by hand.
There is also more than one person with a say. An estate usually has an executor or trustee, a few siblings with opinions, maybe an attorney, and a realtor waiting to list. Our job is to keep all of them in the loop without making it harder on you.
How do you find the will, deeds and other papers?
Before the crew starts, your project manager makes a "look for" list with you. It usually includes:
- The will, any trust documents, and anything from an attorney's office
- Deeds, mortgage papers, property tax bills and HOA letters
- Bank, retirement and brokerage statements, even old ones (they point to accounts you may not know about)
- Life insurance policies and pension letters
- Car titles and registration
- Tax returns
- Keys, safe deposit box paperwork, and anything that looks like a combination
- Cash, coins, jewelry and watches
- Photos, letters, military papers, recipe cards and anything handwritten
Then the crew works room by room. Mail and paper go into labeled boxes instead of trash bags. Anything on the list gets set aside in a separate "family" area, usually a cleared bedroom or a corner of the garage, so nothing gets mixed back in. If we find something that looks important and we're not sure, we keep it and ask.
More on this is on our sorting and saving belongings page.
Working with executors and siblings who live out of town
Often the person handling the estate doesn't live nearby. One sibling is local and doing all the driving, and the others are three states away and feeling guilty about it.
We set things up so the work can keep moving when you can't be there:
- One point of contact. Your project manager talks to whoever the family picks. Usually that's the executor. That person decides who else gets updates.
- Photos as we go. We can send pictures of items in question so siblings can say "keep" or "let it go" from wherever they are.
- Set-aside boxes per person. If your sister wants the quilts and your brother wants Dad's tools, we can box things by name.
- Shipping and pickup. Boxes of keepsakes can be held for pickup or packed for you to ship.
- Lockbox access. A key in a lockbox means nobody has to drive over each morning.
Disagreements between siblings happen. We stay out of the middle and hold the item aside until the executor decides.
Coordinating with realtors, estate sale companies and attorneys
Estate sale companies. If you want to hold a sale, the order matters. Often we come first to clear the trash, the spoiled food and the paths, so the estate sale company can see what's actually there and set it up. After the sale, we come back for whatever didn't sell.
Realtors. We can work to a listing date. After the cleanout, the home gets a deep clean and deodorizing, so it smells like a house again when buyers walk in. See hoarding deep cleaning for what that includes.
Attorneys and probate. Sometimes the court process isn't finished yet and the attorney wants nothing sold or thrown out until it is. That's fine. We can do a first pass for papers and safety (spoiled food, blocked exits, pests) and wait on the rest. Ask your attorney what you're allowed to remove and when, and we'll follow that. We don't give legal advice, but we can send the attorney photos of what we found.
Repairs. If the cleanout uncovers a leak or a broken floor, your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals.
What happens on day one
The first morning is slow on purpose.
The crew arrives with your project manager. We walk the home together and agree on where the family area will be. Then we usually start in the kitchen. Kitchens in full homes tend to have the most spoiled food and the worst smell, and clearing them makes the rest of the house safer to work in.
From there we open paths: front door to back door, hallway to bedrooms. Only then do we start the slow sorting. A 30-yard dumpster (a big open-top steel bin, roughly 20 feet long, dropped off by truck) usually sits in the driveway for the trash. Good furniture goes to donation, and metal and cardboard to recycling where we can.
Homes with pet waste, rodent droppings, mold on old food or heavy odor are normal work for us. You don't need to clean before we come, and you don't need to apologize for anything we find. We keep it low-key and private. Neighbors don't need to know what's going on.
Being gentle with grief
We go slow in the rooms that matter. The bedroom, the closet with Mom's clothes, the desk where Dad paid bills. If you want to be there for those rooms, we'll schedule them for a day you can come.
We don't joke about the house or comment on how much there is. And we stop when you need to stop. If you find your dad's letters to your mom and need to sit in the car for a while, the crew will work somewhere else.
And we save more than you think you need. Grief makes people want to toss everything just to be done, or keep everything because letting go feels like losing them twice. Neither is wrong. We'll hold a "not sure" box so you can decide later, when it isn't so raw.
If the parent is still living and has moved to assisted living or memory care, we treat it with the same care. If they want a few things for their new room, we set those aside first. If you're working through this with a parent who is still in the home, our page on helping a family member may help.
What does an estate cleanout cost?
We don't publish prices, because every estate is different. The size of the house, how full it is, how much paper needs to be searched, and how many dumpster loads it takes all change the number. Your estimate is free and comes from photos or a walk-through. Our hoarding cleanup cost page explains the factors in plain terms.
Some families pay for the cleanout from the estate once the house sells. If you need to start sooner, financing is available. We work in service areas across the country.
Common questions
Do I have to be there for the estate cleanout?
No. Many executors live out of town. We can work from a lockbox, send photos of anything in question, and keep a single family contact updated so decisions don't stall.
What happens to papers and mail you find?
Mail and paper go into labeled boxes rather than trash bags. Anything that looks financial, legal or personal is set aside for the family. You decide what gets shredded, and nothing on your "look for" list is thrown out.
Can you work with our estate sale company?
Yes. Often we clear trash and open paths first so the estate sale company can see what is there, then we come back after the sale for what is left. Your project manager can talk directly with them to plan the handoff.
Can you start before probate is finished?
Often we can do a first pass for papers and safety issues like spoiled food and blocked exits. Ask your attorney what can be removed and when, and we will follow that. We don't give legal advice.
What if my siblings and I disagree about what to keep?
We stay out of the middle. Anything in question is held aside until the executor or the family contact decides. We can also box items by name for each person.
Will the house be ready for the realtor?
After the cleanout, we deep clean and deodorize so the home is ready for photos and showings. If we find repairs that need doing, your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals.
Can you handle a home with heavy odor or pest droppings?
Yes. Pet waste, rodent droppings, spoiled food and heavy odor are normal work for us. You don't need to clean anything before we arrive.
My mom is alive and moved to memory care. Is this still an estate cleanout?
It's handled the same careful way. We can help you choose a few things for her new room first, then sort the rest of the home with the family.
Reach out or send a few photos, and your local project manager will walk you through what a plan for your parent's home could look like.