I walked into the garage and realized this family had piles on all sides up to the ceiling and many layers deep. They had no idea what was in there but more importantly it was dangerous being piled so high. No one had the energy, nerve or knowledge how to even start with a move date looming in the future. Most of the family members either lived far away or had no time or interest in helping.
I agreed to do the job. Even for a professional who has seen a lot this was no easy task. First layer discovery was 1 of 3 refrigerators had been unplugged for sometime. Animal nests, spiders of all kinds and layers of exploded soda cans made it a stinky hot mess. But someone had to figure out what was family heirlooms, sale items and donate/recycle/trash.
Every item was checked and either packed for family to pick up or tagged to sell. A good bit was trash or recycled. Items not sold were either donated or given to charity, chosen by the owner of the estate.
A few thoughts I want to share with you about this sale.
-This client was fortunate to use a professional who was honest. Money was found in a cocoa can and turned in. Along with numerous other items of value.
-We are very specific in dealing with cases like this to check everything. What if we hadn't found the money and the can ended up in the dumpster. Families often throw items away.
- When a family tries to do the sale themselves they often get less value, under estemate time needed, run out of energy, fight amoung themselves, don't enjoy the dirty, hard work, and wish they hadn't started the job.
So going back to the "Cocoa can" It pays to use a trusted company to handle estates, senior moves or downsizing!