Organizing an Estate: Part 2
Posted by Milissa Malloy on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 @ 08:23 AM
by Jennifer Harman, Owner of Harmanize Consulting
In part one, we discussed questions that have to be asked to deal with an estate. Dividing the contents of the house can be a challenging task, especially assuming the family members live in various cities. It is often surprising what things are special or useful to various family members and decisions can become tense. And sometimes there are valuable pieces but they don’t suit everyone’s taste – if you just don’t like it, are you therefore exempt from a share in its value? Without a plan, dividing an estate can quickly become a headache.
There are two ways to go about the process:
1) Organize everything into categories and spread them out around the house. Get everyone together and have each person put a color-coded sticker or nametag on anyhing they are somewhat interested in having. When finished, discuss items with more than one sticker on them. It will likely be emotional and draining, but you will all be there to make decisions and it will be done. Set a deadline when items have to be removed.
2) Use a photo-sharing website, such as www.flickr.com or a photo album on Facebook, to create a digital discussion forum (you can set privacy controls on the photos). Post a picture of each item or group of items (e.g. glassware) and have each family member comment on each and every photo whether they are interested or not. You will probably need to set deadlines for commenting on photos and for collecting the items. One advantage of this method is there is a written record to refer back to later.
If there are valuable items, they should be appraised beforehand by a reputable company such as Asset Archives. The value of those items can then be deducted from the monetary disbursal to keep everything fair.
When all the decisions are made, there will be some things left unclaimed. Donate these items to charity, have a yard sale, sell on craigslist or ebay, and/or use an auction house to collect and sell the lot. It’s a big job to divide the possessions of a lifetime, but it doesn’t have to take over the rest of yours!
If you missed Organizing an Estate: Step 1, CLICK HERE.
About Harmanize Consulting:
Based in Williamsburg VA, Harmanize Consulting provides professional organizing & life management services. To find out more about their services contact Jennifer at 757-784-3807 or info@harmanizeconsulting.com.
