Have you recently acquired an estate that needs to be organized and cleaned out? Perhaps you will be selling or auctioning many of the items, but it is very likely that you will have quite a few things that simply need to be disposed of. Making trip after trip to a recycling center or refuse location can be time-consuming, not to mention exhausting. We can eliminate that stressful task with a roll-off container delivered to your doorstep. In order to make your estate cleanout a seamless process, we have just a few simple suggestions:
Make a list of items you would like to keep
Financial and legal documents, such as bank statements, credit card statements, bills (both paid and unpaid), mortgage documents, deeds, tax documents, birth certificates, and marriage or divorce certificates are very important to file away for safekeeping, as you never know when you may need to reference these items. Such documents also contain sensitive information, such as names, addresses, and social security numbers, which you definitely do not want to fall into the wrong hands! Other items you may want to hold onto are those that hold sentimental value, such as pictures, home videos, awards, trophies, and diplomas. If you are tackling this estate clean up with other folks, make sure that you receive their input on the "keep" list as well.
Consider making a donation of unwanted items
Many items are very welcomed at donation centers. Such items include furniture, clothing, canned goods that haven’t expired, and medical equipment to name just a few. It's a prudent idea to check with your local collection sites (i.e. churches, shelters, used clothing stores) to ascertain their needs, as they change according to supply and demand, as well as with the seasons.
Consult with an auctioneer or auction house
Many homes contain valuable items, such as antiques and you may not even be aware of them. Having an expert come in and assess their value is so very helpful! This will help you determine whether you have enough items of value for an auction or if having a yard sale would be more beneficial. Should you decide to hold an auction, it has the opportunity to add value to the estate. If you ultimately decide on a yard sale versus an auction, you will still be able to add value to the estate with the money earned.
Go green and recycle
Once you have decided what to keep, and have either donated, auctioned, or sold the remaining items in the estate, make sure that you recycle anything that you are able to. Recycling metal, cardboard, paper and plastics will significantly reduce the amount of debris you need to get rid of in the end. This will reduce your disposal cost and help out the environment! At this point in the process, you will also want to look for items that have special disposal needs, such as paints, gas, oil, and chemicals. Your local government is a great resource for helping you find locations to take these items. Eliminating hazardous items as soon as possible will make the final disposal process so much quicker and easier.
Dispose of remaining items
At this point in the process, you are left with the debris. You have to decide whether to rent a dumpster and do the final estate cleanout yourself, or elect to hire someone to finish up for you. If you go the route of renting a dumpster, you will need to decide what size you will need. Talk over your situation with the experts and they will help you determine what size you need. If you still have a lot of large items, such as furniture, you will need a much larger dumpster than if you were able to donate or sell these things, and only have a small amount of debris to get rid of. By renting a dumpster, you will simply need to toss in the things you want to throw away, and the dumpster will be hauled away, and the items disposed of.
While it is often a daunting task, handling an estate cleanout isn't an impossible one. Following these simple tips can help you maximize the value of the estate by lowering costs and increasing its cash value. By breaking down the process into simple stages, you will find that is much more manageable and easier to handle. Breeding Roll Off Service is here for you and we will help you get the job done!
