Inheriting a house full of stuff? Here’s what to do
Inheriting a house full of stuff is never easy and can be emotionally and mentally draining. If you are the recipient of a recent inheritance, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items and paperwork to sort through.
This is normal.
Part of you may want to sort through your loved one’s belongings as quickly as possible, but you should never force yourself to rush the grieving process. To help you make it through this challenging time, we look at how best to handle and organise a sudden inheritance.
Get help
Attempting to sort through an entire household’s worth of items is a mammoth project and one best not to take on alone.
If you can, get family members and friends involved to help you catalogue and organise the items. Packing up a loved one’s home is part of the grieving process, and it may help to have the added emotional support of friends and family.
Work room by room
Much like you would when packing up your own items to prepare for a move, the best way to stay organised and not get overwhelmed is to start packing room by room.
Resist the urge to move to another section of the house until you have fully packed up the room you started with. Use this opportunity to toss out any broken items you come across.
Donate, sell or store
While you may have an emotional attachment to the person who left you the inheritance, that does not mean that you need to keep every single item.
As you work through each room, immediately pack up items into boxes for either donation, sale or storage.
If possible, make it a priority to drop off the donation boxes at the end of every day, as it will help you create more space to work with the remaining items.
Renting a storage unit can also be a huge help as it provides an out of the way solution to put things while you continue to sort through the remainder. This works well for large items such as sofas, beds, a refrigerator or a washing machine until you can find a permanent place in your home or are ready to sell them.
Do a final sweep
The chances of gathering and packing up every single item the first time around are low. Once the bulk of the items has been donated or packed into a storage unit, it is essential to do a final sweep of the property. Open every cupboard and drawer and make sure that nothing got left behind.
Inheriting a large sum of household belongings can feel like a blessing and a curse, but it’s also a big responsibility. If possible, you should take as much time as you need and lean on your loved ones to help you through the process.
At Nesta Storage, we understand how difficult this time is. Our team will do all they can to minimise the stress of arranging storage for decluttering the home, allowing you to focus on what really matters.
If you require a secure unit to hold your household inheritance, contact us on 1800 772233 or get a free quote online.
