Clearing Out a House With Grace

Resale, recycle and reuse options prevent unnecessary landfill

A client was under a time pressure to clear her parent’s house in order to get it on the market as soon as possible.  The house was filled with decades of family history and possessions. What to do??

She really wanted to recoup some of the value of the items in the home, keep as much out of landfill as possible and have the removal process flow at a pace that felt less radical and more thoughtful than a one-time hauling or donation pickup.

For this client the perfect solution was an estate liquidator recommended by her real estate agent.  In this case, there were enough items of value in the home to hold an estate sale and the house was situated to make it easy to put everything on display.  She was able to make some money. The added bonus of the estate liquidator is they can deal with the entire contents of the house – everything from the food in the cupboards to the scrap wood in the basement…leaving the house broom-clean with as much sold as possible — donating and giving away all the rest.

If you’re faced with the challenge of clearing a home – consider taking the time to reflect on what would be the most elegant solution for you; one that takes into account the kind and value of the items being cleared out,  one that honors the original owner and a solution that suits your style.

Check out our post from 2015 where we listed various ways to clear a house. What graceful solutions have you come up with to clear space in your home?