Estate Liquidation

**bluebird728** · 09-29-2007, 05:39 PM

My former mother in law passed away recently. My teenage children are her beneficiaries and I am the executrix of her will. Most assets (house, etc) are already in a trust, so I just need to worry about the household stuff and car.

She has a 4 bedroom house filled with a lifetime of posessions. Some things the kids will want, but the majority will need to be liquidated. I need to balance my limited time and energy (I'm a widowed single mom) with the desire to maximize what goes to the kids.

We live very close to the house, but there is very little family in the area to help.

Can anyone tell me about reasonable options in this situation and experiences with situations like this?

Thanks

**JustMegan79** · 09-29-2007, 05:53 PM

I have personally dealt with the same situation and can tell you that in order to save your sanity you should consider an auction. I say this because even though I thought I could sort and sell all household items, once I jumped in I discovered that what looks manageable is actually Way too MUCH for a yardsale and would take an insurmountable timeframe to tackle. Check all of your local auction places, almost all of them do onsite estate sales. In addition, a few also will transport your household (yes, all of it), to thier auction house, of course they charge a percentage, but the upshot is no traffic, days full of people, and just, well, time and effort of using the current property.
Weigh the options carefully against your own time and work because alot and I mean alot of time would go into attempting to get rid of everything yourself.
For example auctions (onsite or not) often do "box lots" so that the various items tht woulndt sell alone will be sold when they put it with one good item someone wants. This way, the buyer gets the whole shebang.

Good luck to you with your plans, and I am sorry for your loss. I know this is a stressful time.

Megan

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 09-29-2007, 06:40 PM

I agree that an auction is the easiest and best route. I've worked on packing up alot of folks after the fact and its easiest and fastest. Plus you'll get some money out of it. Its best if you don't hang around for it too. Seeing your moms life bid away can very hard. So just go away and let the auction folks handle it.
Sorry for your loss.

Laurie in Bradenton

**Persimmon Lace** · 09-29-2007, 08:32 PM

Without a lot of help I would do an auction as well. I was in the antique business so I helped alot of my friends with these types of things. But without a lot of hands to mark, sort and help with the sale day, I would find a reputable autioneer.