Downsizing And Estate Clean Outs

There's a movement in the United States called "minimalism" practiced by so-called "Minimalists." But, for many of us, simply downsizing our lifestyles can be a practical thing. 

And, for some, a necessary thing.

Probably the most common reasons for downsizing one's living space or lifestyle include job loss, divorce, or the death of a spouse. These events typically require an estate clean out. Fortunately, not every event that requires estate clean out services is a sad one.  

An estate clean out can be needed for a variety of reasons and the task can often falls to a real estate professional. While it can be challenging, it doesn't have to be hard.

The Times They Are A Changin' (For Baby Boomers)

In the United States there are still a large number of "baby boomers" - those born between the years of 1946 and 1964.  Baby Boomers have always had a larger presence compared with other generations. They peaked at 78.8 million in 1999 and remained the largest living adult generation for two decades until 2019.

According to the Pew Research group,

"Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living adult generation, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. As of July 1, 2019 (the latest date for which population estimates are available), Millennials, whom we define as ages 23 to 38 in 2019, numbered 72.1 million, and Boomers (ages 55 to 73) numbered 71.6 million. Generation X (ages 39 to 54) numbered 65.2 million and is projected to pass the Boomers in population by 2028."

In addition, it's estimated that almost 10,000 Americans - Baby Boomers - turn 65 every day. And many of these are retiring. This means that a rising number of individuals and couples are are choosing to, or have to, downsize their lifestyle.

In fact, statistics show that the most common reason for liquidating and estate is downsizing due to major lifestyle changes.

However, aside from from the need to decrease living expenses and rid themselves of unneeded or unwanted household goods, other causes of downsizing include divorce, overwhelming debt or bankruptcy, and the death of a homeowner.

Estate Clean Outs Can Be Challenging

Traditionally, an estate clean out is carried out after a homeowner passes away. And, if the home itself is going to be sold, then the services of a real estate professional is involved.

While the death of the homeowner is an unfortunate yet common scenario, there are other situations where people need help cleaning out their properties, such as couples who must liquidate their assets as part of a divorce settlement.  Sometimes a couple decides to move unexpectedly so that one of them can take on a new job.

And, on a more positive note, some older couples (read: Baby Boomers) and others simply decide that they want to "downsize" their lifestyle with an estate clean out. 

Regardless of the reasons for an estate clean out, removing furniture, appliances, personal belongings, and various other household goods can be a challenging project. For that reason, many people turn to their real estate professional if they're selling their home, as well.

“A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.” – George Carlin

The sheer volume of things in a typical home can be overwhelming. Since the average home in the United States is around 2,500 square feet and this includes an average of three bedrooms, two living rooms, and multiple closets, there's plenty of space for belongings to accumulate.

And, more often than not, most homeowners will have accumulated years worth of personal and household belongings. In addition, it's likely that the garage is full of stuff, as well! On top of this, there can be attics, basements, storage sheds and even rented storage units.

For real estate professionals and others managing the disposal of an estate, simply figuring out how to separate and clean it all out can be overwhelming.

Using Estate Liquidators for Estate Clean Outs

One option is to make use of an estate liquidators. These are the professionals are often called on to manage and conduct an estate sale when if one is needed. If you are going to have an estate liquidator sell some or all of an estate's personal belongings, it is important to ensure you have reliable and competent services from your estate liquidator.

In preparation for an estate sale, there are some key tasks that should be done before items are cataloged and priced:

• Keep photos and other personal memorabilia: Preserving these can be important for grandchildren and others since they are irreplaceable.
• Find and keep any important financial documents: Make sure that any wills, burial trusts, insurance policies, deeds and titles and other legal documents have been located and secured. 
• Consider donating clothing: Most clothing has little resale value and donating is a great way to provide useful clothing to others in need and it can be handled for you by others.

It's important to inspect everything since people tend to put things in odd places, or forget where something important has been stored. You want to make sure that valuable items or documents are not inadvertently lost in an estate sale so look through everything thoroughly.

Getting Rid of Junk Items From Your Estate Clean Out

When managing an estate clean out, you probably know that getting rid of all the "junk" items can be a huge task. It's likely that there will be heavy items to haul out of the home and it's important that the home isn’t damaged in the process.

Often the house is going to be sold and one critical task before selling the home is making sure that it's clean and repaired before being shown to prospective buyers. And, when it comes to the aftermath of estate sales and typical estate clean outs, it also means making sure that all of the previous owners belongings have been removed.

Estate clean outs can be both physically and emotionally overwhelming, especially for family members. For a real estate professional tasked with the clean out, the stress can be relieved substantially by hiring outside help. And a professional estate clean out service such as Junk King can be a great choice, especially when it comes to moving furniture and other large items.

As a professional firm, Junk King will ensure that the property is left safe and clean, which is especially important when the property was vacated suddenly and large amounts of junk where left behind.

Our professional and insured junk disposal team will show up at the home and we call 15 minutes before we arrive on site. We’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your items take up in our truck. You just point and we haul your junk items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. You can make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).