Start with your authority, not the furniture
Before you sell anything, be sure you're the person allowed to. Your attorney will tell you when you can act and what the court or the will requires. We take direction from the person with authority, so it helps to have that settled before the walkthrough.
Keep a simple record
Heirs ask questions. A record you made early answers most of them. Photograph every room before anything moves, note what family members have claimed, and keep paperwork from anyone you hire.
- Photos of every room, closet, garage and shed
- A list of items heirs have asked for
- Copies of any agreements you sign
- The date the house must be empty
Separate what stays in the family
Distribute keepsakes and claimed items before the sale, or tape them off and tell us. Once a sale is set up, removing pieces creates confusion. Documents and anything of uncertain ownership stay out entirely.
Let the contents decide the channel
A full household usually fits a public estate sale. Fine jewelry, art or a focused collection may do better at auction or with a specialist. A thin household may only need donation and cleanout. You'll get a plain recommendation after the walkthrough, with the costs and scope in writing.
Plan the end, too
Agree before the sale on unsold items: donation, further selling or cleanout, and who pays for what. That's what turns 'the sale is over' into 'the house is ready'.
The property step
If the house will be sold, that's a separate, licensed real-estate decision. Poshlando Realty can talk with you under its own brokerage agreement, and nothing about the estate sale commits you to it.
Poshlando doesn't give legal or tax advice. Questions about probate, authority, deeds, taxes or how proceeds are divided belong with an estate attorney or tax professional.