When the time comes for downsizing an estate, you want things to go as quickly and easily as possible. If the downsizing is something that was planned and expected, such as simply moving to a smaller residence, then you may have a little time to give some extra attention to how you want to do things. But even if the need for downsizing has taken you by surprise, you can still follow a general plan to get everything taken care of in the most efficient way possible.
One of the easiest ways to move items out of the home ahead of time is to make friends and family aware of the downsizing plan, and this should be your first option. You never know if one of your family members has always coveted a particular item, so sending out a list of things that won’t be part of the downsized estate can help you assess how much interest there is in the other items.
If you are hoping to sell these items rather than offering them as gifts, make sure you indicate on the list the approximate prices you hope to get. This can help you avoid embarrassing situations where people assume you’re giving things away for free.
After friends and family have taken the pieces they want, it’s time to decide what happens with the leftovers. You may want to have an estate sale, or simply donate the items. We will investigate these possibilities in our next post.