PACKING UP A HOME AFTER A DEATH
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | NOV. 5 - NOV. 11, 2021 21
When people die, they
often leave behind
a lifetime’s worth
of memories and
possessions.
Usually, it falls to the person’s
family and friends to
clean up their homes and pack
up and sort out their belongings.
Depending on the size of
a person’s home, how much
stuff they own and how long
they’ve lived in their house,
the process of cleaning and
packing up can be a long one.
If you’ve been given the responsibility
of handling your
loved one’s possessions after
they’ve passed on, here’s how
to cope with death and the occasionally
complicated process
of packing up a house.
Break up the project
Whether your loved
one lived in a small, onebedroom
apartment or a
massive, three-story home,
the process of sorting
wthrough their belongings
after the funeral can seem
overwhelming at first.
Splitting what looks like
a larger project into smaller,
more manageable pieces is
part of learning how to cope
with death.
For example, you can decide
to focus on one room at a
time or on one type of object
at a time, such as the person’s
paperwork or personal documents.
Focusing on a single area
can also help to contain the
mess that is likely to develop
as you sift through someone’s
belongings.
If you live in the house
you are cleaning, having the
project contained in a single
room can help you go about
with your other daily responsibilities
without a constant
reminder of it.
Get support
If your loved one named
you the executor of their will,
sorting through their possessions
and cleaning out their
house isn’t something you
need to handle on your own.
Ask other family members
to step in and help you organize
and clean.
“You can divide tasks up
based on people’s strengths
and talents,” said Michael A.
Lanotte, Executive Director
& CEO of the New York State
Funeral Directors Association.
“For example, if a sibling
or cousin is an attorney, you
can ask them to sort through
the deceased’s paperwork,
taking out the documents that
need to be kept and getting rid
of the non-essential papers.
Asking a person who might
not have known the deceased
well to help can also be useful.
They can provide an objective
opinion about certain possessions
that might have sentimental
meaning for you.”
Decide how to divide up items
People often state how they
want their estate and possessions
divided up after their
death.
If your loved one left behind
a will, then part of the
process of deciding how to
split up their belongings
might have already been taken
care of.
In some cases, people don’t
specify who gets what in their
will but instead ask their family
members to place stickers
on items in the house to claim
those items.
If your loved one didn’t do
any of that, it’s up to you to decide
what to do with their possessions.
One option is to have close
family visit the house and
take items they’d like to have.
That can lead to arguments,
especially if there are expensive
items that more than one
person wants.
In the case of valuable
belongings or potential heirlooms,
it might be a good idea
to have the items appraised to
determine their value.
If one family member really
wants a piece of jewelry
or a valuable piece of antique
furniture, a solution might be
to have them split up the cost
of the item and pay the other
family members their share of
the item.
Get professional help
It’s likely that there will be
some belongings that no one
in your family or immediate
circle is interested in.
You’ll most likely also find
some items that are past their
prime and not worth keeping.
You don’t have to take responsibility
for hauling items to
the landfill or recycling center.
You can hire a company to
take care of that job for you.
You might also want to
hire someone to come and
evaluate any useful items
that no one in your family
wants.
It might also be worthwhile
to hire someone to oversee
a yard sale or an estate
sale or auction of your loved
one’s belongings.
Although it’s easy to get
overwhelmed by the process
of cleaning up and packing up
your loved one’s home after
their death, remembering to
give yourself time and space
and to lean on others for support
will help you get through
the process.
— Courtesy NYS Funeral
Directors Association
COPING WITH DEATH
/QNS.COM
