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Abstract

th strangers looking at it, selling to the highest bidder.”At the time I didn’t quite get it.I did when it came time to sell my parent’s house. It’s an emotional task when you’re faced with selling your parent’s home. My parents started building the three-bedroom and changed it to a four-bedroom when they found out about me. We lived downstairs, while my dad painstakingly finished drywalling upstairs. So many memories there.A Few Steps to Take First1. Secure the house Change the locks if you don’t know who had keys to the house2. Pick up the mail or forward it to yourself. Remember, Vandals can spot empty houses.3. Find Financial Papers Take those with you or secure them offsite.4. Keep paying the bills, turn off any unnecessary expensesBefore you pack anything, do this first.<figure id="e0cc"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*dUagKBoHcQdna4goT9x4IA.png"><figcaption>Courtesy of Author</figcaption></figure>After my mother died, I remember taking my Chihuahua to visit Dad. Nikki ran up the steps to the living room and sat down in front of Mom’s empty chair. He just sat there staring at it. You didn’t have to wonder what he was thinking, you felt it too.Take Pictures of Every RoomThe best advice we got, was to take pictures of every room. Document each room. Of course, you have your memories, but they fade. Record each room the way it is before dividing up anything. Better yet, record a video walking room to room with your commentary. Record memories you have in the room, comment on the pictures, and the knick-knacks but record i

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t. You won’t get another chance; you only have this moment.What Do you keep and what do you let go?My mother kept ALL of her greeting cards at the bottom of a dresser drawer. It would have taken hours upon hours to read them all. We didn’t. If you go through those, pack them and go through them later. It’s a difficult time deciding what to do with your parents’ possessions. Sort items by what to keep, what to sell or donate, and what to throw away.If you don’t have a list of who gets the family china, let family members tag the items that they want with a sticky note. You might regret not keeping the family Christmas ornaments even though you have plenty of your own. I regret not keeping ours and watching them sell in the auction. I just didn’t have the room to keep them, and more so didn’t have the emotions left.Regret for Not Keeping Mom’s Dining Room Set<figure id="1b7f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*NJhse8xOhrmOuFVnVSQwJA.png"><figcaption>courtesy of Author</figcaption></figure>You’ll always look back at that time, and regret not keeping the dollhouse your daughter used to play with. Your granddaughters would love that now. Or maybe wish that you’d kept the princess plates your mother bought especially for the grandkids. There will always be regret and sadness. Use it to think about this for your own family. Make decisions ahead of time, write a will.My mom would ask me, “who’s going to take this when I die?” I didn’t want to hear any of that. Now that I’m older, I think about those things. Not only do I want my children and grandchildren to remember me, but I want them to know our legacy.</article></body>

How to Sell Your Parents Home

Without Regret

We grew up beside my paternal grandparents with adjoining properties. Whenever my cousins came to visit, we raced to Grandma’s house. Grandma had 10 acres including a hill that we loved to explore and get lost on. During the winter, we started at the neighbor’s property and skated on the frozen creek all the way down past my house.

Best of all, at the top of the hill, there was an exposed tree root. The dirt eroded over time and exposed this massive root. It extended out over the top of the hill and made a large circle big enough for a kid to drop down through and slide all the way to the bottom of the hill. Who needed a playground, we had the best one nature could provide?

All the family gatherings happened at Grandma’s house. During the summer, Dad and my uncles took turns cranking the handle to make homemade ice cream. Grandpa had a Ford Tractor with a front-end loader, and he took us for a ride. My cousin and I were in the scoop hanging on, and his brother was standing on the tractor frame beside Grandpa. Bevan thought it would be fun to push the lever down on the scoop. Brad hung on; my foot slipped scrapping the pavement under the scoop. Dad appeared out of nowhere and whisked me away to safety. He was always there for me like that.

So, this is what it all comes down to

During my grandparent’s estate sale, standing next to Mom, she said,

“This is what it all comes down to. All your things in the yard with strangers looking at it, selling to the highest bidder.”

At the time I didn’t quite get it.

I did when it came time to sell my parent’s house. It’s an emotional task when you’re faced with selling your parent’s home. My parents started building the three-bedroom and changed it to a four-bedroom when they found out about me. We lived downstairs, while my dad painstakingly finished drywalling upstairs. So many memories there.

A Few Steps to Take First

1. Secure the house Change the locks if you don’t know who had keys to the house

2. Pick up the mail or forward it to yourself. Remember, Vandals can spot empty houses.

3. Find Financial Papers Take those with you or secure them offsite.

4. Keep paying the bills, turn off any unnecessary expenses

Before you pack anything, do this first.

After my mother died, I remember taking my Chihuahua to visit Dad. Nikki ran up the steps to the living room and sat down in front of Mom’s empty chair. He just sat there staring at it. You didn’t have to wonder what he was thinking, you felt it too.

Take Pictures of Every Room

The best advice we got, was to take pictures of every room. Document each room. Of course, you have your memories, but they fade. Record each room the way it is before dividing up anything. Better yet, record a video walking room to room with your commentary. Record memories you have in the room, comment on the pictures, and the knick-knacks but record it. You won’t get another chance; you only have this moment.

What Do you keep and what do you let go?

My mother kept ALL of her greeting cards at the bottom of a dresser drawer. It would have taken hours upon hours to read them all. We didn’t. If you go through those, pack them and go through them later. It’s a difficult time deciding what to do with your parents’ possessions. Sort items by what to keep, what to sell or donate, and what to throw away.

If you don’t have a list of who gets the family china, let family members tag the items that they want with a sticky note. You might regret not keeping the family Christmas ornaments even though you have plenty of your own. I regret not keeping ours and watching them sell in the auction. I just didn’t have the room to keep them, and more so didn’t have the emotions left.

Regret for Not Keeping Mom’s Dining Room Set

You’ll always look back at that time, and regret not keeping the dollhouse your daughter used to play with. Your granddaughters would love that now. Or maybe wish that you’d kept the princess plates your mother bought especially for the grandkids. There will always be regret and sadness. Use it to think about this for your own family. Make decisions ahead of time, write a will.

My mom would ask me, “who’s going to take this when I die?” I didn’t want to hear any of that. Now that I’m older, I think about those things. Not only do I want my children and grandchildren to remember me, but I want them to know our legacy.