Moving? Don't sell yourself short!

A few years ago, the Seriatim team and I had the pleasure of helping an older gentleman downsize his apartment and move into an assisted living facility. Everything turned out all right in the end, but there was one slight hitch along the way. 

OK, it was a big hitch. Here's the story: 

One day, I stopped by our client's apartment and noticed his estate attorney cherry-picking valuable items for his own use. (Yes, that actually happens!) I approached our client and asked him why he felt he needed to give his attorney anything at all. Believe it or not, my client didn’t know he had any other option.  To add insult to injury, the attorney's liquidator arrived and offered our client a meager $15,000 for the entire estate -- minus the touchstone pieces the estate attorney was trying to pinch, of course. 

Knowing deep down that something wasn't right with the situation, I obtained our client’s permission to call our own liquidator, who not only gave him a check for $15,000 but also took the estate attorney's favorite items to auction, ultimately rewarding our client an additional $60,000.  Meanwhile, the estate attorney was told he could place a bid for the items online -- but he lost.  Poetic justice! 

Bottom line: Moving is complicated, and you need an experienced advocate who cares about you and your belongings.  If you're planning to downsize your home, or if you're feeling behind on your spring de-clutter project, get a head start by consolidating, i.e., grouping like items together. Then you can create different piles: items to give away, items to sell (eBay, auction, etc.), items to donate (HousingWorks, Goodwill, or any preferred charity), and items to treasure forever.  Well...at least until the next de-clutter session! 

Need help with your relocation or renovation? Get in touch!