A House Full of Things—and a Lot of Decisions

Helping a parent downsize or deal with the contents of a longtime family home can quickly become overwhelming. There may be decades of furniture, art, antiques, jewelry, collections, clothing, family keepsakes and everyday household items—and it's often difficult to know what has value, what family members should keep, and what should be sold.

The good news is that you don't need to make all of those decisions before asking for help.

A thoughtful first step is to understand what is in the home and identify anything that deserves further evaluation before you begin selling, donating or clearing things out.

Don't Start With the Dumpster—or the Estate Sale

One of the easiest mistakes to make is starting the clean-out before understanding what is there.

Value isn't always obvious. A painting may be more important than the furniture around it. A piece of jewelry tucked into a drawer may warrant an appraisal. Designer furniture, studio pottery, rare books, collections or seemingly ordinary objects can sometimes have a market that isn't apparent to someone unfamiliar with them.

Before arranging donations, a clean-out or an estate sale, identify the items that may require additional research or a different selling strategy.

Decide What the Family Wants to Keep

Before selling, determine whether family members want particular belongings and identify items with personal or sentimental importance.

You don't necessarily need to know the financial value of everything at this stage. The goal is simply to separate the decisions that are about family from the decisions that are about selling.

When equitable distribution or documented values are required for an estate, professional appraisal services may also be appropriate.

Professional Appraisal Services → 

Then Determine the Best Way to Sell

Once the important family decisions have been made, the remaining property can be evaluated for the appropriate marketplace.

Consignment may be best for desirable designer, antique, mid-century and contemporary furniture, lighting and décor.

Auction may be appropriate for fine art, jewelry, antiques, important objects and significant collections.

An estate sale can efficiently handle a larger volume of ordinary furniture, decorative objects and household contents.

In many homes, the best solution is a combination of all three.

Don't Assume the Most Expensive-Looking Item Is the Most Valuable

Resale value can be surprising. Original purchase price, age and appearance don't necessarily determine what something is worth today.

Maker, artist, provenance, rarity, condition, current collector interest, local market and recent comparable sales can matter much more.

That's why an evaluation of the home as a whole can be useful before individual pieces begin leaving the property.

Think About the House and the Contents Together 

If the home itself will be sold, the contents often need to be coordinated with repairs, staging, photography, listing dates, moving and closing.

Having a plan for the contents early can prevent a last-minute rush to empty the house. Depending on the situation, that may involve arranging movers, removing selected pieces for consignment or auction, conducting an estate sale, coordinating donations and ultimately clearing the property.

You Don't Have to Do It All Yourself 

The Refind Room and Woodard Lipe Fine Art & Auction work with families throughout the St. Louis area who are downsizing, preparing a parent's home for sale, or managing the contents of an estate.

We can evaluate the property, identify items that may require additional research, and recommend the most appropriate selling options for different types of belongings.

Call 314-962-7666 to schedule a complimentary estate consultation.

Start with an Estate Consultation →