Stop Cleaning! Why Your "Junk" Could Pay for the Probate Attorney

The single most expensive mistake a Personal Representative can make happens before they ever call a realtor.

It happens on a Saturday morning. You rent a dumpster. You grab some trash bags. And you start "helping" by clearing out the clutter.

Stop. Put the trash bag down.

You might be throwing away the most valuable assets in the house.

The "Trash" That Pays the Bills

We naturally assume that the "valuable" things in an estate are the big items: the dining room table, the china cabinet, the sofa.

But in the world of estate sales, furniture is hard to sell. It is heavy, brown, and out of style.

What actually sells? The "smalls." The things you think are junk.

• Vintage Clothing: That box of "old clothes" from the 70s? Collectors fight over it.
• Old Tools: Rusty wrenches and planers in the garage are gold to craftsmen.
• Ephemera: Old postcards, yearbooks, and advertising flyers.
• Costume Jewelry: It doesn't have to be gold to be worth hundreds.

I have seen families throw away $5,000 worth of vintage items because they looked like "clutter." That $5,000 could have paid for the initial retainer for your probate attorney.

My Rule: Don't Touch a Thing

As your Project Manager, my advice is counter-intuitive: Do not clean.

Do not organize. Do not donate. Do not throw away.

Leave the house exactly as it is. It may look like a mess to you, but to a professional liquidator, it looks like a treasure hunt.

How We Vet Estate Sale Partners

Once we identify that there is value in the home, I don't just call the first estate sale company on Google. As a fiduciary, I have a duty to ensure the company we hire is honest, insured, and effective.

I use a 5-Point Fiduciary Check to audit every vendor I recommend to my clients:

The "Anonymous Shopper" Test: I personally visit their sales undercover to see how they treat buyers and handle the property.

The Insurance Audit: I verify their liability insurance so the estate isn't at risk if a shopper slips and falls.

The Valuation Check: I ensure they have appraisers for niche items (like coins or art), not just generalists who might underprice a gem.

Tax Compliance: I verify they handle all California sales tax remittances correctly, keeping you out of trouble with the state.

The Clean-Out Guarantee: They don't just sell the good stuff and leave you with the trash. I require a plan to leave the home "broom clean" and ready for market.

The Bottom Line

Your job is to manage the estate, not to be the janitor.

Before you rent that dumpster, call me. Let's do a walkthrough. I’ll help you identify what’s trash and what’s treasure—and then bring in the pros to handle the rest.