A Note to Attorneys
Do you have older clients, or families who are already overwhelmed with managing their own lives, and suddenly find themselves inheriting another’s estate?
Are you often asked by these clients if you can “help” with the inherited contents of a home? When heirs are faced with dividing up items that were unspecified in the will, sometimes, a professional colleague with a more personal working relationship with the client can provide a different point of view, which may help clarify the situation and help ensure fair distribution of property.
An Estate Organizer can provide personal attention to grieving heirs, while also making sure the estate settlement process stays on task and on deadline, especially if the house needs to be sold and the contents emptied by a certain date. When an inventory of personal tangible property items is needed for the estate accounting, we can help. During this process, Organizers often locate specific items for distribution according to the client’s or decedent’s wishes. In addition an Estate Organizer can help create an inventory of the donated items which sometimes benefits the estate’s or heir’s taxes, depending on the client’s home state.
Additionally an Organizer can assist legal counsel in locating needed paperwork for the 706 Form.
An Estate Organizer brings a different and creative perspective to the probate process, assisting with the details of estate closure that attorneys and financial planners may not have the time, inclination, or experience to address, and thus supplies a much-needed service to many people.
Clearing an estate sometimes can take a few weeks, if not a few months, depending on distribution details of the trust or will, the family’s decision-making ability, and the timing of the legal processes involved. An unattended property can draw negative attention from thieves, as well as lose its value if problems such as structural damage, roof leaks, mildew, damaged plumbing, etc., are not dealt with immediately. An Estate Organizer can conduct ongoing site visits to examine the property and identify items needing immediate attention and coordinate the appropriate repair service providers.
An Estate Organizer can also communicate with city services if there are no family members present to handle the property while it is in probate. And depending on your Estate Organizer’s experience, some can even make suggestions for improving or staging the property in preparation for sale.
Meg has been a professional organizer since 1996 and is a mother of one. She loves to craft, sew, create, organize and design. Her degree in interior design and her years in corporate America and the estate planning industry have created a unique set of interests which she blogs about here.
