Running an estate cleanout: the order that avoids regret
A house full of a parent's life has to be empty by a date, and the family is grieving, scattered and tired. We have been the truck at the end of a lot of these. This is the order that has worked, written for the executor who has never done it before.
Before anything moves
- Find the papers first. Will, deeds, titles, insurance, account statements, tax files, the safe-deposit key. They are in a desk, a filing box, a kitchen drawer and sometimes the freezer. Nothing leaves the house until this is done.
- Photograph every room. Thirty minutes with a phone. It settles arguments later about what was there.
- Decide who decides. The executor, or whoever the family agrees holds the pen. The hauling crew takes direction from one person, not from a group text.
- Have anything that might be valuable looked at. Jewelry, art, coins, firearms, old tools, furniture that is actually old rather than just dated. We don't appraise and we don't buy; keep those roles separate from the people hauling.
The family's pass
Give the family a defined window, a weekend or a week, to take what they want, with a simple rule for disputes. Label with painter's tape: a name for keep, nothing for go. When the window closes, what is unlabelled is the cleanout. Families that skip the window end up re-sorting the same boxes three times.
The walk-through with the crew
The crew comes, walks every room, the garage, the basement and the shed with the decider, and marks keep zones. One written price for the whole house follows, with the number of days. A small house is a day; a large house with a full basement and garage is two or three, and they can be spaced out if the family needs the time between.
Hauling days
- Boxes are opened, not tipped. Papers, photographs and anything personal found during the work go in one place for the family.
- Usable furniture, tools, kitchenware and books are routed to donation or recycling where possible. Ask for the donation list if the estate file needs it.
- Refrigerant appliances go to a licensed handler first; paint and chemicals from the garage are set aside with a note on where they go.
- The house is swept, room by room, when the last truck leaves. A dated receipt follows by email.
After
Cancel the utilities and the mail, change the locks if the house is being sold, and hand the realtor an empty, clean house that photographs well. If you are the executor and out of state, all of the above can be done by video walk-through, with the price by email and photographs at the end.
What to expect to pay
In 2026 figures, a partly emptied small house or apartment runs $625 to $1,000, a typical three-bedroom with a garage $1,000 to $2,000, and a large home with a full basement and garage up to about $4,000 over several trips. Donation routing lowers the tipping fee and the price. The look is free and the number is written before anything moves.
Asked often
How long does it take?
One day for a small house, two or three for a large one with a full basement and garage, spaced out if the family needs it.
Do you buy anything or run a sale?
No. We haul. If something looks valuable we say so and suggest an appraiser first.
Can the executor be out of state?
Yes. Video walk-through, price by email, a key from the realtor or a neighbor, photos when it's done.
What about the paperwork you find?
Set aside in one place, unread, for the family. We don't shred or dispose of documents unless told to.
Is the house swept at the end?
Every room, the garage and the basement included.
Also read: Estate cleanouts · Hoarding cleanup · Paying for it