Background
The Estate consisted of a 3,800 sq. ft. rambler filled with 40+ years of belongings, and a vehicle. The personal representative was an out-of-state family member of the decedent. Her interest was to clear the house out, sell what personal effects were salable, and sell the house as quickly as possible, in order to reduce the holding costs — which they likely would have had to carry through the winter months. The goals seemed simple:
- Sort through all personal belongings
- Determine items of value (get certified appraisal)
- Pack and distribute items to various locations (relatives, auction, charities, disposal)
- Sell the house for the highest price possible within the quickest timeframe possible
Challenges
The Client and her husband were spending every weekend for three months trying to clear out the house. Despite spending all of that time and energy to get things done, they were not making significant progress — and had become completely overwhelmed. At the point they contacted Trusted Estate Partners, these challenges remained:
- Prime selling season coming to an end
- House in good condition but outdated
- Repairs required prior to marketing the house
- Outstanding mortgage on Property
Logistics
After assessing the situation and needs, Trusted Estate Partners designed a Personalized Plan to meet the Client’s goals and timeline. With the plan in place, Trusted Estate Partners assembled the appropriate alliance team and then supervised the work to ensure completion in accordance with the plan. Trusted Estate Partners’ management of the team and plan alleviated the Client’s “overwhelming feelings and stress”.
Trusted Estate Partners’ handling of the logistics not only enabled the Client to step away, but also reduced the time to liquidation of the personal property and sale of the house.
Results
Using their proprietary tools, analytical model, and in-depth market analysis, Trusted Estate Partners evaluated the feasibility of every sale option for the house. Considering the existing mortgage, associated holding costs, waning selling season, and the Client’s need to sell quickly, they determined that competitive bidding via the auction sale method would best meet the Client’s goals and net the most for the Estate.
Benefits to the Client and Estate:
- House was sold in “as-is” condition
- Timing met the Client’s needs (under contract in 42 days from house cleanout)
- Estate netted more than it could have through standard listing (no realtor commission or closing costs paid by Estate)
Testimonial
“Dear Andy and Amy,
I just mailed, what I hope to be, the final information packet for my aunt’s estate. We are in the final stretch. On the drive home from the post office, I reflected on that day, seven months ago, when Brad and I found ourselves faced with the responsibility of administering my aunt’s estate and the question: “How are we going to do this?”
Fortunately, we learned about Trusted Estate Partners. I know we’ve said it numerous times in between, but we do want to express our appreciation to you both for your understanding, support and expertise as we navigated the duties of estate administration. Throughout the process, you truly were our ‘trusted estate partners.’
The legal team at Davis, Agnor, Rapaport, Skalny gave me your information… I want you to know that I’ve included the following endorsement of your services to them:
‘I do want to express my appreciation and endorsement for the services of Trusted Estate Partners. I could not have navigated the duties of estate administration without their expertise and support. Andy Spagnolo and Amy Presley are easy to work with and have truly earned the name: trusted estate partners. I would not hesitate to recommend their services and encourage you to suggest their services to your clients.'”
– Val and Brad S.
