Organizing a dead family member’s property is a stressful time for everyone. You need time to mourn and celebrate your loved one’s life, but there are also many other things on your mind right now that could be making you feel pressured to move on, and get it done and out of the way.
This might be your spouse, your children, or maybe even yourself if you feel like you can’t do it for very long. This is understandable, as it is a very draining process, and you need to work and solve problems with your deceased family member’s best interests at heart.
There is a lot to think about, and sometimes it can be difficult to see a way out. You might find that you are drowning under the weight of it all, especially if everyone keeps on pushing their issues down your throat as well, not to mention what you might have already had going on in your life.
#1 Getting Everything Organized
You could start by working through things, such as their possessions, but it can be difficult. You are going to need to remove items from a space you might have never seen them out of. This can be emotional as well, as you are most likely going to have attachments to everything that is there, especially when it is in situ.
So, you are going to need to pick apart each room, bit by bit, and for that, you are going to need convenient space. Ideally, it will be a space that doesn’t have much personal attachment so you can have a clearer head to work things through and think clearly without having to be in the middle of it all the time.
You might find that a rentable storage container can be a good option. You don’t have to worry about how you are going to get the container to you, as high-quality brands will bring the container to your location. You can use this as a space to work with your feelings and the items that you are sorting through to help make your journey a little better paced and you have some sort of breathing room.
It can help you keep up and give you an extra bit of space that your relative simply didn’t have available. You can look for portable shipping containers to give you a little extra space at portable storage in Bend Oregon.
#2 What You Are Going to Do With the Property Itself
When you have gone through the house, you might find yourself with another conundrum that requires patience and the clarity of thought that you might just not have at the moment. This is going to be stressful, but if you are moving into the house and the property is already in your name, you might not have much difficulty.
However, if you are planning on selling it, you might feel that it is appropriate to stage it before you leave. This is for two reasons: that the house sells faster and you get the money for it and leave it all behind, or that you don’t have the guilt of selling somewhere that still looks so similar and in your heart is still part of the family. This second one can be a very good reason to stage, especially if it is a place where you made a lot of happy memories. It can almost feel like you are losing a bit of yourself.
When it comes to staging your property, you are going to need to consider some things. You might find that it is easier to rip out the inside of the house and redecorate to bring it up to a more modern spec, simply because it might be worth more.
Staging can also help with depersonalization, which can be a very important part of letting the property go, especially if you decide to rent it out and you have to revisit the property in the coming years. You do not want a reminder of where your loved one once lived and have the place look pretty much the same as it did when they were alive.
#3 Dealing with Your Grief
This is a process that you should have time to come to terms with. People deal with death differently and cutting this short should be something that should be avoided. This makes people grieve in an unhealthy manner, which means that they are less likely to come to terms with the death of a loved one easily. This means that they are more likely to have long-term issues and will often bring up the subject in conversations even if they aren’t generally related to try and get their grief out and heard.
Being given time to process death is generally a luxury given to few and sorting out a property and selling it can feel like you are losing them all over again. You might find that seeking therapy is a good option, and giving yourself room to breathe, as well as not letting the pressure from other people crumple you, lest it does irreversible damage.
To Wrap Everything Up
In conclusion, there is a lot of stress and heartbreak surrounding the loss of a loved one. Sorting out their house is one of the many responsibilities that you will have to come round to relatively quickly without much breathing room.
There are three ways mentioned above that can help you with your stress levels in this time, such as: finding healthy ways to grieve to help you in the long term, what you can do to help make going through the house and their possessions that little bit easier, and what you might decide to do when it comes to renting or selling the property. Dealing with death is never easy, it is a path that you are forced to walk, and, unfortunately, you are never ready for it.
