What do I do with everything inside an inherited house?

Start with the papers and the personal things, decide what the family wants to keep, and only then deal with the rest. The rest usually goes one of four ways: an estate sale, a personal-property auction, donation, or a clean-out crew, and often some mix of them. The house does not have to be empty to be listed, but it does have to be empty by closing unless the buyer agrees in writing to take what is left.

Give yourself a first pass with no decisions

The first time you walk through, do not sort anything. Take photos of every room as it sits. Open the drawers and closets so you know what is there. Then leave.

That first look is hard, and it is fine for it to be only a look. The sorting comes later, and it goes better when it is not the same day.

Papers first, then keepsakes

Before anything leaves the house, pull out the paperwork. The deed, the will, tax returns, insurance policies, bank and investment statements, vehicle titles, the mortgage statement if there is one. Check the desk, the kitchen drawer, the closet shelf, the freezer, the coat pockets. People keep important papers in odd places.

Your probate attorney will want most of this. So will the CPA. Put it all in one box and keep it with you.

Then the keepsakes. Photo albums, letters, jewelry, the recipe box, the things with a story. Let every heir walk through, in person or by video, and say what matters to them before anything is priced or given away. Disagreements about a table are rarely about the table.

Estate sale, auction, donation or clean-out

Once the family has taken what it wants, look at the rest with clear eyes. Most of a household is ordinary. Some of it has value to a buyer. Much of it does not.

Option	Works best when	What to expect
Estate sale in the house	Lots of ordinary household goods and a house that can handle foot traffic	A company prices and runs it over a weekend, then takes a percentage
Personal-property auction	Tools, equipment, collections, vehicles, antiques, or a whole household at once	One date, everything sells, buyers compete, a fee agreed in advance
Donation	Usable items that would not bring much money	Some charities pick up and some do not, and you get a receipt for the CPA
Clean-out crew	What is left after the above, or when time matters more than money	A flat fee or by the truckload, and the house is empty in a day or two

An auction can also include the house itself. Some families sell the real estate and the contents on the same day, which closes the whole chapter at once. The buyer takes the house as it sits, and the contract says so. That fits some situations and not others.

Whatever you choose, do not let anyone rush you into a dumpster. Once it leaves, it is gone.

If you live far away

You do not have to be here for most of this. Estate sale companies and auction houses can inventory by video, send photos of anything you might want, and ship it. A local agent can unlock the door, meet the crew, and send you a walkthrough afterward. Our guide on selling a parent’s house from out of state covers the rest.

Papers first, time with the keepsakes, and two or three opinions on the rest before you commit to anything. If you want a plain read on what the house might be worth once it is empty, I am glad to have that conversation whenever you are ready.