Inheritance: Practical steps in a difficult time

At certain points in life, one can find themselves in a position to inherit. What this means is that somebody has passed away and left you financial assets or physical items in their will. Oftentimes, it means that somebody close to you has died. A parent, old friend or even a sibling thus making thinking of the practical ramifications of inheritance extremely difficult. Grieving, mourning and remembering are, rightly so, at the forefront of people’s minds in times like this and overburdening oneself with the practical realities of dealing with physical items left behind is too much to bear. This does often raise a conundrum about what to do. On the one hand, there is the reality that often people in New York simply do not have the storage space to take on a lifetime’s worth of belongings, especially if those belongings will, at least in the immediate term, bring back some difficult memories. But at the same time, these items have been left to your care by someone you love. This decision about what to do, by definition, comes at the most inconvenient and difficult of times, which is why it is so important to be able to feel as if this is something that can be easily taken care of, rather than an insurmountable challenge.

Tips for dealing with inherited items:

1. Sort: Inheriting a lifetime’s worth of possessions is simply never an easy task. Along with beautiful keepsakes and mementos, you will also inherit items that have far less in the way of sentimental value. Kitchen equipment or old furniture for example. When inspecting your inheritance, it is wise to sort these items into bite-sized categories that are much easier to deal with in isolation. Group items of great sentimental value together, such as favorite books, clothing, personal correspondence or pictures. Next, group items of financial or aesthetic value, art, silver, beautiful furniture or musical instruments are examples of this. Finally, you will be left over with the rest of items that make up a life. It is wise to separate these out too. Perhaps items of moderate value, such as appliances, tools, furniture etc, and items of lesser value, like documents, old books and other bits and pieces.

2. Look into your options: Now that the items have all been loosely sorted, you are left with a number of options. Decisions abound at this point in time. Is there anything worth selling? Are there items that should be donated? Or thrown away? Which items do you wish to keep as mementos or keepsakes? Often, for a grieving person, this is the stage that seems most insurmountable in the immediate aftermath of a tragic loss. It can be all too easy to make choices you could regret later, such as selling something you wish to keep or throwing away valuable and important documents, such as title deeds or insurance policies. Mostly, what people need is some time.

3. Think of storage: Buying time to deal with these matters when you have processed your grief is easy enough when you have the storage room to spare but most of us, especially in New York, are simply unable to take on the sheer weight of possessions from a logistical point of view. At this point, it would be worth it to look into options for storing items in a separate location until later. Storage units are one option, although the hassle of moving everything yourself can be too daunting to even consider.

4. Delegate: In the immediate aftermath of a loss, it can be tempting to try and handle everything yourself. Not only is this not efficient or realistic, it is not conducive to a full and healthy grieving process. Your mind needs space to mourn and it should not be heavily occupied with questions of logistics or legalities. So find people you can delegate to. In terms of storage, full-service storage companies like Boxie24 are able to take the practicalities out of your hands by handling everything from pick-up to storing to eventually returning your items. Knowing that these issues are being handled by professionals after one simple phone call is a weight off the mind, making it far easier to process any emotions you may be having.

5. Work with trusted partners: If you have decided to store items until a clearer idea of what to do has formed in your mind, make sure that you are using partners that you can trust. Often grieving people can feel guilty about putting inherited items into storage, even when it is the best option. Knowing that your items are with a trusted partner who you can rely to store items safely can go a long way to easing any worries you may be having.

Boxie24 has assisted many families in this exact position. As a family owned company, Boxie24 understands that at this time, storage is not on the forefront of your mind. That is why it is on the forefront of ours. As a full-service storage company with experience in 3 countries, we are able to take the logistical burden away from you and leave you instead safe in the knowledge that your valuable items are being stored with the utmost care. Moreover, our team knows the value of  the personal touch in times like this. You will have the same storage expert dealing with your case from the moment you call for a quote, to the moment you decide to have your items delivered. This way, we ensure that our team knows your case and your needs inside out.

If you would like to make use of our services, give us a call at 844-337-7739