Do you need someone to help you when it is time to deal with mom’s or dad’s home.

If you need an appraiser, call Amy at 916-769-9172.

If you need an estate attorney, call Christine Faulkner at 916-685-1225. I hope that your parents met with their estate attorney before they passed so that they got everything in order. It may seem expensive at the time, but nothing like the cost some family member will face if they have to take everything through probate. You could end up throwing away 1-2 years of your life and 6-7 percent of the total value of the estate away in legal fees just to get through probate.

If you are the executor or executrix or even the court appointed administrator, you need a means to keep track of everything you are doing. My wife looked at several options when she was handling her mom’s estate and decided the EstateExec.com was the perfect solution for her. I can tell you that although it is something that has to be done, being the the person who has to execute the estate is not a fun job. I think it often brings out the worst in people, especially siblings. Petty issues from when you were children will come back to muddy the waters at a time like this. It can be sibling rivalry at its worst.

But, what do you do with all that stuff???

I know that when my dad passed away, and later when my mom passed away, we all knew who was supposed to inherit certain cherished keepsakes and that we were to divide up the rest, what little there was, in an equitable manner. But it is not always that easy, and professional help may be needed. You may need an expert to price and sell the assets in the home, or to make sure that they are equally divided between the heirs. Sometimes no matter what is done, some family members will be angry and hold a grudge forever. We cannot solve that problem here, but we can get the help we need to deal with the stuff.

Here are a few estate sales experts that you can contact when you need that help.

• Lorraine Letawasky 916-207-7699
• Susanna Burns 916-826-4004
• Patricia Inman 916-806-8744
• Joy Zgola 916-225-2222

If your mom or dad has passed and you need assistance with end of life services – East Lawn Memorial – 952-9786

If you need a great real estate agent, call me, Jack A Edwards at 916-240-9302 to help with selling the house if you are moving mom or dad into your home or to a residential care facility for seniors.