The house is full and nobody knows where to start.

What you are facing

A parent dies, and within days you are handed a set of tasks nobody prepared you for. There is a house, and the house is full. Forty years of furniture, papers in every drawer, a garage you have not opened since childhood.

Meanwhile the practical clock is running. There may be a mortgage, taxes, and insurance still due each month. Siblings live in different states. Someone mentions probate. Two agents have already told you the kitchen needs redoing before anyone will look at it.

You should not have to renovate a home you are grieving in order to sell it.

What I actually do

I am a Senior Real Estate Specialist, a designation from the National Association of Realtors for agents trained in what seniors and their families are actually dealing with. In practice, it means three things.

The ten steps, and which one is yours

Selling a home takes about ten steps. Step one is yours. The rest are mine.

1. 01 You call One conversation, no obligation. Tell me about the home and where your family is. Nothing is decided on this call.
2. 02 We walk the home together No tidying beforehand. I need to see it as it is to tell you what it is worth.
3. 03 I establish fair market value Based on real DuPage County comparables, not a lowball as-is formula.
4. 04 You take what matters Keepsakes, photographs, documents, furniture. However long that takes.
5. 05 I bring you offers From vetted buyers who purchase in current condition. You are never obligated to accept.
6. 06 We clear out the rest Everything left behind is handled. You do not lift a box.
7. 07 We close on your timeline Paperwork, disclosures, and coordination handled. Funds in hand.

A word about probate in Illinois

Probate is the question I get most, and the answer is usually less frightening than families expect. Whether the court needs to be involved depends on how the home was titled and whether there was a will or a trust. A home held in a trust, or jointly with a surviving spouse, often passes without probate at all.

Even when probate is required, it does not mean nothing can happen for a year. Many families begin preparing and marketing the home while the estate is still open. I work alongside your attorney so the two timelines run together.

I am not an attorney and will not pretend to give legal advice. What I can do on a first call is tell you which situation you are likely in, and what that means for timing.