How to clear out an inherited home before selling

1. Secure the house and call the insurance company

Lock up and list who has keys. Many homeowners policies limit coverage once a house sits empty for a set number of days, so ask how the policy defines vacant and whether you need a vacancy endorsement. In winter, keep the heat on or have the plumbing winterized.

2. Set aside papers and valuables

Mail, bank and tax papers, deeds, titles, wills, account statements, keys, jewelry, cash and photos. Put them in one box or one room that every crew is told to skip.

3. Check with the personal representative

In Massachusetts the person who manages the estate is called the personal representative. Once the Probate and Family Court appoints them, they can generally sell, donate or discard household contents, unless the will or a court order limits that. Within 3 months of appointment they also file an inventory with the fair market value of each item, so photograph and list anything of value first.

4. Decide what is sold, donated or hauled away

Most houses end up as a mix: an estate sale for things worth selling, donation for usable household goods, and a cleanout or junk removal for the rest.

5. Follow the disposal rules

Massachusetts bans mattresses, textiles, large appliances, CRT TVs, scrap metal and several other materials from the trash. Mercury items like thermostats and fluorescent bulbs must be recycled or handled as hazardous waste. A licensed hauler should handle these, but ask how.

6. Finish broom clean

Standard Massachusetts purchase and sale agreements usually require the house to be delivered broom clean and free of personal property at closing, unless the agreement says otherwise. Broom clean generally means empty and swept, not a deep clean.

Want these steps on paper? Print the inherited home checklist and check things off as you go.

Some inherited homes sell with the contents still inside, often to cash buyers or investors. If you go that way, the purchase and sale agreement should say so. Compare that offer with what the house might bring once it is empty, minus the cost and time of clearing it.

Look for companies that quote from photos or a video walkthrough, work with a lockbox or key, and send photos when they finish. Ask for a written scope so everyone knows what stays and what goes.