One of the hardest things most of will need to deal with

Written by Posted On Thursday, 20 July 2017 13:13

I know most of us try to put this out of our minds.  I know I certainly do.  But, at some point, most of us are faced with one of hardest things in life...losing our parents.  I hate just thinking of it.  And, I know many that have had to go through this already. My parents are older, but lucky for me (and for them), they have been in pretty good shape.  And, then we had a bit of a scare 3 months ago. 

 

My dad was slowing down and needed to get a heart valve replaced.  The doctor assured my mom that this was fairly routine nowadays.  So, we all tried to relax for the couple of months leading up to the operation.  The doctor said it could wait until after the trip they had planned for June, but my dad figured it was better to get over with sooner...and he was getting more and more tired by the week (presumably due to the lower amounts of oxygen he was getting).  So, we all remained positive and cautiously optimistic.

 

The night before the operation, they did some tests, and unfortunately and unexpectedly, he needed double bypass surgery.  Needless to say, that had us all worried.  To make a long short, thankfully he is okay.  The initial recovery was longer than expected, and it was kind of scary for the first couple of days, but the surgery was a success and my dad has been recovering ever since.  He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and it was less than fun.  But, he's okay and doing better each week and we're happy to have him with us.  He probably gained an extra 5 to 10 years on his life, and we are thankful for every moment.

 

But, my parents aren't getting any younger and at some point, I'm going to lose them.  And, I hate thinking about that.  It brings tears to my eyes.  Losing a loved one, especially a parent is hard.  It doesn't matter how old you are.  It doesn't matter if it was sudden or gradual.  It's hard.  So you grieve and you try to move on.

 

The problem is that it usually doesn't just end there.  It drags on as you often need to deal with the will/inheritance and ...the house.  Yes, selling an inherited house is tough (and time consuming).  And, it brings up all of these emotions again and again and again.  It's even tougher if this is the house where you grew up.  I see it all the time with some of the customers I've dealt with on my flooring and painting businesses. 

 

There is a LOT to do!  After probate, you need to deal with cleaning out the house (do not underestimate the emotion that goes along with this nor the time) and prepare it for the market and a whole slew of other things...all the while your grief and memories (both good and bad) are being stirred up.  There is a lot to consider when this happens and often you are not thinking clearly (for obvious reasons).

 

So, I put this guide together for one of my clients.  It's the Complete Guide to Selling an Inherited House when you need to Settle an Estate. It outlines the entire process from start to finish and it's meant to provide guidance and a step by step plan for those going through this tough time in their life.  I made it as thorough as I could both to help people and to help me in the future (hopefully it will be a long time before I need it).  It's over 6,000 words and you'll see I put a lot into it.  I really hope this helps many many people.

 

 

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Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl

I'm known as The Flooring Girl, and I used to own my own Flooring store in Westchester County, NY.  I blog about hardwood flooring, sanding, carpet, other flooring options and home decor.

 

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