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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’ve done this three times and my advice is:

1. Don’t try to get them to declutter. They will find it hurtful and offensive if you ask.
2. Let go of the idea their stuff is “worth something”. It almost certainly isn’t, and isn’t worth your time to try and get every penny for it.

Some exceptions exist, like my crazy FILs giant gun collection that was worth a lot, but things your parents think “should” be valuable heirlooms (furniture, china) really nobody wants it.

With that in mind, the process goes quickly if you hire Got Junk to take the big stuff like furniture and you take most of the rest to Goodwill.
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I agree with most of this, especially the part about thinking their stuff is worth something. Even people with wealthy parents find those collections are not worth much especially when you take into account fees associated with an auction house, etc.

For me personally it was a great source of relief I tried to get them to take responsibility for their clutter. I also tried to get the siblings to help and let them know what could happen. Then, when you have to hire a place and your parents are devastated they didn't get to gift certain things and your sibling is throwing a fit because he had his eye on certain things, you did your best to prevent this  and there is no guilt. When the crisis happens or the death happens you don't want to be wasting time deciding who gets what and catering to siblings who want things shipped to them unless you are a person of leisure with a nanny, a maid and endless help so you have nothing but time to do this. In my case it did get them to do a little downsizing with my help, but I did have to putt back because and try to get them to hire someone to help them declutter because I had no time to deal with the obsessiveness over an item covered in cob webs that we found on shelf in a dark corner of the basement, but is apparently beloved.

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