^^ This poster had a good idea. A family at your church had a fire and they need EVERYTHING. Drive it away and donate.

Will she go for it if you tell her you know a family that needs the items? Like to give them items for free if it was going to help someone else?
Then donate wherever.
I like buy nothing for donating because I feel like I know someone is specifically going to use the item I don’t need anymore. This would be too much for 100 boxes though.
Does she ever come to your house? Can you tell her you want some of it? Then donate.

My father recently passed away and this past summer we had to clear out his house for sale. If you do go with an estate sale company, most of them won't want the job unless there is 3-4K worth of items to auction. We ended up finding a company that would do everything- clean it out, sell what can be sold and donate. We could tag anything that we did not want sold. It is really hard. My dad ended up falling which led to him not being able to be in the home so we were glad we did it when we did and did not have that on top of his death at the same time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pack it up and rent a storage unit. Yes it just delays the decision making but if she has a neurological issue - do you mean dementia? This might be a problem that will solve itself.

Even if it isn't dementia - once the stuff is out of the house it will be easier for you mom to let go of it down the line.

I wouldn't ordinarily suggest a storage unit for a hoarder, but you say it urgently needs to go.

Urgently means that you don't have time to convice her, persuade her etc.

Thanks, I think this is best. Dad is open to the storage unit idea, Mom said absolutely not but I will raise it again.

Mom's issue is Parkinsons, not dementia. Dad has a leg/foot issue so he is also a fall risk.

Parkinson's has a dementia component.

This is hard OP. A storage unit just kicks the can down the road and it costs $$. Recently cleared out my sister’s home and gave everything away. Can you give your mom 2 choices…We get rid of the stuff or you go to assisted living.

yes, hire an estate sale company. for a price, they'll clear out what won't/doesn't sell. If you can get your parents into a hotel or a trial at assisted living or something for a few days it will be a lot easier to sell some stuff and toss the rest. good luck, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pack it up and rent a storage unit. Yes it just delays the decision making but if she has a neurological issue - do you mean dementia? This might be a problem that will solve itself.

Even if it isn't dementia - once the stuff is out of the house it will be easier for you mom to let go of it down the line.

I wouldn't ordinarily suggest a storage unit for a hoarder, but you say it urgently needs to go.

Urgently means that you don't have time to convice her, persuade her etc.

Thanks, I think this is best. Dad is open to the storage unit idea, Mom said absolutely not but I will raise it again.

Mom's issue is Parkinsons, not dementia. Dad has a leg/foot issue so he is also a fall risk.

I’d donate the clothes to goodwill or take new things to consignment and have an estate sale for the rest.

There are people who will come and take stuff to sell on eBay, FB marketplace etc for a % of the sales price. There are some fairly new tax regs and if you sell over I believe $600 or $699 you will get a 1099. Would your mother be open to the idea that a tax deduction might be better (if she itemizes)? Depending on her expectations and your budget, the least stressful thing may be just doing as you suggested, get rid of it and tell her it sold for whatever amount.

Anonymous wrote:Pack it up and rent a storage unit. Yes it just delays the decision making but if she has a neurological issue - do you mean dementia? This might be a problem that will solve itself.

Even if it isn't dementia - once the stuff is out of the house it will be easier for you mom to let go of it down the line.

I wouldn't ordinarily suggest a storage unit for a hoarder, but you say it urgently needs to go.

Urgently means that you don't have time to convice her, persuade her etc.

Pack it up and rent a storage unit. Yes it just delays the decision making but if she has a neurological issue - do you mean dementia? This might be a problem that will solve itself.

Even if it isn't dementia - once the stuff is out of the house it will be easier for you mom to let go of it down the line.

Anonymous wrote:My mom is 75 with a neurological issue. We urgently need to clear out the clutter (hoarding) that she has been "sorting" for years. It's a fall hazard and prevents us from getting her a home aide. She agrees it needs to go but emotionally she can't handle the loss of the purchase price / value. Even for the stuff that has value, it's not feasible to sell on eBay, item by item. She refuses to let it go for free.

Would an estate sale company handle this?
I'm not above lying to her and saying stuff sold when it didn't, but she'd expect to see some money.
Any other ideas?

How much money would it cost you? Lie to her. Tell her what a great estate sale it was and you are waiting on the checks to clear.

Anonymous wrote:How much stuff? Like a few boxes or a hundred boxes?

100 boxes. Clothes, collectibles, some furniture (nice, antique, but not in style).

How much stuff? Like a few boxes or a hundred boxes?

My mom is 75 with a neurological issue. We urgently need to clear out the clutter (hoarding) that she has been "sorting" for years. It's a fall hazard and prevents us from getting her a home aide. She agrees it needs to go but emotionally she can't handle the loss of the purchase price / value. Even for the stuff that has value, it's not feasible to sell on eBay, item by item. She refuses to let it go for free.

Would an estate sale company handle this?
I'm not above lying to her and saying stuff sold when it didn't, but she'd expect to see some money.
Any other ideas?