Probate Solutions

October 2004

Volume 8, Issue 3

By Meg Connell

Is Your Client's Estate Organized?

Have you ever used an Estate Organizer before, or referred a client of yours to one? Perhaps you are wondering, "What does Estate Organization actually mean?"

Estate Organizers (EOs) are individuals who specialize in handling the personal, tangible property items of an estate as well as assisting professionals, individuals, and families during their time of grief.

When you dealing with elder clients, or families, already overwhelmed with managing their own lives, and who suddenly find themselves inheriting another's estate, are you often asked by these clients if you can "help" with the inherited home and contents? Before professional Estate Organizers, attorneys did not have any professionals to whom you could refer your clients; today, the resources are endless.

When an attorney first refers a client to an EO, the client has usually just suffered a loss. Not only are is the client handling the new, and many times unexpected, issues at hand, but doing so while grieving. Everything seems harder and much more overwhelming in these circumstances. An EO can be the perfect ally and professional for the job.

Estate Organizers can deal directly with or accompany clients while visiting the coroner's office, funeral homes, legal counsel, or animal shelters (to collect pets). When heirs are faced with dividing up items that were unspecified in the will, sometimes, an outside point of view can help clarify the situation and ensure fair distribution of property. And an EO can provide personal attention to grieving heirs, while also making sure the project stays on target, especially if the house needs to be sold and the contents emptied by a certain date.

EOs can also offer hands-on, practical assistance in handling the paper clutter that arises during the settling of an estate. Estate Organizers often meet with the client in their home to open, sort, and manage the client's mail, and create a new filing system, or renovate the existing system, to accommodate the final paperwork. EOs can also help organize the client's or decedent's paperwork in order to locate and identify bank accounts, securities, stock holdings, real estate, safe deposit boxes, Last Will and Testament or Trust document, or other relevant documents. Additionally an Organizer can assist legal counsel in preparing paperwork for the 706 Form.

When an inventory of personal tangible property items is needed for the estate accounting, an EO can help. During this process, Organizers often locate specific items for distribution according to the client's or decedent's wishes. An EO can help create an inventory of the donated items which sometimes helps with the estate's taxes, depending on the client's home state.

Sometimes, when faced with an entire household full of a life of memories, clients need someone to guide them on what to keep, donate, recycle, or throw away,. If appraisers, liquidators, charities, and/or consignment shops are to be used during the property clearing process, the EO can act as project manager, coordinator, and liason.

Estate Organizers often also help take care of arrangements for orphaned pets.

Clearing an estate sometimes can take a few weeks, if not a few months, depending on the family's decision-making ability, and the timing of the legal processes involved. An unattended property can draw negative attention from thieves, as well as lose its value if problems such as structural damage, roof leaks, mildew, damaged plumbing, etc., are not dealt with immediately. An EO can conduct ongoing site visits to examine the property and identify items needing immediate attention and coordinate the appropriate repair service providers. An EO can also communicate with city services if there are no family members present to handle the property while it is in probate. And depending on your EO's experience, some can even make suggestions for improving or staging the property in preparation for sale.

An Estate Organizer brings a different and creative perspective to the probate process, assisting with the details of estate closure that attorneys and financial planners may not have the time or inclination or experience to address, and thus supplies a much-needed service to many people. You can find an Estate Organizer in your area through the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). NAPO was established 15 years ago and has over 3000 members worldwide.

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