When people think about settling a parent’s estate, they usually think about selling the house and distributing what’s in their bank and investment accounts, not about what’s in the basement, the garage, the storage unit, or the boxes tucked in closets under the stairs. But all of that stuff has to go somewhere. Some of it may be valuable. Some may be sentimental. Some may be a tax issue. And some may become an issue between you and your own children, who don’t appreciate the value (sentimental or otherwise) of grandma’s prized Limoges china that really shouldn’t go in the dishwasher.

I know this firsthand. When my dad died suddenly in October of 2025, his estate seemed simple–until we considered his collections and stuff. Like many people, he didn’t set out to be a collector. It just kind of happened. When I went abroad to study, he asked me to bring back a Coca-Cola bottle. In retrospect, he was in the early stages of building a full-blown collection of Coca-Cola bottles, both filled and empty, from nearly every corner of the globe. He didn’t stop at bottles. His collection included a 1,000-piece “Leo's Bookshop" Coca-Cola branded puzzle, stuffed bears, and historic odds and ends like crates and bottle carriers. By the time Dad died, my brothers’ old bedroom had been turned into what we jokingly referred to as the “Coca Cola shrine.”

We’re not the only family facing this kind of problem. In 2024, 2.3 million Americans aged 65 and above died. Most spent decades accumulating stuff and then aged in place. The Center for Retirement Research projected (based on a longitudinal study of how actual Americans behave) that 53% of retirees will stay until death in the home they lived in in their 50s, with another 17% moving just once, at the time of retirement. Similarly, in a 2024 AARP survey, 75% of adults 50 and older said they wanted to stay in their current homes as they aged.

A whole industry has grown up around helping older adults downsize, relocate and declutter. The National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM), started in 2022, now has a trade association, a code of ethics, and a certification program. But Jennifer Pickett, the group’s executive director, reports members actually do a lot of their work post-mortem, helping children cope with their parents’ stuff, along with their grief. Pickett claims the average home contains over 300,000 items—a jaw-dropping number she gets by counting every spoon, knife, fork, piece of clothing, photo and document separately.

All this stuff can’t just go to the younger generations. Most middle-aged children already have their own full homes and adult grandchildren often live differently. They may have smaller (or no) homes, less storage, more mobile lives, or simply different tastes. A formal china service can be a hand-wash-only obligation for a grandchild in a small apartment, where they need space for more practical, dishwasher-worthy plates. Heavy brown furniture, like my dad’s overstuffed recliners (he had four), may not fit the space or taste of a younger household.

Here’s a guide to the practical and tax aspects of dealing with your parents’ mounds of stuff. But remember, it often makes sense to bring in professionals— appraisers, estate sale companies, a tax advisor — early, before decisions get made that can't be undone.

At the bottom, we list 10 steps to make sure you don’t burden your own heirs with so much stuff or set them up for disputes about who gets what.

When You Need Appraisals and Valuations

Do you need an appraisal to find out what something is worth? It depends.

A formal appraisal is not necessary for every sofa, lamp, and box of dishes. It is more important when the item is likely to appear on a tax return. For high-end items, like art, and valuable collections, expect extra scrutiny for tax purposes. (The IRS maintains an Art Appraisal Services and an Art Advisory Panel to review valuations of artwork and other tangible personal property in income, estate, and gift tax matters)

Estates filing a federal estate tax return or a state estate or inheritance........

© Forbes