Too Much Loss

Dear Phyllis,
My sister died and I am the trustee. She was mentally ill and because of COVID restrictions I could not visit her in the hospital. Her passing is so hard for me because I feel she thinks I abandoned her. Her home is not far from mine, but I just cannot bear going there one more time. I have removed what I need and now just need to get it cleaned out and sold. I contacted the Realtor® who sold me my home. But she is telling me, I need to get the home emptied and cleaned before she can get it on the market. I just cannot deal with anymore of this. It is simply too hurtful. I really am not sure of my question but am just hoping you can offer some guidance or a simpler solution. Jane

Dear Jane,
I am so sorry for your loss and can’t begin to imagine the pain this is causing you. You need to hire a Realtor® that is experienced in these situations and there are many to choose from. Your real estate agent works for you, not the other way around. They should be helping you get through this and not putting up obstacles.
Contact one of the larger local real estate offices and speak with the manager. Inform the manager that you want to hire a real estate agent experienced with trust sales. And that you want this Realtor® to take care of everything for you. This will include:
• Picking up the key from you
• If applicable: coordinating an estate sale, donations and or hauling
• Arranging to have the home cleaned
• If desired, coordinating any desired repairs and/or staging
As a convenience, many Realtors, such as myself have provisions where these costs can be covered by the Realtor® or their brokerage and be paid through escrow proceeds. This certainly simplifies things.
Ask that the above duties be stated in the listing contract. This experienced real estate agent should then prepare a marketing plan for your approval. Once ready for professional photos your Realtor® should get this home on the market and sold. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than this. I wish you the best.