My sister died unexpectedly of a mysterious health issue three weeks ago. Now in clearing up the rubble left behind, I have the very real problem of dealing with her stuff in a different state (Cambridge, MA). Help me sort out how to handle this, especially with hiring movers?
So, my only and older sister died out of the blue, and I am left having to pick up the pieces of her life and my mom's as well. She lived in Cambridge, MA for the last three years; we're originally from SE Connecticut, where my mom still lives. I live in Portland, OR but because of this I'm temporarily living in CT to help out. My sister was only 37, and had no will. She rented a 1BR apartment in a 2nd floor walkup and she owned a LOT of things. She was a collector and had great taste-- collected midcentury furniture, high end cooking equipment, as well as the usual extensive book and dvd collection. While some things can be donated, there's a lot that I either may absorb into my belongings or send to friends as mementos. But basically my husband and I have been taking weekend trips up to Cambridge to sort through the stuff left behind, as my mom can't physically or emotionally handle it. Last week we took all the small special fragile things, as well as paperwork that we felt important to save. Our plan is to do the following:
- donate what we know can be donated (clothing, small goods, etc)
- pull aside mementos for others
- box up the rest and hire movers to move from Cambridge, MA to a storage unit in CT
- deal with it in CT over the next few months
- eventually rent a cube and move the things I'll keep to Portland, OR?
But I've never hired a mover, and I am feeling clueless about it. Do I hire a mover in Cambridge or one local to CT? We think it would be the former as it's a 2hr drive which seems unnecessary. Does anyone have any recommendations for movers in the Cambridge/Boston area? Has anyone hired a mover for a dead person's estate? I read a little about how you can hire a mover to pack things-- but I don't know if it's better to do that or just pack things well. Is there anything I should do to prepare the furniture? My sister was so exacting in her eye for detail that any little scratch/defect would be the end of the world-- while I'm not that way, I am feeling a weird sense of duty not to let it get damaged. Especially the mid-century pieces-- they're lovely and I want them to stay in my home in Portland for years to come.
Also when do you usually hire the mover? I'm guessing in a city I'll have to give some advance notice. I'd like to get the goods moved by the end of October. Should I hire the movers now even though we have a lot to do still?
Thanks in advance. This loss has been gutting and painful in so many ways, but I will feel a bit better when we have her things back in CT and I can process them at my leisure. |
