An inheritance is never a pleasant phase. There's emotion, memories, sometimes family tensions. And then there's the material reality: a house to sell… and everything it contains.
We often think about the notary deed, the property assessment, the inspections. But one issue is often more daunting than expected: how do you empty the house?
Because selling a property is one thing. Clearing it out is another.
The reality many discover too late
A family home is not just walls.
It's sometimes years of accumulated objects, a garage stuffed "just in case," an unsorted attic, massive furniture once valuable but now worth almost nothing in today's market, dishes, paintings, books, keepsakes,... And suddenly you have to manage it all.
Some heirs live far away. Others work full-time. Still others simply don't have the emotional energy to face it.
Conventional solutions… and their limitations
1. Rent a storage unit
In Montpellier, many turn to solutions like Atout Box to store the house's contents either temporarily while selling the house and deciding what to do with its contents later, or more permanently. It's convenient, flexible, secure. However, the cost is also high: a storage unit of a few cubic meters can quickly cost around a hundred euros per month!
2. Empty gradually
Some choose a progressive approach:
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Donate to charities
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Take items to the dump
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Share among family members
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Organize a garage sale
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Sell some furniture online
It's a longer process that can lead to family tensions if there's disagreement over sharing.
3. Complete paralysis
It's more common than you'd think! The house then remains as is and is never emptied. Meanwhile, the succession process moves forward with taxes to pay and the notary pushing for solutions. Some sellers wait 1, 2, or sometimes 3 years before considering emptying the house to sell it.
An often-unknown solution: the auctioneer
Few people know it, but an auctioneer can intervene directly as part of an inheritance. Their role is not limited to old paintings or prestigious artworks.
They can:
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Visit the house
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Identify items with market value
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Organize their removal
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Include them in an auction sale
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Return the sale proceeds to you
In other words: transform a constraint into an opportunity. There are certainly many auctioneers near you, and one has just opened a new reception office in Montpellier: Hôtel des Ventes Montpellier.
How does it work?
The auctioneer doesn't buy your items directly: they assess them and put them up for sale. So it's a kind of consignment sale.
Some objects sell very well:
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Antique furniture
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Jewelry
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Silverware
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Works of art
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Collections
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Wine
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Designer objects
Sometimes things we thought were ordinary actually have interesting value, and most importantly: it significantly reduces the house's contents and the clearing work.
What about the rest?
Once valuable items are removed, it's much easier to:
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Organize a clearance
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Have a specialized company come in, and of course Emmaus.
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And finally prepare the house for sale
An cluttered house turns people away
This is essential: a very cluttered house:
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Photographs poorly
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Gives an impression of neglect
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Makes spaces appear smaller
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Creates a sense of suffocation
Yet today, the purchase decision is made largely based on photos and first impressions during a visit.
An overcrowded property therefore attracts fewer viewings, receives lower offers, and stays on the market longer.
Conversely, an empty or at least lightened property looks brighter, allows buyers to envision themselves in the space, and therefore sells more easily.
And in any case, a buyer will almost always ask you to sell the house empty, so you might as well anticipate this.
Do you need to sell everything?
Not necessarily! The goal isn't to monetize everything but to rationalize things to separate emotion from clutter and value your property as best as possible. It's often appropriate to leave some objects and decoration to help a buyer envision themselves in the space.
In summary
In an inheritance, selling the house is only part of the journey. The real issue, often, is its contents. Therefore, it can sometimes be worthwhile to consult an auctioneer.
