Inside a Silver Spring Estate Liquidation and Home Cleanout

This Silver Spring estate liquidation and home cleanout began with an urgent family need. The house had to be emptied and sold to help pay for the owners’ assisted-living and medical care.

Over two days, Orion’s Attic sorted the house and prepared the valuable items for auction. Those included sports memorabilia, vintage record players and speakers, art, and more. Other usable belongings went to a traditional charity. We donated worn furniture to a Washington, D.C., school where students learn restoration and repair. We hauled away the trash and arranged a final deep cleaning. The house was then ready for market. Afterward, Chris spoke with the daughter, Margaret, about the project.

Why the Family Needed to Empty the House

Chris: What brought you to us for this project? Whose house was this?

Margaret: My parents’ house. My mother has Alzheimer’s and my father was physically impaired and now is in a wheelchair. They moved to assisted living memory care because she was the primary caretaker of my dad. But she was failing to the point that they weren’t taking their medications. They weren’t eating properly. And she was starting to wander. So we needed to get them into a safe place.

Chris: And part of that process involved needing to get the house empty so you can get the house sold?

Margaret: Yes. To pay for care.

Chris: How did you find us?

Margaret: Internet searches. You have great reviews.

Sports Memorabilia and Family History Head to Auction

Chris: There were kind of several parts to this estate liquidation and home cleanout. Would it mean something to your parents to know that some of the really cool stuff like the sports memorabilia including the framed 1929 Notre Dame football national championship piece is going to auction?

Margaret: Absolutely. Yeah. Especially for my dad. My mother held onto everything like she was a child of the Depression. I don’t know if she expected my brother and I to take everything, which was never going to happen. We don’t have the space. So I think my dad would be thrilled that people who liked the same things he did are buying some of his stuff.

Chris: Was your dad a Notre Dame alumnus?

Margaret: No, it was my grandfather. My mom’s dad was an architect and he went to school there.

Chris: So that was a family piece?

Margaret: Yes. My grandfather went there when they won that championship.

Chris: Oh, wow.

Margaret: Yes. We’re glad you’re selling that for us.

Keeping Unwanted Furniture Out of the Landfill

Chris: As you know, we’re taking some of the worn-out furniture and donating it to a school in Washington, D.C. that Orion’s Attic supports. A teacher there developed a class that teaches students how to repair, restore, and upcycle furniture. What does that mean to you and your family?

Margaret: We care about the environment, so that’s great! Also, my mother was a big art person. My aunt was an art person. So design and appreciation for art—and getting kids to be creative is always something we’ve supported. We’re glad you’re doing this for us. My mom was a big donor to a lot of environmental organizations, so the fact that the stuff is going to be used for all those purposes would make her happy. It makes me very happy, and my husband, too.

Chris: And what’s neat about this D.C. school program is some of the furniture that we brought them is furniture that no charity would take because of the condition. But these kids—and I’ve been volunteering with this program for a long time—are going to take things that absolutely would’ve been thrown away by any other company.

Margaret: That’s awesome.

Chris: And they’re going to bring them back to life.

Margaret: Keep them out of the landfill—that’s perfect.

Finishing the Home With a Complete Cleanout and Deep Cleaning

Chris: We’ve got our amazing cleaning company heading here tomorrow, so this house is going to be completely spotless by that time. But what’s your overall impression of the project, and did we meet your expectations?

Margaret: Yes. Your guys are all great. They’re very nice. They work very hard. I know it’s not easy. I’ve been schlepping in and out because I did a good initial clean out of a lot of the closets and drawers and dressers, but it gets old.

An Attic Cleanout That Recovered Family Keepsakes

Chris: One of the first projects we did here was cleaning out the attic. You weren’t physically able to see the stuff that was in the attic, so we brought it down so you could go through it. Was that helpful?

Margaret: Yes. That was incredibly helpful because the attic was a no-go. My brother took a peek at the attic to see what was up there. We couldn’t do it. You guys came in—and it was very hot up there—and did it. One of the guys was up in the attic handing stuff down to another guy, who handed it to me in the living room. I went through it and told them what I wanted to keep. It was a really quick process, and it saved me a lot of work. You did in an hour to an hour and a half what would have taken us a very long time.

Chris: You mentioned there was one particular box found in the attic that had some sentimental value.

Margaret: Yeah. There were three boxes that we knew were up there that we wanted—Christmas ornaments. Some of the ornaments were my grandmother’s. There was also stuff that we had from childhood that my brother wants to go through. We’re probably going to keep a good bit of it.

Ready for Market After Two Days

Chris: So at the end of a two-day project, we’ve got stuff going to auction. We’ve got stuff going to a traditional charity. And we’ve got stuff going to a school to help kids learn. We also have our favorite cleaning crew coming in. You were able to find some things that you were looking for. What’s your overall perspective on how Orion’s Attic helped you get this done?

Margaret: It’s worth all the money because it saved me a ton of time and a ton of frustration. The time it would take to find all these things from so many different places in the house—it would have been overwhelming. Especially when you’re dealing with parents who’ve transitioned to assisted living and you need to be with them. So yeah, it’s worth every penny.

Chris: You were telling me earlier that you’ll be able to get the house on the market and sold after basically two days of our work instead of dragging it out for six more months.

Margaret: Yep.

Chris: And you said the money’s going to help care for your aging parents.

Margaret: Yes. It’s going to pay for their assisted living facility.

Chris: Perfect. Thanks for choosing us to help you with this.

Margaret: Thank you for doing it.

Need Help Liquidating an Estate or Downsizing in Silver Spring MD region?

Contact Orion’s Attic today to learn how we can make the process easier. Be sure to check out our YouTube channel at Orion’s Attic TV, too.

Learn more about liquidating estates in our Estate Liquidation and Downsizing Guide.

About Orion’s Attic

Orion’s Attic is a full-service estate liquidation, downsizing, and home cleanout company based in Silver Spring, Maryland. We also provide bonded and insured moving services within 850 miles of Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded in 2011, we complete more than 100 full-home estate liquidation and cleanout projects each year, helping families through complex transitions in a professional, stress-free way.

We also buy gold coins, silver coins, sterling silver flatware, and fine jewelry.

As a “green choice” estate liquidation and estate solutions company, we prioritize donation, reuse, recycling, and responsible disposal whenever possible.

Where we serve — Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia

We serve Montgomery County (Ashton, Aspen Hill, Barnesville, Bethesda, Boyds, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Colesville, Derwood, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glen Echo, Laytonsville, Montgomery Village, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Spencerville, Takoma Park, Wheaton), Frederick County, Howard County (Columbia, Ellicott City), Prince George’s County (College Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville), Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.