A Guide to Professional Services and Resources Available to Estates
The following categories are those often needed in the settlement of an estate. As the legally appointed representative for the estate, the executor has the power to engage professional help. Understanding the professional resources available is crucial for effective estate administration.
Executorium.com lists companies that provide relevant estate administration services by county in the Estate Service Providers Directory.
The listed companies are unvetted. That means there is no promise of performance by Executorium, and it is the executor’s responsibility to research and qualify any provider to do business for the estate.
Estate Accountant
An Estate Accountant helps manage the financial and tax responsibilities of an estate during administration.
An Estate Accountant’s key duties include:
- Asset Inventory & Valuation: Assists in listing and valuing estate assets.
- Financial Recordkeeping: Tracks all estate income, expenses, and distributions.
- Tax Filings: Prepares the decedent’s final tax return (1040), estate income tax returns (1041), and estate tax returns (706) if required.
- Debt & Expense Management: Reviews and prioritizes payment of debts and claims.
- Beneficiary Distributions: Calculates safe, tax-efficient distributions.
- Executor Support: Advises the executor on financial decisions and fiduciary duties.
- Accounting: Prepares periodic reports (interim or final) for the executor, court, and/or beneficiaries.
An Estate Accountant plays a crucial role in managing the financial and tax aspects of an estate during the administration process. Their responsibilities help ensure the estate is settled properly, in compliance with all tax laws and financial obligations.
Why Estate Accountants Matter
Settling an estate involves more than just distributing property—it includes a maze of tax filings, deadlines, financial reporting, and fiduciary duties. Estate Accountants help:
- Prevent costly mistakes
- Speed up estate settlement
- Protect the executor from personal liability
- Maximize the value passed to beneficiaries
Personal Property Appraisers
They help executors identify, value, and report estate assets accurately and fairly.
A personal property appraiser evaluates and determines the fair market value of non-real estate assets in an estate. These items can include:
- Furniture, art, jewelry, antiques, and collectibles
- Vehicles, tools, electronics, and household goods
A Personal Property Appraiser’s work supports the executor by:
- Providing formal appraisals for probate, estate tax filings, or equitable distribution among heirs
- Documenting value for potential sales, or charitable donations
- Helping identify valuable or unique items within the estate
What Personal Property Appraisers Do for an Estate
Personal property appraisers determine the fair market value of non-real estate items like furniture, art, jewelry, vehicles, and collectibles. Their appraisals help:
- Support probate and tax filings
- Guide fair distribution or sale of assets
Their appraisals ensure transparency, support accurate reporting, and help prevent disputes during estate settlement.
Donation Resources
Local organizations and facilities are accepting clean, still usable estate items.
Donating items—especially during an estate cleanout—has many practical, emotional, and community benefits.
Here are some of the key advantages:
Community Benefit
- Supports Local Communities.
- Supports individuals and families who are struggling financially.
- Provides essentials like furniture, clothing, and housewares to shelters, transitional housing programs, and nonprofits.
- Many nonprofits that accept donations reinvest proceeds into community programs like food assistance, job training, or housing
Sustainability
- Reduces Waste.
- Keeps usable items out of landfills.
- Encourages reuse and sustainability.
Estate and Executor Benefit
- Provides Emotional Relief
- Eases the burden of deciding what to do with a loved one’s belongings.
- Eases the Estate Cleanout Process
- Helps offset the costs of settling an estate.
- Reduces the volume of items to sort, move, or discard.
- Often, donation organizations will pick up items for free, saving time and effort.
- Offers comfort knowing the items will be appreciated and put to good use.
Estate Administration Services
Assistance with general estate administration responsibilities; Executor support. Also: Estate Concierge, Estate Settlement, After-Loss Services, etc.
Estate Administration Services Professionals assist executors and personal representatives with the non-legal, practical tasks of settling an estate. Their role has emerged to fill the gap between what attorneys do and what needs to be handled on the ground.
Their duties typically include:
- Creating a clear, prioritized plan for the tasks involved in the administration of the estate
- Connecting executors with relevant service providers (e.g., appraisers, auctioneers, realtors)
- Coordinating and communicating with other professionals working on the estate.
- Assisting with administrative tasks such as closing accounts, requesting forms, and preparing for appointments
- Helping with document gathering and recordkeeping
- Organizing and securing the decedent’s residence
- Sorting, inventorying, and managing personal property
- Coordinating cleanout and disposal of items
- Facilitating logistics such as shipping, storage, or donation of items
- Providing coaching and clear communication during a complex and often stressful time
These professionals do not provide legal or financial advice, but they work in partnership with attorneys, accountants, and other specialists to support estate settlement.
Professional Fiduciary
A Professional Fiduciary provides a range of services for an estate, particularly when no suitable family member or friend is available—or willing—to serve as executor, trustee, or conservator.
Their role is to act in the best interest of the estate and its beneficiaries, with integrity and in compliance with the law.
Here’s a condensed summary of what a Professional Fiduciary does for an estate:
Core Services of a Professional Fiduciary for an Estate:
Executor or Personal Representative
- Carries out the terms of a will or intestate succession if there is no will.
- Manages probate proceedings and court filings.
- Collects and protects estate assets.
- Pays debts, taxes, and expenses of the estate.
- Distributes assets to beneficiaries per the will or state law.
Financial Management
- Pays bills, taxes, and ongoing expenses.
- Manages investments and real property.
- Works with accountants, appraisers, and attorneys as needed.
Neutral Third-Party Role
- Avoids conflicts of interest among heirs.
- Maintains impartiality and professionalism in complex or contested estates.
When Are Professional Fiduciaries Needed?
- The family is estranged or in conflict.
- There is no trusted person available to act.
- The estate is complex (multiple properties, businesses, or substantial assets).
- A special needs trust or ongoing management is required.
- There is concern about elder financial abuse or undue influence.
Estate Auction
For the liquidation of personal property by auction.
What Auctioneers Do for an Estate
- Auctioneers help estates sell personal property quickly and efficiently. They:
- Sort, catalog, and value items
- Market the auction to attract buyers
- Conduct live or online sales
- Handle payments and transfers
- Provide a detailed record of sales and proceeds
Auctioneers help maximize value and simplify liquidation of estate assets.
Estate Cleanout
For the organization, donation, and disposal of undistributed personal property.
What an Estate Cleanout Company Does for an Estate
An estate cleanout company clears out the contents of a home after a death, downsizing, or move. Services typically include:
- Removing furniture, personal items, and trash
- Sorting items for donation, recycling, sale, or disposal
- Cleaning the property after removal
- Preparing the home for sale or transfer
They help relieve the burden on executors and families by handling the physical and emotional task of clearing out an estate efficiently and respectfully.
Estate Sales
An estate sale company organizes and conducts sales of personal property from a home, typically after a death, move, or downsizing.
What an Estate Sale Company Does for an Estate
- Sort, price, and stage items for sale
- Advertise the sale and manage the event
- Handle transactions and provide security
- May arrange post-sale cleanout or donation
- Expedite the clearing of real property for sale.
They help maximize value from the estate’s contents and reduce the workload for the executor or family.
Grief Support
Grief support helps people process their emotions, reduce isolation, and navigate life after a death with compassion and guidance.
Grief Support may help with:
- Emotional relief – Safe space to express feelings and reduce isolation
- Mental clarity – Helps manage stress, anxiety, and a sense of overwhelming.
- Connection – Support from others who understand your loss
- Guidance – Understand the grieving process and learn coping tools
- Better well-being – Supports both emotional and physical health
- Healing – Encourages acceptance, meaning, and moving forward
Grief Support takes many forms…
- Grief Coach
- Grief Counseling
- One-on-one counseling
- Support groups
- Workshops or resources for managing grief
- There are many online grief support resources.
Be aware of the support available for a challenging time.
Legacy Management
Media preservation, digitization, and organization.
Family history hangs in the balance during times of loss. Family photos, media, documents, and correspondence are dispersed and very often without much ado. Fortunately, several burgeoning businesses are providing help to secure family legacy and historical materials.
Legacy Management categories include:
- Conservationists specialize in the preservation of books, manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs.
- Photo managers will organize, consolidate, and digitize a collection of family photographs for distribution and preservation.
- Digitization of photos and other media such as video, film and slides.
- Memorialization through books and storytelling.
- Family legacy preservation.
These companies and individuals offer services and products as wide as the requirements of the people needing them. The variety of options is wide as are the levels of quality and service.
Mediation
What Is Estate Mediation?
Estate mediation is a voluntary process where a neutral third party helps resolve disputes related to an estate, such as disagreements over wills, asset distribution, or executor decisions.
It offers a confidential, cost-effective alternative to court, aiming to preserve family relationships and reach a mutually acceptable agreement. As mediation is voluntary, sitting for mediation is not binding. Agreement is elective.
Mediation helps resolve conflicts among heirs, executors, and beneficiaries by bringing in a neutral third-party mediator to guide discussions and facilitate compromise. It preserves family relationships, reduces stress, and gives participants more control over outcomes. The process is flexible and can often be completed in a single day or over a few sessions.
Common disputes include:
- Will and trust interpretation
- Asset distribution
- Claims of undue influence
- Executor performance
- Family tension
Mediation offers a cost-effective, faster, and more amicable alternative to court battles over estate matters. While not legally binding unless an agreement is signed, mediation often leads to durable resolutions that avoid lengthy and expensive court proceedings.
Probate Attorneys
A good estate attorney has your back and makes sure the estate is settled according to state law.
What Probate Attorneys Do for an Estate
Probate attorneys guide executors and families through the legal process of settling an estate. They help:
- File the will and open probate with the court
- Advise on legal duties of the executor
- Handle court filings, notices, and deadlines
- Resolve disputes or claims
- Assist with asset distribution and closing the estate
Their expertise ensures the estate is settled legally, efficiently, and in compliance with state law.
Read: Find and Vet a Great Estate Attorney
Real Estate
Assistance and representation for the sale of the estate’s real property.
What a Real Estate Agent Does for a Home Seller
A real estate agent helps homeowners sell their property by:
- Pricing the home based on market analysis
- Marketing the property through listings, photos, and open houses
- Negotiating offers to get the best price and terms
- Managing paperwork and deadlines through closing
- They guide sellers through every step to ensure a smooth, successful sale.
Many real estate agents and brokers specialize in probate. They are familiar with the probate process and the unique aspects of a probate sale. Often, they have a network of estate service providers that they work with on the common tasks associated with a probate sale. They may also be more in tune with the emotional aspects of a probate sale.
Storage
Very often, when estates are preparing real property (house, condo, etc.) for sale, personal property needs to be relocated. Sometimes, timing might line up to take care of all the stuff in the house and the sales of the house. Often, a beneficiary needs a storage solution for personal property distributions while making arrangements on their end.
When in transition, common storage solutions may help…
- Self-Storage Units: Rentable, secure spaces in various sizes for short- or long-term use.
- Portable Storage Containers: Delivered to your location, filled at your pace, then stored or transported. This is an excellent trick for organizing beneficiaries’ personal property distributions.
- Full-Service Storage: A company picks up, stores, and returns your items on request.
- Climate-Controlled Storage: Maintains temperature and humidity—ideal for sensitive items like electronics, art, or antiques.
- On-Site Storage: Temporary storage units placed on your property during the move
Differing schedules, availability, and the concurrence of many moving parts and people may require a storage solution. If the estate needs logistics options and to provide flexibility, storage may help.
Wanted
While liquidation services companies, i.e. estate sales and auction companies, provide an efficient, fast means to selling estate personal property en masse, an executor may elect to seek buyers directly. There may be local buyers/resellers/collectors seeking specific items. Coils, jewelry, clothing, books, records, antiques, toys, vintage items, etc., are some of the items it may be worth it to seek out a direct sale. The advantages of a direct sale will be that there is no commission, and a higher wholesale price may be realized. Of course, finding the right buyers can take time, so we encourage this option if you think you can do much better with a direct sale of an item than including it in the general estate liquidation lot.
