Clearing Dad's house in Mermaid Beach
Karen Baker · Deceased Estate Clearance · Mermaid Beach
The story
I'm in Mermaid Beach, and I'll be honest: I put this off for far too long. Nan had lived in her unit for thirty years. When she died, the family couldn't agree on anything for a while, and by the time we did, the body corporate wanted it emptied.
He'd kept everything: forty years of tax returns, his work tools, the good china, three televisions and a shed full of fishing gear.
Mermaid Beach is beachfront cottages, duplexes and knock-down-rebuild sites, and getting things out isn't always simple. Narrow lanes off the Gold Coast Highway need careful truck placement.
They offered a time the next morning. I asked if they needed me to move anything to the kerb first, and they said no, they'd take it from where it was.
They arrived a few minutes early, introduced themselves and did a quick walk-around. The price they gave me was a bit under what I'd budgeted, which was a pleasant surprise.
They asked before moving anything that looked personal. A few times they brought me something from the back of a drawer, like a ring and a letter, that we'd have lost otherwise.
The space is unrecognisable. I keep walking past it just to look. I'd use them again without thinking about it, and I've already passed the number on to my sister.
If I'm honest, the hardest part was deciding to do it. Once that was done, it was easy.