Clearing Dad's house in Paradise Point
Leanne Mitchell · Deceased Estate Clearance · Paradise Point
The story
We've been in Paradise Point for a while now, and this was the first time I'd paid someone to take rubbish away. 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.
Paradise Point is a quiet northern waterfront village of family homes and renovated beach houses, and getting things out isn't always simple. Kerbside loading works well on most streets outside school pick-up times.
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.