Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

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redeem_ct
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Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by redeem_ct »

My blind aunt lives in an assisted living facility, and it is exceedingly unlikely that she'll ever be able to move back to her condo. My parents, siblings, and I live hundreds to thousands of miles away. Even if it weren't for the pandemic, we wouldn't be able to visit willy-nilly.

After the pandemic is over, my family and I will have to get to work cleaning up her condo, which is crammed with junk. Our plan is to renovate the condo (with new carpet, a new refrigerator/freezer, new cabinets, etc.) and then sell it. The renovation is necessary due to the old 1970s decor. But before we can start the renovation, we need to get rid of stuff.

Given that my aunt's former primary residence is a condo with a doorperson in a densely populated part of Chicago, holding a garage sale or yard sale is not an option. Even if she owned a house in the neighborhood instead, the fact that parking is scarce and expensive would be a deal breaker for the traditional suburban yard/garage sale chasers. The traditional estate sale that's common in suburban and rural areas will never be an option.

We will be using 1-800-GOT-JUNK (or something similar), but we're hoping to use such a service just once or as few times as possible.

Some positives:
1. My aunt has some small but valuable or sentimental items in her safety deposit box. So this makes it less likely that anything particularly valuable, important, or sentimental is still in the condo.
2. We're holding onto my aunt's best jewelry for safekeeping. So any jewelry still in the condo is of lesser quality.

Some questions:
1. What do we do with my aunt's nice clothes (that she won't be wearing again)? Even if we keep it all while she's still alive, she won't live forever, and it will be time to get rid of it eventually. How do we sell nice clothes for a good price, especially given that we don't have a car during our visits? Is it possible? I imagine that this is harder than getting a good price on an old car. (A used car has utilitarian value for a wide variety of people of a wide variety of sizes. In contrast, you have to be just the right shape and size to wear an item of clothing. So a used clothing store has even more reason to offer a lowball price than a car dealership, and everyone knows that car dealerships offer lowball prices as it is.)
2. What should we do with the books? Books are heavy, so we
3. Other than the most valuable items, is there anything we should get money for selling off? Or is that far more trouble than it's worth?
4. Is there a good test for things that should be kept? (If it isn't an heirloom, something valuable, an important document/paper/key, or something that we want/need to use during visits, is there any good reason to keep something?) From what I've read here and elsewhere (plus my experience with cleaning up for past moves), it's all too easy to get bogged down.
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Watty
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Watty »

redeem_ct wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:46 pm Our plan is to renovate the condo (with new carpet, a new refrigerator/freezer, new cabinets, etc.) and then sell it. The renovation is necessary due to the old 1970s decor.
Be sure to check with a local real estate agent to make sure that doing the renovation makes sense. You rarely get 100% of your cost back and your taste may be a lot different than what you put into the condo. That could also delay selling the condo by six months or more. Hiring and working with contractors long distance will also be difficult.

There is also a risk that you will try to cut costs and the condo will look cheap and not sell well.

Most real estate markets are pretty hot right now so once the condo is cleared out you may be able to sell it for a reasonable price to someone who can then remodel it themselves.
adamthesmythe
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by adamthesmythe »

You haven't mentioned that you have approval to dispose of her belongings and condominium.

There are significant complications to doing renovations in (what I assume is) an elevator building. If you have trouble managing a cleanout from far away, managing a renovation will be worse.
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redeem_ct
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by redeem_ct »

Watty wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:05 pm
redeem_ct wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:46 pm Our plan is to renovate the condo (with new carpet, a new refrigerator/freezer, new cabinets, etc.) and then sell it. The renovation is necessary due to the old 1970s decor.
Be sure to check with a local real estate agent to make sure that doing the renovation makes sense. You rarely get 100% of your cost back and your taste may be a lot different than what you put into the condo. That could also delay selling the condo by six months or more. Hiring and working with contractors long distance will also be difficult.

There is also a risk that you will try to cut costs and the condo will look cheap and not sell well.

Most real estate markets are pretty hot right now so once the condo is cleared out you may be able to sell it for a reasonable price to someone who can then remodel it themselves.
There's shag carpet that's virtually impossible to vacuum. The oven no longer works. The refrigerator/freezer are no longer usable. (The freezer doesn't even self-defrost. We have to keep the refrigerator/freezer unplugged, because the freezer part rapidly accumulates ice when plugged in.)
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redeem_ct
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by redeem_ct »

adamthesmythe wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:08 pm You haven't mentioned that you have approval to dispose of her belongings and condominium.

There are significant complications to doing renovations in (what I assume is) an elevator building. If you have trouble managing a cleanout from far away, managing a renovation will be worse.
As the Power of Attorney and trustee, I do have that approval.

That said, even if we sell without renovating, it doesn't change the fact that we STILL have a big cleanup to do.
Nyc10036
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Nyc10036 »

Have you discussed with your aunt what she has in the apartment?
You mention that she is blind but she isn't senile.
With regards to clothes unless they are designer brand, I am not sure you will get anything for them.
They may be nice in material and make but probably out-dated. :(
Cycle
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Cycle »

I bought a super dated condo a little over a year ago. I spent 4k and maybe 50hrs of time, excluding planning:

-New cabinets everywhere but sink (Ikea). Where the sink was I painted it a matching color. The previous owner installed a granite countertops and I managed to reuse those.
-added a built in microwave, under cabinet lighting, stick on stone backsplash.
- new light switches and cover plates
-new faucets
-new towel racks, curtain rod
-new shelving in closets

Maybe added 10k of value above general appreciation, not sure, I'm going to sell it in a month or two.

If I weren't living here, I would have just cleared it out and sold it as is. The new owner can update to their preferences.
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Watty
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Watty »

redeem_ct wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:46 pm ....lives in an assisted living facility....
One more thought, it would be good to check with the people at the facility to see if they have any suggestions about what to do with her stuff.
Jeff Albertson
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Jeff Albertson »

this article might be useful - 'When mom and dad are gone, how best to get rid of a lifetime of possessions'
https://www.washingtonpost.com/realesta ... story.html
Dottie57
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Dottie57 »

Save family pictures. I wish I hade more. I am doing Geneology for my family and wish I had more. Even if Op and family don’t want them following generations might.
stan1
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by stan1 »

You could take the clothing to a consignment store if it is fashionable. They would probably donate what they don't sell unless for some reason you wanted to pick it up. I would not expect a lot of money back on used clothing (even if lightly worn).

Consider hiring an estate sale company that will take everything out of the condo and sell, donate, or dispose of it. I'm sure there are companies in Chicago that will know how to deal with an elevator building and no parking. The downside of the estate/cleanout company is you might miss something valuable or sentimental if you don't put eyes and hands on everything. I'd look for an estate cleanout specialist before 1-800-GOT-JUNK.
Pigeon
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Pigeon »

To counter the previous post, you may find that folks who do estate sales may not be interested or may be more trouble than it’s worth. I’ve had to liquidate homes for a couple elderly relatives. These weren’t rich people, but were pretty well off. It ended up making the most sense just to have the family keep the few things that were wanted and clear out the rest.

You are unlikely to get anything for the clothing or books without putting in a lot of work.
Freeadvice
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Freeadvice »

Maybe a local consignment shop will pick up the clothing. If not, you can do On-line consignment shops.
The RealReal
Best for: Luxury goods. The RealReal is one of the top online consignment shops. Burberry, Chanel and Hermès are just a few of the brands sold on the site.

Like ThredUp, sellers can request a shipping package with prepaid postage to mail their clothes. In some areas of the country, The RealReal also offers in-home pickup of goods for consignment or operates consignment offices where people can bring items to be valued.
Freeadvice
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Freeadvice »

I joined the local Facebook free cycle group to get rid of some things quickly. I hired a local realtor that was willing to help me manage tradespeople for some necessary repairs since I couldn’t be there.
toast0
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by toast0 »

redeem_ct wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:46 pm 2. What should we do with the books? Books are heavy, so we
Are these braille books? I don't know if there are venues to sell those at prices that make it worth your effort, but I'd imagine blind/low vision community associations would be interested. The Chicago Lighthouse seems like a Chicago area organization to contact.
CurlyDave
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by CurlyDave »

People will buy real estate on an as-is basis, even places stuffed to the gills with junk. I did it once.

A man had passed and his wife was disabled needing nearly full time care. Their adult children, 3 or 4 of them lived about 1.5 hours away and had listed the house but not cleaned it out. I bought it for about 80% of full market value if it had been cleaned out, painted, etc. I was closer and experienced in doing that kind of work, so I got a reasonable bargain, and they saved themselves a lot of frustration.

Talk to a realtor. A house flipper just might buy it as is.

It may sound bad, but the work and pain of a long distance clean out in an elevator building could produce a lot of family friction. Flying an entire family to a distant city in order to act as low-value moving labor is a losing proposition.
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Lookingforanswers
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Lookingforanswers »

Having done this a couple of times, I would add that even "nice stuff" will bring a lot less money than you might think. A few truly collectible things might, but older clothes, furniture, housewares are worth close to nothing. Since it's long distance, the hassle, time and travel costs (especially during a pandemic when it increases the risk of infection) might not be worth it.

If it were me, I'd interview a couple of realtors about whether a renovation is even worth it, and whether the agents have contacts with people who can do the condo clean-up. There are professional organizers, estate sale folks, and de-junkers in every city.
delamer
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by delamer »

For my mother’s apartment, we used an auction house that moved the valuable furniture, knickknacks, and jewelry to their warehouse and included it in an auction.

A charity picked up most of the rest of the items (a few upholstered pieces and a lot of clothing), and a few things had to be junked.

I agree about contacting a real estate agent for recommendations and renovation advice.
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slidecreek
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by slidecreek »

How much time do you want to spend on this? I have a family member in a similar situation who spent a year listing every individual item on craigslist and Facebook groups. Prices started near MSRP and were lowered 5-10% each week until the items sold. Items like clothing were the hardest to sell and brought in pennies on the dollar at best.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by ResearchMed »

Have you considered one of the services that helps with "elder moving"?
That includes cleaning up, which includes everything from getting appraisals for valuables (and arranging sales if desired), having known estate buyers come in to sort through the rest, then donations (with receipts) and *then* something like GOT JUNK.

We've used services like that for MIl before she moved cross country. In that case, they also needed to do a lot of handholding and discussions about 'do you really need to keep this...', which probably won't be an issue in your situation.
But this is "what they do".

These days, they can send photos to you in real time for anything 'iffy', etc.

Good luck!

RM
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Dottie57
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Dottie57 »

CurlyDave wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:35 pm People will buy real estate on an as-is basis, even places stuffed to the gills with junk. I did it once.

A man had passed and his wife was disabled needing nearly full time care. Their adult children, 3 or 4 of them lived about 1.5 hours away and had listed the house but not cleaned it out. I bought it for about 80% of full market value if it had been cleaned out, painted, etc. I was closer and experienced in doing that kind of work, so I got a reasonable bargain, and they saved themselves a lot of frustration.

Talk to a realtor. A house flipper just might buy it as is.

It may sound bad, but the work and pain of a long distance clean out in an elevator building could produce a lot of family friction. Flying an entire family to a distant city in order to act as low-value moving labor is a losing proposition.
I had a co-worker who helped his uncle sell his house. It was a hoarders mess. Family sold it for 50% of value to flipper. If your Aunt’s house is full but not trash, you will do more than 50%.
Goal33
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Goal33 »

Look through the stuff. Then call a junk company and tell them to take everything. None of the clothes are worth much of anything to anybody else and certainly not worth the time to sort. Ask agent what needs to be working to be able to get a loan (probably just oven). If it’s not working, replace it. Don’t do a fridge. Don’t renovate. Market is hot. You’ll do things that buyers may not value.

Good luck.
Colorado14
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Colorado14 »

Please don't throw clothes away if they are wearable. I'm not picking on Goal33 but even older clothes can be donated to Goodwill or somewhere similar. Many people could potentially benefit from having additional clothing. Many cities also have organizations that accept nice clothes as donations, which are then shared with people who need clothing for a new job/job interviews.
f35phixer
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by f35phixer »

Look EVERYWHERE for hidden cash, jewelry etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!

go through all books, move all rugs, is there a trapdoor under rug ? all cloths, feel then for cash bundles etc....

Mattress might have been a hiding place for cash!
Caduceus
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Caduceus »

You should be absolutely sure there aren't things of value. My late grandmother used to hide things. We found money in strange places, antique gold rings, priceless nearly century-old black and white photos ... in the unlikeliest places.

Haven't you heard the story about the junk collector who went out to clear out some family's junk and then when he was sorting out everything found $10,000 in cash hidden inside coat pockets. :moneybag :moneybag
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Listen to f35phixer.

2 recent cases I was involved with. DW's aunt was in assisted living and the house was to be sold. DW, and FIL went through what they could. They found many random envelopes with hundreds of dollars in them.

Aunt's friend who lived in same house mother lived in died. While going through the house, a jar was found with $350,000 inside. Nobody knew this, including the aunt's friend who ate at shelters and barely got by.

It sounds like your best bet is to find anyone who is willing to come pick up things. With no car, toting 300 pounds of usable clothing to Goodwill isn't practical. I know when we were cleaning out my grandmother's house, we had lots that the local Goodwill was quite interested in, but would not pick it up. I explained that I really couldn't bring over anything in my MG Midget. It all went into a dumpster following a yard sale.

I would absolutely put things of value into craigslist but clothing? Sorry.....dumpster.
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SeekingAPlan
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by SeekingAPlan »

I think it is important to remember that your aunt is alive and of sound mind. She likely gave power of attorney to get assistance carrying out her wishes not yours. She should be included in making decisions and telling you what is in her apartment. I'd wager she would be quite surprised at all these posts talking about how to discard all of her belongings in the way that is best for her future survivors as if she is dead.

I know that is how my mother felt when she gave me her power of attorney. She would have been furious if I had acted in any way that would not have been her choice. It is her money and her belongings.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by ResearchMed »

SeekingAPlan wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:00 pm I think it is important to remember that your aunt is alive and of sound mind. She likely gave power of attorney to get assistance carrying out her wishes not yours. She should be included in making decisions and telling you what is in her apartment. I'd wager she would be quite surprised at all these posts talking about how to discard all of her belongings in the way that is best for her future survivors as if she is dead.

I know that is how my mother felt when she gave me her power of attorney. She would have been furious if I had acted in any way that would not have been her choice. It is her money and her belongings.
[emphasis added]

^^ This, for starters! :!: :!:

I went back and re-read OP's post, which included the following:

"... What do we do with my aunt's nice clothes (that she won't be wearing again)? Even if we keep it all while she's still alive, she won't live forever, and it will be time to get rid of it eventually. How do we sell nice clothes for a good price, especially given that we don't have a car during our visits? ..."

"EVEN IF....!??"

Does she know about what is happening? Has she given clear directions about this? Or clear agreement?

RM
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Topic Author
redeem_ct
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by redeem_ct »

Thanks for the suggestions.

All of these plans are vaporware until they come to fruition. I'm trying to be proactive, because it's all too easy to end up behind the curve. We're first timers at this kind of thing. Many tasks can abruptly pivot from "too early to act" to "needs to be done yesterday".
LittleMaggieMae
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by LittleMaggieMae »

When was the last time the condo was inhabited?

If it's going to be empty long term - you might want to have someone go in and run water in all the sinks and flush the toilet(s) at least monthly. If it has a washer/dryer in the unit - can you shut off the water to the washer? Water is the enemy here... and unused sinks/toilets "dry out" and you get sewer gas... and unused dwellings in general deteroriate quickly.

FYI: dont assume you will have "at will" access to the service elevator (for hauling stuff in and out).

I'd contact the building management (sounds like it has one if it's got a door man) and find out the cost and schedule.

Since you are doing this long distance (and then maybe doing a clean out a few days at a time) I'd find out how the building handles what amounts to a "move out".

Renovating the space may be 'simple' but navigating the bureaucracy of building rules, building codes, permits, etc may be overwhelming. You remove the "overwhelming" part of this by gathering info and planning.

I would imagine that most of your visits will need some planning. I would think you will want to try to clear out an area (of small stuff) so you can store big stuff that will need the service elevator to be removed. I would think you'll pick a "first room" and then plan to go in and work ONLY in that room. Figure out the best way to 'empty it' - what can you walk out and what will need to go down the service elevator. Knowing the rules/restrictions/times available for the service elevator will help. I would think you are going to need multiple attempts at cleaning out. Maybe you can do a "first pass" clean out by having the mattresses removed and perhaps any bedroom furniture you've found a home for. That would get you experience with getting big stuff out of the condo. The next round would be the living room furniture and kitchen "stuff" and all the boxes/etc. in one fell swoop. I'm assuming this is a small one bedroom condo.

Once you have been to the place - and removed what the immediate family wants - can you then ask if they have friends who would want stuff? If you are just trying to remove stuff and don't care if you get paid - having people who actually want the stuff come and take it for free (or for the price of the service elevator service) may be the way to go. You do kind of get paid... you don't have to pay for a service to come and take the stuff - or you don't have to move it to storage and pay to "hold it".

I too recommend going thru clothes, purses, boxes, books, under rugs, in drawers, etc. people put stuff (or hide stuff) in all sorts of weird places.
Last edited by LittleMaggieMae on Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SeekingAPlan
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by SeekingAPlan »

The easiest way to know where the aunt stashes cash is to simply ask her. Again, she is not dead or senile. If she wants you to know, she will tell you. If she does not want to tell you that also tells you something about what her wishes are at this point.
tim1999
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by tim1999 »

I am going to take a possibly minority view here as I've been in this situation; the person who has to clean out the elderly or deceased person's residence. This is assuming the elderly person or relatives of the deceased have already removed anything they want to keep.

98% of what is in there is going to be worthless, used, probably outdated junk. Sort through it to look for hidden valuables and cash, but the most efficient way to deal with it is to just trash it as you go along while looking through it.

There are a lot of people out there with a moral drive to re-use and re-purpose stuff like this. They can't bear to throw out something they can sell at a garage sale for $1. Or they will donate a bunch of used, stained 1990s clothing to Goodwill that the Goodwill people will just throw in the trash because it's not sellable. Those types of people will spend a ridiculous amount of time sorting and dealing with this stuff in order to give it a good home or get a couple pennies from it. For me, that is a fool's errand and a waste of time.

In the case of an urban highrise condo, I would just sort through everything, box/bag up/move everything to be trashed into one corner of the unit, and hire a junk removal company to deal with getting it out of the building and disposing of it.
123
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by 123 »

Don't ignore readily available resource in your renovation and sale planning. The property manager/Condo board president may be able to identify 1 or 2 real estate agents who sell many of the units in the building. You can contact them for an evaluation of what kind and extent of renovations are practical. Additionally the property manager/Condo board president may be aware of painters/contractors who regularly work in the building who could be suitable for the work you need done. Prior to our selling a condo in a high-rise building we contacted the building's maintenance/fit-it guy and he painted it for us for a very reasonable cost.

I would renovate the unit enough to make it showable and livable knowing that a flipper might buy it. In our case the condo got flipped in 2 months. The flipper did a gorgeous remodel/makeover that was far more than we would have ever thought of doing. People that buy and flip condos have some standard designs that conform to what sells. They are also able to get to work and get things done very quickly.

Consider basically emptying the unit and selling it "as is". You can easily waste a month and $5K - $10K on having paint and flooring work done that will only be ripped out and redone by the new owner.
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mlipps
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by mlipps »

Salvation Army & Brown Elephant in Chicago will pick up donations with advanced notice. Brown Elephant in particular is a great place to offload old furniture. There's plenty of vintage stores in the city too that might consider buying things & picking them up if you have something that is in their wheelhouse. Mid Century Modern is particularly popular right now.

Myopic Books in Wicker Park sells used books, along with several others; not sure if any of them buy them but you can probably call around & find someone who does.

Being in a big city, things will move quicker on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace if they're priced appropriately. You may be surprised what people are willing to get from the area. Guessing it's Gold Coast or a lakefront condo building from your description. Not uncommon for someone to take public transit there to buy something then order an Uber/Lyft to take it home.
TravelGeek
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Re: Cleaning up aunt's URBAN condo

Post by TravelGeek »

redeem_ct wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:46 pm How do we sell nice clothes for a good price, especially given that we don't have a car during our visits? Is it possible?
I’d guess it would be easier to rent a car for a day or weekend to deal with transportation issues than to get a good price for used “nice clothes”.
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