A first-pass checklist for documents, medication, keys, valuables, photographs, and undecided family items.
Start with authority and a no-remove zone
Before boxes move, confirm who can make decisions for the property. Pick one room, locked closet, or clearly marked area for anything that must not leave. A single protected zone is easier for every family member and crew member to understand than scattered notes.
Pull out papers that are difficult to replace
Look for wills, property records, insurance papers, tax records, bank information, vehicle titles, military records, and identification. The National Institute on Aging recommends keeping important personal, financial, and health records together; its document checklist is a useful starting point.
Make four decisions, not forty
Use four zones: keep now, family review, professional review, and approved for removal. “Professional review” is for items that may need an appraiser, attorney, medication take-back option, hazardous-waste route, or data-destruction service.
Walk every storage space
Check drawers, coat pockets, books, file cabinets, toolboxes, garage cabinets, basement shelves, and attic containers. Keys, cash, photographs, jewelry, and documents can be mixed into ordinary storage.
First-pass pull-aside list
- Legal, tax, insurance, property, and vehicle papers
- Medication, medical devices, and health records
- Keys, cash, jewelry, coins, and small valuables
- Photographs, letters, military records, and family keepsakes
- Phones, computers, drives, and anything containing personal data
- Firearms, ammunition, chemicals, sharps, and other controlled items