Selling a House Full of Stuff in Northeast PA

When the owner has died, the house and everything in it belong to the estate. The executor named in the will receives letters testamentary; if there's no will, the Register of Wills grants letters of administration, in priority order, to the residuary beneficiaries, the surviving spouse, other heirs, creditors and then other suitable people. That personal representative has the right to take possession of the estate's real and personal property, may sell it, and must file an inventory.

Luzerne County's Register of Wills calls letters "the authority required to access records and assets, as well as make distributions." Both local offices work by appointment:

The representative controls the contents and has to account for them, so inventory before anyone donates, sells or tosses. The American Society of Estate Liquidators advises talking to a liquidator "before discarding, donating, cleaning, repairing, or moving items" if you're considering an estate sale.

• Photograph every room before anything moves
• Pull papers: wills, deeds, titles, tax bills, bank and insurance statements
• Set aside photos, letters and family keepsakes
• Have jewelry, coins, art or collectibles looked at before they're donated
• Keep receipts for estate expenses such as dumpsters and hauling
• Change the locks only if you're the one with authority

• TVs, computers, monitors and their accessories: banned from Pennsylvania trash since Jan. 24, 2013
• Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners until the refrigerant is recovered
• Tires: many haulers won't take them
• Oil-based paint, chemicals and other household hazardous waste

If some items are worth donating, the Wyoming Valley Habitat ReStore at 825 East Main St. in Nanticoke (570-258-0998) takes appliances, home goods and building materials, and the Salvation Army schedules free pickups online.

If a tenant left things behind, Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act § 505.1 applies once its conditions are met, such as an executed order for possession, or a tenant who is gone with rent more than 15 days late and a posted notice. The landlord must first mail a written notice to the unit and any forwarding address. The tenant then has 10 days from the postmark to take the items or ask for storage until 30 days after the notice, at the tenant's cost.

A written lease can set different terms, and violations can bring triple damages plus attorney fees. The section doesn't apply if the tenant has died; estate law governs instead. For a squatter or a tenant still in the house, see our guide to squatters and non-paying tenants.

Hoarding disorder affects about 2% of people and about 6% of adults over 70, according to a 2024 U.S. Senate Aging Committee report, which also notes that forced cleanouts can cause "strong feelings of loss, anger, or severe emotional distress." The International OCD Foundation says cleanouts rarely work in the long run and recommends a harm-reduction approach focused on safety.

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Chapters

Play from any chapter

1. 0:00Everyone talks about fixing NEPA
2. 0:15The problem
3. 0:37The house (before)
4. 1:07The plan
5. 1:22The after (full walkthrough)
6. 2:50Why it matters
7. 3:17Restoring Northeast PA

The kitchen shown in “The plan” is a concept render. Everything in “The after” is the finished house.

Families in this spot usually take the photos, papers and keepsakes that matter, and leave the rest. We handle the cleanout after closing, including the items that can't go in a dumpster. See another example, a Pittston house we cleaned out after an occupant left, in our squatters and tenants guide.