Q. My parents knew it was time to downsize soon after my son (their grandson) Logan was born. They started to re-evaluate what’s important to them at this stage in life and decided that their health and family were more important than a larger home with a big backyard.

Recently, they started getting their two-story colonial in Burke ready to put on the market or rent and will be relocating to a much smaller home in Lake Anna, closer to where my family resides. My brothers are trying to convince them not to sell the place we grew up in, since they want to keep it in the family, but rather to rent it out.

While it’s wonderful that they are moving closer to us and downsizing, they have a lot of stuff. How do you determine what to keep, what to get rid of, and what to move? Are there any legal ramifications when seniors decide to downsize/transition to a smaller place? (i.e. children don’t want to sell the house.) Should they have an inventory of all valuables? A list of who gets what? Also, do people ever pre-plan for estate sales before they die? Perhaps they designate what they want to sell or what company to use?

Thanks so much for your help!

Dear Angel,

I am thinking about moving to a senior living community sometime in the near future. So, now is the time to start figuring out what to do with the houseful of furniture, artwork, china, crystal, jewelry, and sentimental collections I won’t have space to take along. Last Christmas, I asked my children and grandchildren to tell me which things they want the most. It turns out they don't really want any of it. What do you think I should do?

Thanks,
Donna Twantit