How does Rest Less make money
We make money through advertising and commission from affiliate links, which enable us to offer Rest Less as a free service to our users. The content on this page may use affiliate links, which track traffic from our website to a third party provider and enable us to receive a commission or payment from any traffic we refer.
* Affiliate links on this page have an * next to them. We place enormous importance on our editorial independence and the integrity of our content which means that we will never change how we write about something as a result of an affiliate link.
If your home is full of possessions that need clearing out quickly, it can be tricky to know where to start.
Perhaps a relative has passed away and left you their property, you’re downsizing, or you just fancy freeing up some space.
In any case, facing down a house full of furniture can be daunting, especially if you’re not sure what to do with it all.
Below, we’ll go through the various ways you can clear out a house quickly, to help you decide on the best option for you.
Advertisement
Whether you’re looking to clear some space, make a bit of extra money, or simply let go of things you no longer need, Vintage Cash Cow makes sure your belongings find a new home and nothing goes to waste or landfill.
They accept a wide range of items including jewellery, watches, cameras, coins, medals, and more – with no cost or obligation to you.
First steps
If you have a house full of belongings that need sorting, it can help to consider your priorities.
Is it a large house that you need to completely clear? Or are you only offloading some of it, and potentially keeping the rest? Is there anything that you know or suspect to be particularly valuable?
Additionally, are you trying to get rid of everything as quickly as possible? Or can you afford to take your time and potentially net a good price for certain items? Is there anything you would like to keep but aren’t sure you have the space for, which you might wish to put in storage?
Considering all these questions should help you put a plan together. It might help to make a list or even a spreadsheet of everything and figure out what you’d like to do with each item, and label them accordingly.
We’ll explore a few common options for clearing out possessions below, but there’s no reason why you can’t mix and match these approaches depending on your situation.
Give unwanteds a better next chapter
Your once-loved items are just waiting to be useful again. Pop them in a box, send them to Vintage Cash Cow for free, and they’ll make you an offer to rehome them all.
Using a house clearance company
A house clearance service is what it sounds like – you pay a company to clear out some or all of the contents of a property, and they’ll either sell them on, give them to charity, or dispose of them. They’ll usually give you a quote for their services based on how many things you’re removing.
If you’re only clearing some – not all – of your possessions, make sure to be clear about this with the company, and set aside any items you want to keep.. Some house clearance companies offer temporary storage facilities for items you’d like to keep but don’t currently have the space for.
Certain companies will simply dispose of your items after clearing them. Others, such as the British Heart Foundation, may be able to sell or recycle them depending on their quality, and any sold items may reduce the amount you are charged.
If the company is going to dispose of your items, make sure they hold a valid Waste Carriers Licence from the Environmental Protection Agency. If they don’t, they may be planning to fly-tip your items, and you could be fined if these are recovered and traced back to you.
House clearance companies are probably the most efficient way of clearing out a large volume of items if you don’t think they’re worth anything. However, it’s worth setting aside anything valuable to be sold separately. Some clearance companies may alert you if they find anything important or potentially valuable among your possessions, but it’s best not to rely on their opinion alone.
If you’re unsure where to find a reputable house clearance company, Comparemymove.com has a useful comparison tool. This enables you to compare up to six house clearance companies in your area to find the best deal for your clearance.
Going through an auction house
If you have anything that could be particularly valuable, such as antique furniture, silverware, jewellery, and so on, it could be worth contacting an auction house to try to fetch the best price for it.
While this can be daunting, you don’t need to have items worth thousands to consider the auctioning route. Anything worth at least £100 is likely to be worth auctioning.
An auctioneer will generally handle everything for you, including picking up the items, valuing them and, of course, selling them to the highest bidder. If all goes well, you should receive payment within 30 days of the sale, with selling fees deducted.
Auction houses are generally paid by commission calculated as a percentage of the sale rather than a flat fee, meaning it’s in their interest to get the best possible price for your items. So, for instance, if you were using an auction house that charged a 20% commission and they managed to sell your antiques for £10,000, then they would take a £2,000 cut.
If you have many items you’re looking to part with, some auction houses even offer a house clearance service. For objects and furnishings that are less likely to sell at auction, they may be able to assist with finding charities that will accept them instead.
Selling your belongings yourself
If you would prefer to handle clearing the property personally so you can be fully in charge of the process, there’s nothing to stop you from selling some or all of the contents yourself.
The main advantage of doing this is that you avoid company costs. The only fees you need to expect are from the platforms you’re selling on. Ebay has removed selling fees for private sellers (other than for vehicles), so this can be a cost-effective way to make money from items you no longer want. Alternatively, you could go through an eBay middleman, who takes your items off your hands and sells them on your behalf, in exchange for a cut of the profits.
However, this option is overall less convenient, particularly when selling lots of items or large furniture. While independently selling can be a great way to declutter, the logistics are much trickier when considering an entire house, and it can be a time-consuming process to list everything, wait for it all to sell, and send it all out.
If you’re confident in selling yourself, consider using Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor to sell furniture or other items locally, and request that interested buyers pick them up.
Alternatively, if you have a driveway or front garden, a yard sale is a great way to give most of your items a new home in one day. A car boot sale is another option, although if you’re clearing a whole house, you might need several to cover everything. It also might not be the right choice if you have large items of furniture that won’t fit in your car.
Check out our article, How to make money from your clutter, to find out the best websites and services for selling different kinds of items.
Putting items in storage
If there are certain items that you’d like to keep but don’t currently have the space for, you could consider finding a storage company to hold onto them until you do. This simply means that you pay to rent a storage unit in a warehouse, where your things will be kept.
Costs can be expensive, however, so it’s worth doing some research to make sure you’ve found the best deal. These companies also tend to offer packing and removal services for an additional charge, though you can choose to transport them yourself.
Bear in mind that your storage company may require you to have contents insurance on your belongings to keep them there. If the items are already insured, it’s recommended to check the policy carefully to see if it still applies when they’re kept away from home. The storage company will usually offer its own policy as well. While there’s no obligation to take this, they might insist that whatever policy you do have provides the same level of cover as theirs.
Have you had to clear out a home? How did you go about it, and did you find the process easy or stressful? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
* Links with an * by them are affiliate links which help Rest Less stay free to use as they can result in a payment or benefit to us. You can read more on how we make money here.
Start your new chapter abroad with this free retirement guide
With Your Overseas Home, you will receive honest guidance, expert advice and a helping hand every step of the way.
Download the free guide to find out how to cut everyday living costs, get tax, pension and visa checklists, and discover top tips from the expat community.
Join the discussion
Read our full commenting terms and guidelines