Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Turning Point Estate Services, LLC?
Turning Point Estate Services, LLC is a team of dedicated, professional and compassionate individuals who seek to ease the responsibility their clients face by simplifying complex life transitions, such as senior downsizing/moving, estate settlement and personal property disposition. Turning Point alleviates the burden oftentimes associated with these transitions by overseeing all details, ensuring the process delivers peace of mind and the outcome meets and exceeds its clients’ expectations.
What services do you provide?
Turning Point provides comprehensive transition solutions, such as estate dissolution, property management, senior moving and downsizing, and home improvement contracting for repairs. And, our approach to dealing with the physical items—the house, grounds and personal property—is entirely hands on. We clear out and disburse the personal property, clean, recommend and implement improvements to the house and grounds that will maximize the potential of the estate.
What areas do you serve?
Turning Point mainly serves the Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY areas but will extend farther in some instances, depending on project scope.
My family’s property is within your service area, but I live across the country.
Can you still help me?
Yes. In fact, we work with many clients who live quite some distance from the property for which they are responsible. We keep in touch via regular phone calls/emails and have developed a password-protected online portal that also allows for easy and convenient communication between us and you. We can upload photos of your mother’s antique lamp, solid mahogany dining table, or whatever else may be in the house, ask for your comments, and mutually agree on the fate of the items before moving forward. Our process leaves no couch pillow unturned or heirloom family item unspoken for.
How often do I need to be at the property?
Our clients (or their representative) usually do an initial walkthrough with us and collect the obvious valuables for safekeeping. We then become your “eyes, ears and feet” onsite. We will be there for you, giving you full flexibility to be, or not to be there as often as you desire.
I am executor of an estate that has electrical, plumbing, and rot Issues.
Do I need to be there to supervise these repairs?
No. Turning Point Estate Services provides you with a single point of contact that will oversee all repairs, report progress, and control quality and timeliness of the work being performed.
My late father accumulated 60 years’ worth of “stuff.” How do you handle it?
Our systematic approach breaks the process into phases. First we determine what you would like to keep for yourself, siblings, family and friends. We will carefully pack and arrange for the shipping of these items to their destination(s). Next, we determine if there are any remaining items that can be sold. We will arrange for estate/tag sales or consignment. Remaining items will be donated on the estate/owners behalf to various charitable organizations. Finally, we will dispose of any remaining items.
I want items from my mother’s estate to go to several different locations.
Can you manage this?
Yes. Our online inventory management tool allows users to enter multiple destinations for their items. We will then handle all the packing and shipping arrangements.
The house and grounds have not been properly maintained for years. Will we be able to put it on the market?
The short answer is yes, but properties with deferred maintenance issues usually present very poorly to the market. We can recommend & implement these improvements.
The assisted living facility my mother is moving to only allow a limited number of items. What can I do?
We will work with the senior living facility to determine what can be done to ease the transition to the facility. For example, we can measure available floor space and select items that will work within that space.
Do estate clean outs mean filling multiple dumpsters and carting it all off to a landfill?
One of the founding principles at Turning Point is to “Reuse, Recycle & Repurpose” as much as possible. We have relationships with numerous organizations that gladly take furniture items, clothing, linens, appliances, dishware, nonperishable food and even automobiles & tools. We realize there will be some discarded items, but we make a real effort to minimize waste.
What is the cost of your services?
Services provided are tailored to the individual client and their unique situation. The bulk of a project is on a proposal basis. Proposals are based on a thorough assessment of the residence, contents, grounds, client needs, and budget. As many of our clients have experienced, our services often “pay for themselves” via enhanced property valuations, expedited time to market, and by saving you time and travel expenses.
Who should I contact for a consultation?
For a free consultation, please contact:
Our main office
(203) 388-8092 or
Peter Schattenfield, Managing Partner
pschattenfield@TurningPointRE.com
(203) 550-2199