Companies offer help with paring possessions when downsizing your household

When you’re ready to downsize but you’re looking at a sea of possessions that your adult kids don’t want, you may want to follow the advice of professional organizers: Sort everything into four categories. While the piles to keep and trash are pretty simple to navigate, the piles of items to donate or sell can be daunting to handle.

If your real estate agent is nudging you to clear out your house before putting it on the market, at least two companies are available to get your items sold quickly.

MaxSold, which has a referral program with real estate agents around the country, says they can sell the entire contents of a house within two weeks. The company holds an online auction. Sellers can decide if they want to self-manage the marketing of their items and pay $300 to MaxSold or have the company handle everything for a fee of $700. In addition, MaxSold earns a commission of 30 percent on the total sales amount. The company sells everyday household items as well as specialty pieces such as furniture and art.

Everything But the House, a similar organization, will come to your house and evaluate and photograph everything you want to sell. The company donates or trashes items it can’t sell. The fees depend on the type of selling agreement you make, but typically sellers keep 60 percent of the proceeds from the auction of their belongings.

When you’re downsizing, you may find it easier to hire a company that offers all-in-one services that help you sell your possessions and will take away items to donate or trash, too. While you may not make a fortune, you can save the time and stress of dealing with each item individually.

For more information, visit www.MaxSold.com or www.ebth.com