Dot's Story
Introduction
Dot’s close friend and neighbour Sonny passed away suddenly leaving Dot named as Estate Trustee. Sonny was a paraplegic, and his house was highly modified. His 2 sons and heirs lived out of the province. An educated and capable professional, Dot wanted a safe and simple way to ensure everything went smoothly. Her lawyer explained the complexities of being an estate trustee and suggested Gordon’s Downsizing and Estate Services might be a good fit. Her lawyer knew that Sonny chose Dot for her ability to ensure things would be done correctly for Sonny’s heirs, and not for her ability to move boxes and sell the house.
Challenge
There were several challenges facing Dot including:
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Province-wide shutdown due to COVID
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Property maintenance during the winter
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Security and insurance checks
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Modified vehicle and home, including elevator, ceiling racks, a power bed, etc.
Solution
Although she had heard of Gordon’s Downsizing and Estate Services, Dot didn’t have any personal experience with them. Due to COVID protocols, a video call was scheduled to meet safely and help reduce delays. On the call Dot’s various needs were outlined, including:
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Obtaining certified appraisals for real estate
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Sale of specialty vehicles
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Sale of health aids and other household contents
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Shipping items to family
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Getting items to charity
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Sale of household contents
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Interim funding for all activities as access to estate accounts would be limited until the probate certificate was granted
After determining that Gordon’s was a good fit for her, Dot formalized an agreement electronically. Orderly execution of these elements by the Gordon’s team saw probate in hand 4 months post-death. The Gordon's team was able to close out the entire physical estate, including everything listed above, in just 6 months following Sonny’s death.
Benefit
For Dot, being named Sonny’s estate trustee came with many responsibilities and personal accountability that would have been difficult to handle alone. By creating a personalized plan with Gordon’s, it meant she could leave the entire estate with a single supplier, which eliminated complexity. Using a single source like Gordon’s meant all the moving parts could work together in a synchronized fashion. Ultimately the process was more efficient, had fewer problems, and required minimal oversight by Dot.
Result
The result was an easy and thorough digital trail of progress, certified appraisals, and accounting. This kept things simple for Dot, which meant she obtained the timely capture of equity across all assets in just 6 months.
