Imagine this: A family gathers to divide their grandmother’s estate. A beloved heirloom, a dining room table and chairs, becomes the center of a heated dispute. Such conflicts are not uncommon when dealing with the possessions of a loved one.

This article offers practical advice on how to navigate these sensitive situations and ensure a fair distribution of belongings. In addition, you’ll find my recommendations for maximizing the value of a deceased person’s belongings. Most of the time, when a person dies, there are multiple people who need to weigh in on decisions.

Sometimes the process is relatively simple, and decisions are made easily without conflict. But often the decisions are complicated and include disagreements. Multiple people usually means multiple opinions, and individuals may have different expectations about what specific belongings they will receive or how funds from the sale of items will be split.

In this situation, a service like FairSplit can be invaluable. FairSplit was specifically designed for the tasks associated with a move, estate division, downsizing or divorce where people need to decide who gets what, what can be sold, donated, etc. They’ve been helping families with these sticky situations since 2010.

Their tagline, “Divide Things, Not Families: Your proven system to list and divide personal property between heirs,” explains their mission well. FairSplit offers free shareable inventory questions that can be used to create a centrali.