Photography-ready in 30 days.

I handle the physical estate so you can list it — cleared, cleaned, and compliant, without you coordinating any of it.

The deceased-estate listing problem

You get the instruction, but the listing is stuck. The property is full of 30 or 40 years of accumulated contents. The executor is grieving, overwhelmed, or living interstate. The family can't agree on what to do with the furniture. Every time you call, the answer is "we're working on it."

Three months pass. The property sits vacant. Your commission is locked behind a clearance problem that isn't your job to solve but is definitely your problem.

This is the pattern with deceased-estate listings. The legal and financial work moves forward. The physical property doesn't. The executor doesn't know who to call, and even when they do find a removalist, the removalist turns up, takes one look at the volume of contents, and tells them it'll be six weeks.

The listing window you were hoping for disappears, and you're left managing an anxious executor and a property that isn't going anywhere.

I break that pattern. I go in, I assess the property, I give the executor a fixed quote and a 30-day plan, and I deliver the property in a condition you can photograph. You don't have to coordinate any of it.

More background on how this work fits into the estate process is at The House — Chapter 3 of the Executor's Handbook and Selling or Transferring a Deceased Estate.

The 30-day sprint

This is what the work actually looks like, week by week.

Week 1 — Assessment and document recovery

I inspect the property within 48 hours of engagement. I photograph the condition, assess the volume and complexity of the clearance, and identify any urgent issues — utilities, security, structural risks, hazardous materials. I produce a fixed quote and a clearance plan that the executor can approve.

At the same time, I conduct a systematic document recovery — searching for wills, title documents, financial records, and any items of legal or financial significance. Everything found is logged and handed to the executor or their solicitor. The property is stabilised: mail redirection arranged, utilities managed, security reviewed.

Weeks 2–3 — Clearance and trades

Full clearance using vetted removalists. Items are sorted for retention by the family, donation, auction consignment, and certified disposal. Hazardous materials — asbestos, chemicals, medical waste — are handled by licensed contractors with disposal certificates.

Where the property needs work before it can be listed, I coordinate the trades: smoke alarm compliance, electrical safety checks, pool fencing where required, minor repairs. Licensed contractors, documented sign-offs. You don't have to chase anyone.

Week 4 — Deep clean, final tidying, handover

Deep clean throughout. Garden tidied to a presentable standard. Final walkthrough and condition photographs. Vendor disclosure folder prepared. Property handed to you in the condition your photographer needs.

You book the photographer. I deliver the property. That is the arrangement.

You can read more about the clearance process at Deceased Estate Clearance Sydney.

What's different about how I work with agents

Single point of contact. You call me. I coordinate the removalists, the trades, the cleaner, the disposal contractors, and the charity pickups. You are not managing a roster of subcontractors. You are not fielding calls from a removalist who can't get access.

The executor stays informed without being burdened. I report to the executor at each phase — what's been done, what's coming next, what decisions (if any) are needed from them. They are not surprised by anything. They are not asked to make daily decisions about individual items. I handle the operational detail; they approve the scope at the start and receive the report at the end.

The property reflects your agency. The finished product — cleared, cleaned, compliant — is what goes in front of buyers. It is what your photographer captures. It is what your campaign is built on. I take that seriously. "Good enough" is not the standard I work to.

White-glove approach where the family needs it. Some executors are comfortable with a straightforward clearance. Others are dealing with a family home where there is real emotional weight attached to the contents. I read the situation and adjust. The executor's experience of this process reflects on you as their agent.

Further detail on how I work across different areas is at Property Management Inner West Sydney, Property Management Eastern Suburbs, and Property Management Mosman.

What "photography-ready" actually means

It is worth being specific about this, because the standard varies.

When I hand a property to you, it is:

  • Fully cleared interior. Every room empty of the deceased's contents, including attic and sub-floor if accessible. No items left because "the family couldn't decide."
  • Deep cleaned throughout. Not a standard exit clean. A deceased-estate deep clean — carpets, walls, kitchen, bathrooms, built-in wardrobes.
  • Garden and exterior tidied. Lawns cut, paths cleared, bins removed, any obvious external clutter gone.
  • Hazardous materials removed. Anything that cannot legally or safely be left in the property — asbestos-containing materials, chemicals, old fuel, medical waste — gone with disposal certificates on file.
  • Compliant. Smoke alarms working, pool fencing (where applicable) signed off. No issues that will surface in a building inspection and stall the sale.
  • Vendor disclosure folder prepared. Compliance certificates, contractor sign-offs, and relevant documentation assembled and ready.

That is what I mean by photography-ready. It is the condition where you can bring a photographer in the next day and not have to apologise for anything.

A worked example

I was brought in on a 475m² property in Sydney's Inner West. The executor was the adult son of the deceased, living out of state, and the agent had been waiting three months for the property to be ready to list.

The property had been accumulated over decades — furniture, clothing, tools, garden equipment, documents, and a significant volume of items in the garage and under the house. The agent needed a listing date and couldn't get one because nobody had committed to a clearance plan.

I assessed the property within 48 hours of introduction, produced a fixed quote, and started work the following week. Clearance took 10 days and 12 × 20-foot shipping containers. The executor was updated at the end of each working day. The solicitor received the document recovery log — including a life insurance policy and a share certificate that had not been previously located.

The agent received the property on day 28. The photographer was booked for day 30. The listing went live inside the campaign window the agent had been planning for.

The executor called the agent after settlement to say it was the smoothest part of the whole process.

How to refer a stalled vendor

There are three ways to get me involved:

  1. Introduce by email. Add me to an email to the executor — "I'd like to bring in a specialist who handles this part of the process" — and I take it from there. You stay in the loop without managing the conversation. Email: Info@AegisPropertyConsultants.com.au

  2. Bring me to the next site visit. If you have an initial inspection coming up on a deceased-estate property, bring me along. I can assess the clearance situation on the spot and give the executor a realistic picture of what's involved and how long it will take. That conversation often unlocks the matter faster than anything else.

  3. Let me ring the executor directly. If you've already established the relationship and you just need someone to take the operational conversation off your hands, give me the executor's number and a one-line brief. I'll introduce myself as the person you use for this kind of work and take it from there.

Areas I cover

I work across Greater Sydney, with established service areas in:

  • Eastern Suburbs
  • Inner West
  • Hills District
  • Mosman
  • Northern Beaches
  • Wahroonga
  • Dural

Wider Sydney by arrangement — contact me with the address and I'll confirm whether I can assist.

More detail on the areas I cover: Eastern Suburbs | Inner West | Mosman

$2M Professional Indemnity | $20M Public Liability | ABN 93 845 812 438 | Croydon NSW 2132 | 0428 613 163

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to be the one explaining this to the family?

No. Once you've made the introduction, I handle the operational conversation with the executor and family. I explain what I do, what the process looks like, what decisions they need to make and when, and what they can expect at the end. You stay informed but you are not coordinating it. If the family has questions about the listing itself, that stays with you.

Will the property be ready by the photography date I've already booked?

It depends on the scope. If you tell me the photography date at the start of engagement, I plan to that date. For a typical clearance — a three or four-bedroom house without unusual complications — 30 days from instruction is a reliable window. For a larger or more complex property, I will tell you at the assessment stage what is and isn't achievable in your timeframe. I would rather reset a photography date at the start than fail to deliver on the one you've booked.

What if the executor wants to keep certain items?

That is the normal case. I ask the executor to identify items for retention before clearance begins — a walkthrough, a marked plan, whatever works for them. Those items are set aside. What I need is a clear list before work starts, not ongoing decisions during clearance. If family members have different views on what to retain, I need that resolved before I begin. I cannot work to three different instruction sets.

Can you stage the property as well?

I do not do full furniture staging. What I can do is light presentation work — arranging retained items, placing furniture the executor is keeping, ensuring the property presents well for photography without being styled as a vacant property. If you want a full vacant staging package, I can refer you to a stager I work with who understands the deceased-estate context and can work on the timeline I've already established.

Do you take a referral fee or pay one?

Neither. I do not take referral fees from trades or suppliers, because I won't compromise which contractors I recommend. I do not pay referral fees to agents, because I do not want that to factor into your decision to recommend me. You refer me because the work is reliable and the property comes back to you ready to list. That is the only basis I want to be working on. More on how I work with all parties involved in estate property at Trustee Questions About Property Services and Probate Property Management Sydney.

Contact Phone: 0428 613 163 Email: Info@AegisPropertyConsultants.com.au Contact page

Bring me to your next deceased-estate site visit — phone or email to arrange.

Related reading: Deceased Estate Clearance Sydney | NSW Trustee Property Management | Executor and Family Questions About Estate Property | Selling or Transferring a Deceased Estate