GETTING RID OF THE STUFF YOUR FAMILY DOESN'T WANT? HERE’S HOW TO SELL IT

If your children are taking a pass on furniture, collectibles or other items you no longer need, use these tips to cash in on them instead.

- BY CAMERON HUDDLESTON

CHARLIE Gary’s wife, Susan, had a passion for restoring old homes. She also loved fine antique furniture and oriental rugs. “Over the years, she accumulated lots of it,” Gary says.

That may be an understatement. When Susan died in February 2024, her collection was showcased throughout the couple’s 7,000-square-foot home in Louisville, Ky. The overflow that didn’t fit into their home filled seven climate-controlled storage units—each 20 feet by 30 feet—to the ceilings.

After Gary put the house on the market and it sold within 10 days, he was forced to face the elephant—or, in his case, the antiques—in the room: “I said, ‘What are we going to do with this stuff?’”

That’s a question many of the more than 70 million baby boomers are likely asking themselves as they think about downsizing. Among generations, boomers—born from 1946 to 1964—own the largest share of houses in the U.S. with three or more bedrooms, according to a report by real estate company Redfin. Although most older adults want to remain in their houses as they age, 44% expect to relocate at some point, according to AARP.

Whether they move by choice or necessity, boomers may end up in a situation similar to the one that Gary, who is 77, faced after he sold his home. When he moved in with his younger daughter, in Cincinnati, he took a bed, a dresser and a couple of chairs. The rest had to go.

The obvious choice for boomers looking to unload belongings is to pass them on to their adult children. But the next generation isn’t necessarily eager to get Mom and Dad’s china, crystal, silver and collectibles.

“These adult children already have their own stuff,” says Amy Wilson, founder of Estate Transitions, a project management company in Louisville that helps people redistribute belongings when downsizing. “They don’t have room for more.”