FAQs

Yes absolutely, and anywhere throughout New Zealand. We will organise our time depending on the tasks required by you and your family and at a time that is convenient. We will have a plan in place on how the day/days will run and if there is anything we need you to do before we get there. All travel and accommodation costs are covered by the client, which are discussed during the initial consultation. 

This is such a difficult question to answer, yet incredibly important for our clients to know what cost implications there are for our estate cataloguing service. We like to have an initial consultation to get to know our client’s situation, requirements, and end goals. We then send out a quote to be approved before we begin. 

Some of our clients only want their home catalogued, while others need the estate sold and choose to have Sought working as the project manager preparing the estate, the cataloguing and distribution of household items, and even down to closing a Facebook page. A catalogue of the contents of a home starts at $1000 + GST.

We have our app available which is $49NZD. This allows one house, estate, business, farm sheds, caravan etc to be catalogued and documented, and is available to you for life. The report can be downloaded an infinite number of times and the cataloguing added to, amended or items removed as required. 

Yes, we do. Deciding on what needs to be done, especially after the passing of a loved one can be a very stressful and emotional time. We are here for you and offer advice and direction in a time where you need someone to be able to rely upon. 

We also understand letting someone into your house, if you are pre-planning your future, also demands a high level of trust and confidence. This may be something you consider for a period of time before you choose to go ahead. We are happy to give you a quote on what services you think you require but also a breakdown of costs for additional services, so that when you are ready to engage, you understand the process and are happy with the service you choose. 

This is the exact reason our business was created! We know there are lots of expats overseas who are able to come home when someone in their family passes but often is not able to take off the additional time to deal with the estate – which can take weeks and cause a huge emotional toll. 

With Covid-19 restrictions, this has exacerbated the issue. This is where Sought steps in. We can work with you remotely, but it should never feel impersonal at all. Being away from home in these moments can trigger so many emotions and feelings, and this is where our ability to work systematically and with empathy comes into its own. Our processes are the same, we communicate in a way that works for you, and we work at the pace decided by our clients. 

Yes, we can. Think of your Sought consultant like a project manager. Whether the house needs repainting for sale, or jewellery pieces need to be valued for insurance before being sent to the recipient, we can manage the process, request quotes, and get the work underway. Sought offer practical solutions that reduce stress. We are here to help you in a time where so much can be going on it can be hard to process what actually needs to be done first. 

Yes! This really is the ultimate result. This ensures you have full control over where your possessions go in the future. It enables you to work through some treasured items and make sure the recipient knows the history or the meaning of the piece. It encourages conversations within family and friends as to what is important to them to remember you by. Pre-planning and cataloguing your household items is a journey that is fulfilling and a beautiful trip down memory lane. 

You can choose to do this by using our app, or allowing a Sought consultant to come in and catalogue your household items and leave you to distribute and make those important decisions – or we can help you through this process as well. 

It is always a great idea to pre-plan, and a lot of people find calmness and structure in doing so. When the time is right, we can work through the plan we have created together and help you through each process. This can be particularly helpful if you are downsizing or moving to a retirement village or of course into a rest home. We are here to create practical solutions that reduce stress for you and your family.

Well, we think you should! An initial consultation will help you understand if pre-planning is for you or not. Considering your mortality is a huge process and being practical about it can be comforting to some and overwhelming to others. Memories are often created from a tangible experience. Maybe it is wrapped around a print that hung in the bedroom your granddaughter always stayed in as a child, reminding them of that special time staying with you on holiday – it is not always financially driven. Therefore, it is so special when you can open a conversation with your children, grandchildren or even great grandchildren about what household items mean the most to them from your home. 

On the other side of the coin, it is important that your valuables or historic items are distributed to the correct person. No one wants a family heirloom dropped off at the eco shop because they had no idea of the history, value or meaning of the item. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Lisa, the owner of Sought has over 30 years of administration experience, specialising in systems and processes. This coupled with multiple house moves locally, nationally and internationally gives an experience that is hard to compete with. Lisa has some magical success stories from her administrator days using her versatile thinking and solutions focused attitude, and she would love to share them!

Yes, we can help. Depending on your situation, we can organise a home stage company to come in, use the estates furniture or organise storage for the current furniture (with the additional option of cataloguing as we go). We will obtain quotes, work with you around preferred dates, even organise real estate agents to submit appraisals for you. 

Depending on your availability we can also project manage any works that need to be completed as per the real estate agents’ suggestions.

Yes, to the best of our ability and availability. Our clients determine the pace. We are extremely adaptable and can offer short, medium, and long terms solutions to help you establish your own timeframes.

Yes. Our business model was created around individuals and families being in different time zones, and we personally have extensive international experience in dealing with global challenges within time zone constraints. Sought understands life can be messy but we are here to assist and streamline that messiness and show empathy and strength in organisation while doing so.

No, to use our own packers and cleaners throughout the country would be an unnecessary additional cost to our clients. We choose to source locally or use recommendations or requests from our clients. If storage or maintenance is required, we will arrange quotes and can organise and oversee the work.

No. We choose to not do this to ensure we are not conflicted in any way and always have our clients’ best interests in the forefront of our minds. We can advise and discuss some options available for you to sell items – and there are a lot of options out there depending on your items!

Yes. If you would like to discuss this or have any questions about our insurance policy we would be happy to talk about this in our consultation.

Yes. And at any time we would be happy to send you a copy. We take your security and safety incredibly seriously, so all our staff and any of our subcontractors hired are required to be able to produce a police check.

Our app is one of the most relatable and best organisational products out there in this market! Well, we think so! It has a multitude of uses and it excites us to hear about what people use it for. Caravan full of items – catalogue it. Then if you park it too close to the beach or it takes its own trip away from the car, for instance, you then have a report that shows exactly what is in it for insurance purposes – just send that to your insurance company and relax. 

For moving. Resizing. Downsizing. Flatting. Sorting out the sheds…. The options are endless, and the possibilities are exciting. And what makes it so great – it is so simple to use!

If you are wondering if it will work for you, give it a free trial (you can catalogue 20 items for free), or call us to answer those burning questions. 

You can download the app from Google Play and the App Store– we can’t wait to hear how you use it.

Forever if you choose! You can also choose to download a report and share it to your lawyer, parents, executor, insurance company etc or save it on file for a rainy day. There is a storage maintenance fee that is paid annually for the information to stay live.