Do you pay referral fees to attorneys?

No. There are no referral fees, kickbacks, gift cards, or any other consideration paid to attorneys who refer clients. This protects your bar compliance under the New Mexico Rules of Professional Conduct (specifically Rules 7.2 and 1.5) and keeps the relationship clean. The reason it works as a referral is that I do good work for the family and respect your timeline — that's it.

How fast can you walk through a property?

Typically of the initial call, often if the timing is tight. I work around probate deadlines and listing dates. Walkthroughs are free.

What kind of documentation do you provide for the estate file?

A written quote before any work begins, an itemized scope, a written donation acknowledgment after work is complete (not a tax receipt — I'm for-profit, donations aren't tax-deductible — but a record of what was donated and where it went), and photo documentation of pre and post if requested.

Are you a certified appraiser?

No, and I'm explicit about that with the personal representative. If I encounter items that look like they deserve a real appraisal — original art with provenance, what appears to be antique-grade furniture, signed first editions — I pause, photograph, and recommend the family obtain an appraisal before disposition. I'll work with whatever appraiser you recommend.

Can you handle out-of-state personal representatives?

Yes — this is a significant share of my work. Photo and video walkthroughs, scheduled video check-ins during work, scope confirmation by email, payment by check or transfer. The personal representative does not need to be physically present.

What happens if family members disagree about disposition mid-job?

I pause work and ask the personal representative to confirm direction in writing (email is fine). I don't restart until there's clarity. I document in my file what was paused and why.

Do you handle hoarder situations or compromised properties?

Within limits. I handle clutter and significant accumulation. I do not handle biohazard, structural compromise, or active rodent infestation — those require specialized remediation companies, and I'll refer you to one I trust if that's what the situation needs.

For Estate, Probate, and Elder Law Attorneys

A reliable cleanout referral
that doesn't compromise your bar compliance

Walkthroughs are free, quotes are written, no referral fees ever. Send your client to me and the relationship stays clean.

Call 702-496-4214 Download PDF for client file

Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

The question your clients ask, and why a generic answer hurts them

Every probate matter, every guardianship, every contested estate eventually reaches the same question from the personal representative: "What do I do with the house?" Specifically, what they mean is the contents — the furniture, the books, the photographs, the boxes in the garage that nobody has opened since 1987. The cleanup cost is rarely the largest line item in the estate, but it is reliably the most emotionally exhausting one for the family, and the most likely place for the matter to drift past your fee structure.

The default answer most attorneys give — "you'll need to hire a cleanout company, here are a few names" — is fine, but it hides a problem. Cleanout companies vary wildly. Some quote sight-unseen, then add charges mid-job. Some throw away papers without sorting. Some don't show up. Your client calls you upset, your matter slows down, the realtor's listing date slips, and you're back in a phone call you didn't price into the engagement.

I built this for that specific moment in your matter. The walkthrough is free, the quote is in writing, the timeline respects probate deadlines, and the family does not pay anything they don't agree to in writing first.

Why no referral fees

The New Mexico Rules of Professional Conduct address how attorneys can and cannot benefit from referrals to non-lawyer service providers. Rule 7.2 limits referral compensation. Rule 1.5 governs fee divisions. The cleanest answer is to refuse referral consideration entirely — no cash, no gift cards, no reciprocal arrangements, no holiday gifts beyond a token of nominal value.

That is what I do. There are no referral fees, no rebates, no kickbacks, no quiet thank-you gifts. When you send a personal representative my way, the only consequence to you is that the matter moves faster and the family is happier. I would rather earn the next referral by doing this one well than buy the next one with a fee that puts you in an awkward conversation with disciplinary counsel.

If you have specific concerns about your firm's referral policy or your bar's interpretation of these rules, I'm happy to write a brief no-fee-no-consideration letter for your file confirming the relationship structure.

What I actually do for your clients

Walkthrough of your call. if the timing is tight. Free, no commitment.
Written quote of the walkthrough. Itemized scope, fixed price, what's included, what's excluded. The number doesn't change after sign-off unless scope changes in writing.
The actual work. Books sorted carefully. Papers staged for triage — nothing shredded without sign-off, irreplaceable items pulled and presented to the personal representative before disposition. Furniture, household goods, electronics handled per scope. Hazardous waste excluded and referred out.
Heirloom Rescue. Items the personal representative might want or that should be offered to other heirs are pulled and held separately. Family can claim them on the spot or take a day to decide.
Documentation for the estate file. Written acknowledgment of donations, photos before/after, itemized list of what went where. Whatever your file needs.
Final walkthrough with the personal representative — by video for out-of-state PRs — confirming the property is ready for the next step (listing, sale, return of keys, vacation).

What's specifically valuable for probate work

Deadline awareness. Letters Testamentary, four-month creditor windows, real estate listing dates — I work around the dates the matter actually has, not the dates that are convenient for me.
Sight-unseen quotes for out-of-state PRs. When the PR is in another state and can't fly out, I do photo and video walkthroughs and quote in writing on that basis. I confirm in person on day-one and adjust scope only if reality differs from the photos — and only with sign-off.
Safe deposit box and secure storage handling. I don't open safe deposit boxes; that's between the PR and the bank with appropriate court documentation. But I'll coordinate around them — pulling everything in the house except identified secure-storage items, leaving locked closets/safes intact for the PR's separate handling.
Document recovery. Wills, trusts, deeds, titles, and personal papers turn up in surprising places — taped to the back of dresser drawers, between book pages, in shoeboxes labeled "TAXES 1972." I look for these, surface them to the PR, and stage them in a single labeled box for your review. For personal representatives who have inherited a large book collection alongside the estate and are unsure how to route it, the New Mexico guide for heirs inheriting a library covers valuation, probate considerations, and every disposition option.
Keys and locks. If the property has been sealed pending probate, I work with whatever access protocol you've set up. Lockbox, locksmith appointment, or PR walkthrough — I don't need a key on the dashboard.

When the family has no money in the estate

Some estates have meaningful cash. Many don't — especially older Albuquerque estates where the house is the asset and there's nothing liquid until the property closes. For those, the cleanout side of the work is often covered by the resale and Heirloom Rescue side of the business, and the family pays nothing out of pocket.

This is genuinely common. Roughly half the estates I clear have no cleanout cost to the family. I won't promise that for every matter — it depends on the contents — but if you're sending me a client who's worried about cash flow before the property sells, the answer is often "let me see it, walk it, and I'll talk after."

Tell your client that on the call. It changes their stress level immediately.

Common attorney questions

How fast can you walk a property?

Usually 24-72 hours from your call, often if the timing is tight. If it's an emergency — listing date in five days, family flying in for one weekend only — I'll do my best to fit it. I'd rather decline up front than miss a deadline.

Will you give me a paper trail for my file?

Yes. Written quote, scope, scope changes (always in writing, always confirmed by the PR before executed), donation acknowledgment, photo documentation if requested. If your firm has a specific document format you want me to fill out, send it over and I will.

What if there's a will contest pending?

No work happens until you and the personal representative confirm in writing that disposition is appropriate. If items are contested, they get inventoried, photographed, and held — not removed. If the contest is around the entire residence's contents, I don't start at all. I'm comfortable waiting; my livelihood doesn't depend on rushing.

Do you work with court-appointed personal representatives?

Yes. I've worked with court-appointed PRs and public guardians. The communication protocol is whatever the court order specifies. Documentation tends to be more rigorous in those matters; I'm fine with that.

What about elder law / pre-need cleanouts (donor still living)?

A meaningful share of my work is downsizing for aging parents who are moving into smaller residences or assisted living. The pace is slower and the parent is involved in decisions. Elder law attorneys send me these matters often. The terms are the same — free walkthrough, written quote, no referral fee.

Are you bonded and insured?

Standard general liability. Documentation available on request for any matter where your firm needs to confirm before referring.

Can I send my paralegal to handle the day-to-day?

Absolutely. Most of the back-and-forth is between me and either the PR or your paralegal. I'll match whatever communication channel works for the matter — phone, text, email. Texts are fastest.

For your client file

The one-pager below is built to be printed, emailed, or handed across a desk during a probate intake meeting. It explains the service to the personal representative in plain language, sets correct expectations, and includes my direct contact information.

Download the PDF One-Pager

When you have a matter, call

Or send the personal representative directly. Either works. The conversation stays clean either way.

Call or Text 702-496-4214 Email [email protected]

5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107. I'm a for-profit business — no grants, no tax burden, no bureaucracy. Donations are not tax-deductible.

Cite This Guide

Eldred, J. (May 2026). A reliable cleanout referral that doesn't compromise your bar compliance. New Mexico Literacy Project.

https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/for-attorneys-estate-cleanout-albuquerque

Content is original research by Josh Eldred. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cite with attribution.

A reliable cleanout referralthat doesn't compromise your bar compliance