The WAY to WOW Shows
Cleaning House While Preserving Legacy
October 12, 2026
Automatically generated from YouTube captions; names and wording may contain errors.

[0:02] Who [music] are you and where are you going? [music] What do you want? Hello and welcome to Trust and Estates Weekly. I'm your host, Kevin Bemel, and I'm here every Monday at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time to talk about estate planning and trust and probate administration and uh multif family office procedures. uh both from the standpoint of

[0:37] professionals like myself and my guest Xavier, who I'll introduce in just a moment, but also for those of you who, you know, you you don't do this for a living, but you know, you got appointed as the, you know, executive of your parents' will or something like that, and now you're trying to get through this, you know, this this confusing process. So hopefully this will give you some information, some resources that'll make your job easier. So, so today I'm really uh happy to introduce to you Xavier Figureroa. So, Xavier and I met at a meeting of the estate planning

[1:13] council uh for the San Gabriel Valley uh up in Pasadena. And, you know, I knew there was something about Xavier that that resonated because it turns out he is a Marine Corps veteran. And for those of you who, you know, are regular watchers of the show, you know that prior to uh, you know, Kevin 3.0 as a professional fiduciary, I was a chaplain in the Navy and my first billet was working with the Marine Corps. They have a very very fond place uh in in my heart [laughter] and uh, you know, had had some really uh, amazing uh, experiences uh, with

[1:50] with the Marine Corps. And so it's it's always nice to uh to welcome a shipmate to to the to the show. So Xavier, uh thanks for coming on today. Uh welcome to Trust in Estates Weekly.

[2:02] >> Hey Kevin, it's great to see you again and thank you very much for having me. I'm really excited to be here today.

[2:07] >> Cool. So you know I I I told a little bit about your background, but but if start out if you would tell, you know, the viewers, the listeners at least a little bit about yourself so they can understand who you are and how you came. I don't imagine when you were a, you know, little kid, you're thinking, you know, someday I want to found a company called, you know, LA Trash Junkers, right? So, so tell us, but tell us a little bit about yourself.

[2:34] >> Um, I mean, pretty much, um, what led up to me starting my own business was, uh, uh, my brother. Uh, I had always wanted to join the Marine Corps, but I never had the guts to actually leave my friends and my family behind. And uh me and my brother were working at UPS loading trailers. And one day my um one of my co-workers comes over and he's like, "Hey, your brother just walked off the job." He said, "I quit. I'm joining the army." And sure enough, he walked off the job uh took the bus to the recruiter's office. And this was in 2005. And uh yeah, he signed up and uh

[3:11] was an Army combat medic. And um but unfortunately what happened was that in in April of 2007 on his first deployment to Iraq uh he was killed in action uh by a sniper. And uh that that was kind of what I needed to kind of uh you know realize I'm not doing anything with my life like I need to uh keep living especially like for my brother and I really wanted to kind of understand what he went through when he had joined the army and being amongst his like comrades. And so the following year uh in November of 2008 I was on the yellow

[3:47] footprint uh at Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego.

[3:51] >> Wow. [clears throat] And um during during my time in the Marine Corps um I was a aviation mechanic on F-18s. So I was in charge of doing the uh daily and turnaround inspections. Um pretty much looking the air crew in the eye and saying, "Ma'am, sir, your aircraft is safe for flight. You'll be able to do the mission and come home safely to your family." And uh I I I excelled in the Marine Corps and I was meritoriously promoted twice. uh I was the scribe in boot camp and uh so that's where I picked up private first class and then I picked up the rank of corporal

[4:27] meritoriously as well. Um I I did two deployments to uh Japan, Wukuni, Japan. And um I I didn't see any combat, but uh I ended up becoming the day crew supervisor in charge of about 15 Marines, uh 13 F-18s, the the flight schedule and the maintenance for for that aircraft. And uh I received the uh the Navy and Marine Corps uh meritorious medal, the the NAM. Say I'm ready for

[4:56] >> Yeah. Navy Marine Corps, right? Uhuh. Achievement medal. Uhhuh. Yeah. Uh my my staff sergeant uh after I had received that medal from him, uh he we had a an inspection and he's like, "Fig, you're not wearing your NAM." He's like, "You know how much time and paperwork it took me to get that for you?" And I was like, "I'm sorry, Staff Sergeant." Um but it it wasn't just me by myself. It was all my Marines that contributed to that successful deployment. So, I I I didn't want to feel like I only earned that when it was the support of my Marines who helped me accomplish that.

[5:33] >> I I need to interrupt you here because, you know, for people who are not familiar with the Marine Corps,

[5:39] >> um I don't think they can it may be difficult for them to appreciate what it means for you were as a corporal. You were what, an E3, right? E3. E4.

[5:49] >> Um E4.

[5:50] >> E4. for an E4 to get the Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal. I mean that that almost never happens. I it it's it's you know the Marine Corps they're very careful about to whom they give medals. It's not like the Navy for instance where it's like have a medal with you know your chocolate bar kind of thing. Um, and this is not to knock the Navy, but just just just the, you know, the Marine Corps a letter of commenation would be maybe more in line with what

[6:26] they would normally give, which which is significant, but it's nothing like, you know, a medal like that. That that's and that's incredibly impressive. So, and the other thing I I I I want to note is so as as a corporal, as an E4, and you know this, but for the people listening, so you're what's known as a um um a non-commissioned officer,

[6:50] >> and and again, um you know, the Marine Corps, they they have this concept of the strategic corporal, which is the the Marine who's kind of at that pivot point and making decisions. even as a very young person that can really make the mean the difference between victory and defeat. So to meritoriously be you know advanced to that rate is is is and and to have do that twice is is really quite extraordinary. So, I just I I felt like I need to say that because

[7:25] again, you know, pe our fellow citizens today, they're just not as familiar with military culture as as perhaps previous generations were. But that's that's really a tribute to you as a human being and as a leader.

[7:39] >> Oh, I I appreciate your kind words, Kevin. Um [clears throat] I I'm just very humbled where I I just kind of gloss over those points. But uh uh I mean it was it was an honor though to be um recognized by by my command by by my uh staff NCOs and uh it just meant a lot that that they saw the um determination that I had to get all my qualifications and uh just to become a good leader and and it it was it was scary you know when I first got promoted to corporal because there was uh I I came in with about 10 uh trainees 10 people from from school

[8:15] together and to be in the class and now suddenly I'm in charge of them. It was like a big like

[8:22] >> like learning uh curve for me but uh I I managed and and I got through it. Uh,

[8:28] >> did you go to the corporal's course, you know, the corporal's leadership course?

[8:33] >> I I sent everyone else to corporal's course. I was like, I want you to be successful. Let's get you uh through that because I after my time in, I I felt uh one enlistment was going to be pretty much all I could uh handle. Uh I I took all the training, all the skills that I got from the Marine Corps, and I was like, you know what? I'm ready to apply this to the civilian world. So that's why I I only did one enlistment.

[8:58] >> Got it. I have to ask you one more question about your military service. Um with what squadron were you uh um you know working?

[9:07] >> Yeah, I I was stationed in Myiramar uh down in San Diego. So I was with the uh Third MA um with VMFA 225, the Vikings.

[9:18] >> Oh, okay. Okay. So, um 323 the rattlesnakes was was um one of the fighter squadrons um when I was with KAG 14. Um and I used to call them my MacGyvers because they and this is probably true for your squadron as well. I'd be curious to know. They had all these very old legacy FA18C's. They were some of the oldest planes in the fleet. And I'm I'm telling you, when we were on deployment, they were holding these planes together with I think like duct tape and chewing gum, [laughter] right? They were calling all over the

[9:54] world trying to find spare parts because the jets were so old, a lot of the spare parts weren't being manufactured anymore. And so I I would always say, I'd go into where they're, you know, the guys are who are, you know, handling the supply and I'd be like, "Oh." And they're they're on the phone to you like India or something. I Oh, my Macgyver. And again, they're like cracking up because and here's but here's the thing. Even though they had certainly the oldest jets in our squadron, they had the highest percentage uptime of all all the squadrons in our airwing.

[10:29] I mean, the from the colonel, the the you know, command uh sergeant major. I mean, these were just like they were squared away focused Marines. um and and and they were just they were just a delight to to be among. So

[10:47] >> yeah, [clears throat] it's um it's surprising how much work goes into like keeping these these aircraft in the air because um you [clears throat] need to have the upjets in order for the air crew to be able to train and uh get all the qualifications that they need so that they can be efficient um whenever they get sent into combat. So that that's very impressive because I do understand the uh the lack of good parts so that you could repair the jet.

[11:12] >> Yeah. [laughter] All right. So now you're out of the Marine Corps and uh and and and talk about you know how you ended up starting LA Trash Junkers.

[11:23] >> Um so so while I was in the Marine Corps uh me and my wife we started dating in 2009. So uh we eventually got married in 2011 but my wife had been born with a liver disease. Uh she had um bileratriia which was uh like the bioduct there was either like a blockage or or they weren't connected and that ended up damaging her liver. So, at a young age, uh, her parents, the doctors knew that she would eventually need a transplant, and they thought that she wouldn't live past 8 years old, but yeah, so it wasn't

[11:59] until she was about 21 that she started getting sicker. And um, and we started dating in 2023, uh, not 2023, uh, 200 uh, uh, n. So, yeah, around that time she started getting sicker. But, um, she she's the strongest person that I know. I I find so much inspiration from her because not only was she sick full-time, but she was going to school full-time and during that time, she was also working full-time to keep the hours so that she could keep her insurance going. So, um,

[12:34] the the reason I bring it up is because I I got out of the Marine Corps and she started getting sicker. So the whole priority was, you know, pay the mortgage, pay the uh insurance premium, and um just do everything we could to keep her alive. And fortunately, in uh January of 2017, uh she actually had to go to Jacksonville, Florida, her mom went with her as a as a caretaker, and she received a liver transplant out there from the Mayo Clinic.

[13:05] >> Wow.

[13:06] >> Yeah. So, so it wasn't until, you know, we we were able to kind of get through her health journey and then it took her about another two years after the transplant to really fully recover.

[13:17] >> But once she was healthy, um that's when we we started like talking about, you know, starting our own business.

[13:25] >> And uh after I got out of the Marine Corps, I was working in the aerospace industry, you know, rebuilding aircraft parts. And uh eventually I ended up um at bigger aerospace companies and the the last one I worked at was at Northrop Grumman. We were uh doing R&D research on the next fighter bomber that they were working on. But uh by this time I was just burnt out. And um you know fortunately I have such a supportive uh wife that she saw how unhappy I was and she was like you know what let's just start the business. And uh she let me sell our house. We used the proceeds to

[14:01] buy the dump truck. We started the business and uh this was June of 2021.

[14:07] >> Wow. Wow. That is that's like taking all your chips and pushing them in and saying, you know, I'm I'm going to do this thing. What a what a great story. So, how did you come up with the idea of basically, you know, cleaning out properties? What what was the what was kind of the impetus for that as opposed to some other business? Well, during that time um that I was, you know, burnt out, I was just kind of researching like figuring out what what I could potentially start. Um but I saw a video on YouTube about junk removal and I was like that seems pretty straightforward.

[14:42] I can do that. And uh that was really all the market research we did. [laughter] And and so you know, I thought that I was ready to be a business owner that I knew what it would take because uh my parents were also entrepreneurs. uh they had a small grave marker shop where they would make the headstones out of granite and bronze for um people who passed away. So that kind of inspired me to always uh start my own thing. And um uh it wasn't until about like eight months into the business where we did this cleanup for a family and the family was

[15:17] like uh we don't want anything of our brothers. We don't care what you do with it. You can throw it all away. We don't we don't care. But in the process, there was a rifle from the 1800s uh that was in the property. So, um I I called around and I found this firearm dealer and he told me he helped me kind of figure out what to do with the rifle. But in the process, he said, "You do cleanouts. You need to find fiduciaries and the estate planning attorneys and network with them." And I'm like, "What's a fiduciary?" And and what's networking? [laughter]

[15:52] and and so he's the one who actually um told me about the uh the fiduciary round table of Pasadena.

[15:59] >> And so I Googled it and I went to the next meeting that they held and I was so u so green that I showed up in my LA Trash Junkers t-shirt, my work pants and everybody was suited up and um it took me about three meetings before I started showing up in the suit. But that's really what put me on the path to go from being just a junk removal company and evolving into a property cleanout solutions company.

[16:28] >> So let's take a quick break and and let's pick up on that in just a moment.

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[17:08] Call us today at 213-264-4396 or visit magnumprops.com. So I it's a interesting way that you just characterized your business kind of a a a property clear out full full service property clear out solution company right so t talk if you would what does that mean so for you know for someone like me okay yeah I I I know but but I think a lot of people they're like what what are you talking about here?

[17:44] Um well what well what typically what I've discovered is that um whenever like a fiduciary um has a property they they don't know the history of this property. Uh they don't know potentially any valuables any sentimental items um if those are located inside. And uh because we have the experience of being able to come in and remove the trash items. we can in a way declutter a property to reveal the hidden gems that are inside of it. Um, and then part of the property cleanout

[18:19] solutions that I that I I started offering was that we can come in at the beginning and help with the inventory of the estate. Um, we can also help uh have an estate sale to kind of uh produce uh some money for the estate while also reducing the amount of clutter inside of the property. And what's great too about the estate sale is that oftent times, you know, these properties, it's not just junk items that are inside. It's items that have history. They're they're beloved items of the family. So, by us minimizing what goes to the landfill and

[18:55] finding new homes for it, it kind of often helps the uh families heal and move forward knowing that, you know, their past wasn't just thrown away, but um a new purpose was kind of discovered for those items. So, it's just a matter of being uh providing this value for for these professionals. And uh what I've realized is that we're not just like hauling away the junk and the trash, but we're also hauling away the stress and the anxiety that these families and these professionals are are feeling. So, we just want to be like a tool in their toolkit whenever they encounter these

[19:31] situations. call us first and we'll help create a plan on how to move forward with with this situation.

[19:39] >> So, so you you mentioned that um oftentimes you'll come in and do an an an inventory. So, talk about that if you would. You know, what what does that involve? Um you know, and and how does all that work?

[19:53] >> Yeah. So, with the um estate inventory, what I've found is coming in and being able to document everything that's in the estate. It often um helps the attorneys, the families visualize what's what's inside of there. Um we can also get as detailed as needed. Uh because sometimes, you know, there's like it's like a drawer full of items or a bathroom full of stuff. But uh we just find it that it it just helps um the flow of things to move forward because what we're able to do is with the inventory we create the list of

[20:29] everything that's inside and we're able to send copies to the fiduciary, the attorney, the beneficiaries and that also kind of helps with the uh distribution process because then they can start marking these are the items that that are going to u the daughter, the son, you know, and From there, we're able to then kind of like pack up the items and help the distribution process. But, you know, we're here supporting the fiduciary um and the attorneys and just kind of like um I I feel like that's step one in the the long process of like the the

[21:05] whole clean out.

[21:06] >> Right. Right. So, so with the inventory, you you literally create a list and and it could be just what what would seem to be the most important items or it could literally be like every item, you know, in in the property. Um, and do you do you I'm just curious, do you include pictures sometimes or is is is that an option so that people could actually see what it is? Yeah. So, part of the inventory is we're taking pictures and we're also creating um using the AI software, we're able to uh find a valuation of the items

[21:43] >> and then the items that have higher value, we have a really strong network with the um auction houses and other appraisers. So, we can always connect the fiduciary with those um professionals to help them out with the specific items that we come across. Um but yeah, it's a it's a fully detailed list with a description, approximate marketplace value, and um a photograph as well. Wow. So So that's very comprehensive. Yeah, I I I can see how that would really be a tremendous benefit for, you know, for people who are trying to figure out what are we

[22:18] going to do with all this stuff. Okay, so now you've you know, you've got we you know, we've got the uh the inventory. Um let let's I don't know let's say there's a I don't know a sofa in the house and and the um you know one of the heirs who who lives in I don't know Texas. Well they they want you know mom's sofa you know. So what would what would you do about something like that? Is that something where you can help the the the attorney or the fiduciary in in in organizing or

[22:55] or what what what what might happen from there?

[22:58] >> Um well, this this probably should be like a very valuable couch if they really want it. [laughter] Uh I I I fortunately I haven't had to ship out like a a full couch uh across country, but in a situation like that, I have a um uh several movers in my network too that I could connect the fiduciary um and just try to find maybe like a uh one that isn't so uh high in cost to get the couch delivered to to that side. Um but there there's always like a fine balance between um you know

[23:33] how detailed you go in on these inventories versus like the value of the items that are inside,

[23:39] >> right? Because um I mean sometimes in like these hoarding situations, yeah, there might be a lot of, you know, mid-century furniture, but if it's covered in rat droppings and biohazards like that, the value drops to almost zero because you can't um sanitize items like that.

[23:58] >> Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] Oh my I'm thinking back to, you know, I I had a real estate company before I joined the Navy and I would, you know, I managed my company managed apartment buildings and we would sometimes have units where, you know, the tenant had lived there for literally 60 years and the accumulation, you know, of of stuff was unbelievable. Um, I I walked into one unit one time and there was literally, you know, newspapers stacked up, you know, waist high and there was just sort of a a pathway

[24:34] through them to the different rooms and when you stepped on the floor, the floor would start to move because it was, you know, covered with you can imagine, right? Um, I mean it's it's you know it's it's very disturbing that that you know people would live that way but they they are hoarders and so you know it's uh yeah so all right so so now you know we've got we've got the inventory um the you know the items that that the heirs want they've been they've come and

[25:09] gotten them or maybe it's been sent to them. So, um, you know, where where where do you go from there? Like, um, I mean, what is involved, um, in, uh, you know, clearing out a house? I don't imagine you can just sort of stack things up on the curb and, uh, you know, call the, you know, local trash company. So,

[25:32] >> yeah. So, so what we had been doing is that um once like the inventory is done um that the next step would kind of be like either have an estate sale if there's enough items um to warrant having the estate sale or um at that point it's kind of time for the clear out. And so what we've done really well is we've been able to minimize what goes to the landfill whenever we come across items that we can potentially resell. Uh my wife and I, we have an online thrift store and it's called the Hodge Podge LA. And so we've been [laughter]

[26:08] and uh we've been reselling uh items uh through through eBay and u Etsy and a couple other marketplaces. But what's what's been great about this is that we're able to turn trash into cash and we've been donating 10% of every sale to Children's Hospital of LA. So, um, uh, that that's just kind of like a, um, we we we hadn't planned to have like a a a charity arm, but it just goes hand inhand with our business. And not only does it like make us feel good that we're we're reducing what goes into the landfills, but we're also helping these

[26:44] families and especially helping CHLA where they helped my wife from the time she was three months old until she was 18. So, um, so that's kind of like what we do with the items. And then bigger items, I have a couple other contacts where I'll reach out to see if maybe they have space for furniture or um, other items. But, uh, that's kind of like where we separate recyclables from trash and then potential donations and items we can resell.

[27:17] >> Okay. So, Oh, so and so you you do all that that sort of dividing up um, yourself. Okay. Um, so for talk about the estate sale, if you will, how do you conduct an estate sale? How how you know how does that work?

[27:34] >> Yeah. So, we have a team of three that will come in to the estate and they'll start creating lots. [clears throat] So, each lot can be either a single item or multiple items grouped together. and we need to have a minimum of 40 lots for us to conduct the estate sale. So, it it depending on how how much stuff is inside of the property. Um, it might be one to three days of us photographing and creating these lots. We we have an online partner that then conducts the

[28:09] online sale. We upload those photos and and another step too that we do, Kevin, is before we start the estate sale. Um, everything that is in the lot, we're able to present that to the fiduciary, the beneficiaries, and the attorney and say, "Hey, this is what's going to be listed for sale. This is the final chance to make sure that um everything that's potentially going to be sold is stuff that you do not want." So, uh, it's a way to protect the fiduciary, uh, attorney and ourselves from getting rid of items that weren't meant to be sold.

[28:42] >> Uh, and it's about a 14-day process. So, we photograph, we upload, the uh, estate sale takes place online. All the, uh, payments are collected by the estate sale company. And after the sale is done, we get a list of everything that was sold, what price it sold, and who bought it. So, we're able to then give that over to the attorney and fiduciary so that they have records of [clears throat] what was made on the sale.

[29:13] >> And then we just have a uh a pickup window where we'll have one day, four hours, and everything that [clears throat] was sold, the people who bought it come in, pick it up. We're on site and we're bringing the stuff to the front to reduce the liability of people walking through the property uh hurting themselves or accidentally damaging the property. So, we facilitate the um dispersal of the items at the end of the sale as well. So, that's pretty much the process. It's typically about 14 days. I you I it's it's it's interesting you you you mentioned a couple things that

[29:50] very relevant but it but I really didn't think about like you know not having a bunch of people you know traces through the property and potentially falling down and now you know they're they're suing the estate or that I mean it's that that attention to detail I think is is very important um in in in what you're doing. So um so as far as the proceeds of the estate sale are concerned um what what happens with those? I mean does it all go to the estate? Is it is it is there some kind of split? How how does you know h how do

[30:25] how does the estate benefit financially from the estate sale? Um so the way that the uh proceeds um are dispersed 70% of the estate sale will be um given to the estate and then 30% is given to the online estate sale company. We just charge an hourly rate uh for our time conducting um the the photographs and the pickup window.

[30:52] >> Gotcha. Okay. [clears throat] Okay. And so now whatever's sold has been sold. Um, I can imagine though that there's probably still, you know, things left in the house. U, actually, you know what? Before before I ask you this question, let's take another quick break and we'll we'll continue. Probate and Trust TV, your curated source for the most useful and insightful content on estate planning and trust and probate administration, featuring standout professionals like Bill Gross, Paul Bralet, James

[31:29] Cunningham, and yours truly. Whether you're a lawyer, accountant, real estate professional, or working on your own succession plan, this channel helps you quickly find the clearest, most practical content YouTube has to offer. Subscribe now to Probate and Trust TV. Spend more time learning, less time searching. Okay, so um going going back to my question before the break. So the sale's been conducted, the people have come and picked up all their things, but I can imagine there's still, you know, stuff

[32:04] left. So what happens at that point?

[32:08] >> Yeah. So at that point, we're able to then create an estimate for what's left and um we we haul it away and that's where we um before we load up the truck, we're able to see visually, you know, what the items are. So we separate, you know, the recycling, the trash from potential donations.

[32:29] >> Okay.

[32:30] >> So it does, the estate sale does a good job of reducing the amount of items because typically the way we charge is it's volume based how many truckloads it takes to empty out the property. So you might go from 10 down to seven, you know, and that's always helpful.

[32:47] >> Right. Right. and and and and as I understand these things, there's there's a fee anytime something is, you know, brought to a, you know, a we used to call them dumps. I think they have a different name now, [laughter] refusal sites or something, but but it's not like this stuff can all be just hauled somewhere and and and you know, dropped off at at no cost even aside from the work that you do. So, how you talk to us about that? Because I think this is something people may not understand. We're just used to

[33:22] putting our trash cans out on the curb and it gets all the way and it's, you know, and it's done. But that's not how the the the, you know, the property clear out business works. No.

[33:32] >> So, we pride ourselves on disposing of everything ethically and correctly. Um, you can't haul away a bunch of electronics and throw it away in the landfill. that has to be taken to a separate uh electronic recycler. Um you you don't want to just dump all the metal that you have at the landfill because you could be recycling it. So, a a big step is, you know, bagging and sorting at the property and then that's the way that we're able to then properly dispose of the items because it's just very you just got to mind the logistics

[34:09] and uh figure out that everything's getting disposed of correctly and um manage your time.

[34:15] >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I imagine there's laws that, you know, if if someone is caught, you know, throwing electronics away in the wrong way that there could be fines or whatever or how

[34:27] >> Yeah, they do offer fines, but it's also like the danger as well if you're not disposing of things correctly. Um, like for example, batteries. Batteries don't seem like a big deal, but there's often times you can see those videos online where the trash truck is dumping all their trash in the middle of the street because those batteries have caused a fire to happen.

[34:50] >> Oh, wow.

[34:51] >> Yeah. So, batteries are a a fire hazard when it's dumped into uh the trash and disposed of incorrectly. And and one would imagine if it if this wasn't done correctly and something caught on fire, the estate could potentially be liable for, you know, for the improper disposal of, you know, whatever it was.

[35:15] >> Yes. And and my goal is to reduce the liability and remove it as much as possible.

[35:20] >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, and and you know, this gets back, I think, to what you said in the beginning, which is you're trying to, you know, reduce or eliminate headaches. Um, and and sometimes it's the headaches that we're not aware, we're not we're not aware that they're possible that end up causing, you know, the biggest problems. So, uh, you know, I I would say this is why, you know, estates need someone like you who does this all the time and really is aware of all the various issues. Yeah.

[35:52] >> All right. So, now everything's been hauled out. Um, but the pro, you know, once everything's been hauled out, I mean, do can you also I mean, are you able to like, you know, um, clean the house in the sense of make it presentable, you know, for, you know, for it to be shown, you know, for sale or or is are there final steps after the uh, you know, that the clear out and hauling away of things to the landfills and and b, you know, various recycling places?

[36:21] >> Um, yeah. So, so typically we we leave it with a broom swept finish, but we do offer cleaning and deep cleaning services. Um, so, so recently I I worked with a fiduciary and and they had a a special needs trust, but uh I came into this property and it was about chest level high and it it was in in a really terrible um uh condition. But uh we what we were able to do for the fiduciary and for his client was we were able to declutter all the trash. And when we started going through the trash pile, we

[36:57] started noticing cash. And right away we kind of had to like switch over to more of a a treasure hunting type of mindset.

[37:07] >> And we started noticing that in these bunched up paper towels and uh tissues, there was money inside of them.

[37:15] >> Wow. So, so we were we were we had to stop and be very thorough checking every piece of trash because at the end of the uh decluttering step, we found over $13,000 in cash that was just strewn about on the floor. [laughter]

[37:33] >> Wow.

[37:36] >> Kudos for the honesty, right? [laughter]

[37:40] >> Because they never would have known.

[37:42] >> I I mean, that's what we pride ourselves on, too. Uh because I I don't need the the knick-knacks, you know, the the the hidden jewelry cash to be successful. I'm going to be successful because of the trust that these professionals have in me. So, I I I really love the reaction on their faces when I turn over the money and the jewelry that was found. It's like they like you're right, they had no idea it was there, but it just feels really good because at the end of the day, I'm also working with a fiduciary mindset to do what's best for the estate, for the beneficiaries, and

[38:18] I'm kind of like an extension of these professionals.

[38:21] >> Uh so, so I I was really happy when when I found all that cash and and so we we decluttered the house and then we brought in our deep cleaning team. And so now the gentleman, he's still able to live on site, but now the place it's habitable. And it's just very like heartwarming to me that we were able to just change this gentleman's life in the span of about eight days of hard work. [snorts]

[38:48] >> That that's that's fantastic. you and you know we've been talking about this from a probate standpoint where we're going to clear things out and the property is probably going to be sold but you bring up a good point which is sometimes it's not a matter of clearing a property so that it can be put on the market but it's there's an ongoing you know living situation there that needs to be uh you know dealt with and and so you know I can see where conservators and guardians and such they would have an equal need for for what you do and for the care that you take.

[39:24] >> Yeah, it's it's um when I first started the business, I remember my first um hoarding situation, which was like a one-bedroom apartment where we pulled out four full truckloads from this apartment. And I remember telling my wife, you know, this is uh this was very interesting. I don't think we'll be getting a lot of these. And it turns out that it's it's fairly more common than than what I thought. So, uh, in the span of five years, we've been able to help out a lot of families and, um, it just like really touches my heart just seeing at the end they have their clean property and all that stress that they

[40:01] had is just evaporated. So, I I'm 100% what what's the best part about my job is being able to see the transformations happen in real time.

[40:13] >> Yeah. Well, you you can you can see, you know, kind of taking the, you know, the our talk full circle, you can see the Marine Corps ethos coming through in in what you're doing now because when when you talk to Marines, yeah, you know, they like, you know, shooting their firing their weapons and, you know, doing the the different training, but but in the end, there's there's a a mission behind all that. um that is really what makes uh a Marine um satisfied, you know, with with with with

[40:48] what he's doing. And uh I you know, I I I I I applaud you for bringing that that Marine Corps ethus into your business. So I I one more question for you and and maybe you've already answered it, but I I'm just cur I I just I'll give you an example. One of the estates I handled um it it owned a a business um uh it was actually a property management company and one day I I was the fiduciary for it. I was the administrator. One day I get a call from the ladies who work there and they said uh we were going through stuff here in the office and we found a paper bag full

[41:26] of cash and I'm like you know few hundred whatever it was like I'm like okay how much? They said, "I don't know. There's at least $100,000 in here." Wow. [laughter] Like, wow. You know, it's like that is astonishing honesty, right? I would I would never have have known, right? Um and and and and it's things like that that you know that happen in this business that that really that make it, like you said, fun, enjoyable, rewarding. Um what is the um what is the the the case if you will or the the you

[42:03] know the the assignment you had that you found you know most frustrating, most difficult uh to handle but um but in the end you know really you know the most rewarding like the one that you would put out there and say you know this is why you know my wife and I do what we do

[42:27] >> um like there's so many to pick from, but I do remember this one case where um the daughter brought us in the mom was going to be moved into assisted living where she was already uh having either Alzheimer's or or dementia. And so they had hired a uh a senior move moving company where they packed them up, moved them into the new facility. And they pretty much turned to me and they said, "Okay, everything that they wanted to keep has been moved. Everything that's left is junk. Toss it."

[43:03] >> Mhm.

[43:03] >> We're going through the the property and in the back of the closet, we find this big Tupperware uh tote and it's filled with the woman's jewelry. And so we called the daughter and we're like, "Ma'am, um we we found some some documents that we think that you should take a look at, but we also found some jewelry uh that belong to your mom." And so we we took it to the daughter and I'm walking in with this tote and she's like, "Wow, that's a lot of paperwork." And I'm like, "No, man. This is the jewelry." And she's like, "Oh my goodness, I had no idea that my mom had this jewelry." And and you know, the mom

[43:39] has dementia, Alzheimer's, she doesn't remember what she has in the closet,

[43:43] >> right? And I know that the family was kind of struggling to kind of pay the pay the bill per se for the for the cleanout, but me by them bringing me in, I was able to kind of find that money for the cleanout in the jewelry, plus extra money that could then support the mom with her future care. So, I I was just really I just felt really lucky that I was the cleanout company on that job that I was able to protect the family and the uh the mother. So, that that's one that really brings me a lot of joy. It brings a smile to my face thinking about how I was able to help

[44:19] out in that situation.

[44:21] >> Yeah. Well, that that's that's that's a great story on which for us to wrap up. So, Xavier, I [clears throat] mean, it's just it's it's been it's been great uh having you on the show today. Um Like I said in the beginning, you know, I just being able to uh you know, talk with a shipmate, uh is is is a delight for me. Um and uh I I I really I I think what you're doing is is is terrific. And I you're way too humble to do this. So um you know, it's it's been a while since I've I've done one of my I call them

[44:57] shameless plugs. Um, but but you know, for for those of you watching or listening to this, I I I I hope you can uh perceive the quality of of the the the man who's here with me and and the attention that he pays to the the service um that that you know that he gives. And and so I I I cannot encourage you enough if you have a need for the kind of services clearing out properties or helping, you know, a loved one, you

[45:32] know, get their situation into a better place. Uh give Xavier a call and uh I I I know he will be uh happy to to help you. If if you look right down below us in the show notes, you'll see Xavier's contact information. It's all right there for you. uh URL to his website, um you know, email address, etc. And um um you know, don't don't hesitate to contact him. So, uh I hope I didn't embarrass you.

[46:02] >> No, not too much, Kevin. I really appreciate you. Thank you.

[46:06] >> All right, hang tight for just a minute. I'm going to wrap up and then we'll talk offline. Okay.

[46:10] >> So, so folks, thank you so much for joining Xavier and me today. Really appreciate you watching the show. Uh, just real quickly, the whole schedule of shows. Mondays at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Like today is my show Trust and Estates Weekly. Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time is my show business lessons from the military, which maybe that could have that could have been this could have been on that show as well, right? And uh, Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time, people making money. And then every other Thursday at 5:00 p p.m.

[46:46] Pacific time is my show Jiggers's Place where we have a cocktail and a schmoo. We sit back and talk about all kinds of topics not related to finances. So I hope many times for us to uh be together during the week. We're on YouTube uh uh Spotify and Apple Podcast, the three major uh platforms. If you're not a subscriber, um, would love to have, you know, would love to have you be a subscriber. That way you won't miss any of the episodes of the Way to Wow Show. So, Xavier, one last time, thank you so much for joining me today. Really had a

[47:23] great time talking with you on the show. And that just leaves me to sign off as I always do and remind you, Marie Darling, you are my bell. Courage at all times, my friends.