parcelatoParcelato, a spreadsheet, a group chat or a professional: what each is good for
When a family has a house to plan for, downsize, settle or divide, most start with a spreadsheet and a group chat, and some call a lawyer, notary or agent. Each does one job well. This page says honestly which job, and where Parcelato fits.
The short answer
Parcelato is a shared family record for a house, its papers and its things: who owns what, who decided, and when. Families use it to plan ahead, downsize, settle an estate or separate a household. It does not replace a professional, and for a short list a spreadsheet may be all you need. It earns its place when several people have to agree, over months, about many things, and someone will later ask “who decided that?”
Side by side
| Spreadsheet | Group chat | Lawyer, notary or agent | Parcelato | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A quick list of things and values | Talking it through, day to day | Legal steps, signatures, tax | One shared record of the house, its papers, things and decisions |
| Photos and papers per item | Separate folders, if anyone keeps them | Scattered across messages | Their own file, not yours | Attached to each thing and to the house |
| Who decided, and when | Not recorded | Buried in the thread | Recorded for the legal act only | Every decision logged with the person and the date |
| Later changes | Anyone can overwrite a cell | Messages can be deleted | Formal, and billed | Visible in a change log nobody can edit |
| Wishes in the owner's words | A comment, if any | Lost in the chat | Only if formally written | Kept with the thing, in their own words |
| Family in other countries | Works, if they have the file | Works | Usually one jurisdiction | Everyone invited to the same record |
| Legal advice | No | No | Yes | No. It hands the professional a clean record |
When a spreadsheet is enough
One person, a short list, nothing contested. If you are sorting a small flat and everyone already agrees, a spreadsheet is quick and free. It stops working when several people edit it, when photos and papers live somewhere else, and when you need to show what was agreed before a cell was changed.
When a group chat works
Chats are where families actually talk, and that is useful. They are poor at keeping decisions: the agreement about the dining table is two hundred messages up, between holiday photos. Use the chat to talk, then write the decision down once, somewhere everyone can see.
When you need a professional
For a will, probate or succession, a sale, a buyout, a separation agreement or tax, you need a lawyer, notary, tax adviser or agent. Parcelato is not legal, tax or valuation advice. What it does is hand them a clean record of the house, its papers, its things and who decided what, so their time goes on the law, not on reconstructing the family history.
Using them together
Most families end up using all of them: the chat to talk, Parcelato to record what was decided, and a professional for the legal step. The record is what connects the three.
Questions families ask
Is Parcelato a replacement for a lawyer or notary?
No. Parcelato keeps the record: what is in the house, the papers, what was decided, by whom and when. For the law in your country, take that record to a lawyer or notary. It makes their hour shorter.
Why not just use a shared spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is fine for a list. It does not keep photos and papers next to each item, it does not show who changed what, and a later edit can quietly overwrite an earlier agreement.
Why not decide in the family group chat?
A chat is good for talking and bad for remembering. Decisions get buried under messages, and months later nobody can find what was agreed or who agreed to it.
Does Parcelato value, sell or hold anything?
No. You can note a value range and where it came from, but Parcelato never values, sells or holds money or property.
Who can see a family's record?
The people the family invites to it. Each person sees the record and the log of who decided what.
How much does Parcelato cost?
It is free during early access. Request an invitation and we reply within 2 business days.
Get early access
Parcelato is free while we build it. Tell us where you are and we'll reply within 2 business days with your invitation.
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Last reviewed 26 October 2026. Written and reviewed by the Parcelato team. Questions or corrections: info@parcelato.com.