Leona Helmsley, who assumed control of her husband’s vast $5 billion real estate holdings after his January death, hired a New York firm Wednesday to help her evaluate and then peddle an assortment of the properties.

“This is not a liquidation,” said Eastdil Chairman Ben Lambert, whose company will assist Mrs. Helmsley with her worldwide portfolio. “She sees a good market, and a good opportunity doesn’t last forever.”

Mrs. Helmsley, 76, remains embroiled in a fight with late husband Harry’s two business partners over the properties they jointly own. But Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for Mrs. Helmsley, said the hiring of Eastdil was unrelated to that battle.

“This is just too vast a real estate empire for her to handle,” Rubenstein said. He said Helmsley would remain active in real estate, but sell several of her prime properties.