Below are the most common questions we get asked. Feel free to give us a call if you have questions of your own or want more explanation of anything here.
Q: What services do you offer?
A: Anything and everything associated with liquidating an estate!
Q: I want an estate sale performed, should I prep the property by throwing away or donating anything prior to starting?
A: NO! Don’t do anything before calling us. Estate executors often throw away or donate items that they think are of low value, which we sell (and often for decent prices!), so we caution everyone not to touch anything before we have a chance to see them. The most common items that get tossed out before a potential client contacts us are: clothing, shoes, ephemera (papers like postcards, pictures, maps, magazines, etc), kitchen gadgets and other household stuff. We sell it all and those items add up quickly, but also draw in shoppers who will buy other items as well.
Q: What is your current availability to conduct a sale?
A: We’re typically booked out between 1 and 3 months, but it varies from month to month and we often leave a few weeks for emergency openings. Feel free to call and ask our current availability, but please don’t hesitate as it’s all on a first come first serve basis and can be difficult to schedule a client in without enough notice. We schedule as early as 6 months out.
Q: Do you work with realtors?
A: Yes! Our experience has been realtors love us due to the services we offer and our promptness. We’ve worked with many realtors to not only conduct a sale and empty the residence, but also improve a property to maximize the sale of the home.
Q: Do you buy from your own estate sales?
A: No. While we enjoy spending our free time picking and buying vintage items, if we are running an estate sale for a client, we do not allow anyone working for or with us to buy from our sales.
Q: I need an estate sale conducted for a property I’m representing, but I’m out of town. Are you able to help?
A: Yes! It’s very common for an estate sale to be run for a client who is not located in our area but has a property that is. After receiving a key from our client, we can conduct a sale, clean the house and mail a check to our client without them being present.
Q: Do you charge for consultations?
A: No. The interview and walkthrough processes are completely free.
Q: What does an interview and walkthrough entail?
A: We set an appointment where we enter the property with you present, examine items to be sold, and give our advice on the best way to proceed. If we think an estate sale is your best option, we will leave a commission bid for you to consider. If we don’t think we would be able to conduct an estate sale for you, we will make a recommendation on what we think the best option would be based on our experience.
Q: Are you insured?
A: Yes, we carry the maximum available insurance policy that covers all theft and possible damage to property. We also have a large staff that is trained to monitor the sale for security and safety purposes.
Q: What do you charge for an estate sale?
A: Our estate sale services are commission based. When we do a walkthrough, we leave a bid based on what we see and how much labor we estimate there to be. There is no upfront or out of pocket expense to our clients if we agree to run a sale for them. We receive a portion of the gross sales we collect during the sale.
Q: Do you have a contract for us to sign if we have you run a sale?
A: Yes. We are completely transparent with our clients and have a contract that clearly spells out all the terms of the sale.
Q: How do you determine the price of items?
A: We charge what we consider fair market value for everything we sell. There are many factors that go into pricing – collectability and rarity of the items, condition of what’s being sold, the actual location of the sale, the weather on the days of the sale, volume and quality of what’s being sold, even the cleanliness and size of the home the sale is held at matters. We have 30 years combined experience in the industry which gives us a wide depth of knowledge, as well as we search online auction sites, national and international auction house databases, consult reference books, call in outside experts if needed, and keep up on current market trends.
Q: Do you sell jewelry, Sterling silverware, fine art, vehicles and other expensive items?
A: Yes. Those items often do quite well at our sales. We'll never pressure a client into selling something they are hesitant to let go of, but we recommend including them in the sale if you’re comfortable doing so because they will draw in shoppers who will want to see them, and more importantly, purchase other items while they’re at the sale.
Q: How do you advertise?
A: We pay to run ads on websites specific to estate sale shoppers, post on social media, put large visible signs on busy intersections during the sale, call and text regular customers we know will have interest, and hang large banners outside the property.
Q: Do you have references?
A: Yes! Just ask and we’ll give you the names of some past clients and associates we have worked with and have consented to being contacted.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.