FAQ

Q: There are items/family heirlooms in the home that are meant to go with our loved one/ need to be picked up by our relatives- can you still consult? 

A: Yes- but what would help is if you can go through the home and put blue painters tape on anything that isn't for sale. This way I am able to omit those items as I determine if there is enough for a sale. If there is a significant amount I would consult after those items are picked up or removed. Otherwise I would need to verify before the contract is signed that there is still enough value to hold a sale. 

Q: Our family member is still living and transitioning to assisted living/retirement community- can we still have an estate sale?

A: MAYBE. The downsizing/moving process can be stressful and in an effort to minimizde the impact we will consider this on a case by case basis for both the client involved as well as our teams availability.

Q: What do we need to do to prepare for an estate sale? 

A: Give relatives a firm deadline or date and time for picking up heirlooms before our consultation. Don't throw anything away or take items out of cupboards or closets- we'll handle all the organizing! Instead open drawers/closets/pantries and take out what you're keeping and close it. We'll do the rest! We've often had clients empty clothing into plastic bags thinking they were helping when we really needed it hanging or folded neatly so it was easier to sell. Emptying areas will only give us more work and we want to make the process as easy and seamless as possible. During our consultation we will give feedback regarding whether there is enough for a sale, what challenges we might face (parking, access, HOA etc) and what amount of time it will take for setup. 

Q: How much will it cost?

A: There are NO upfront costs- our percentage comes out of the proceeds of the sale. Our rate is determined by the amount sold. Schedule a consultation to learn more. There are very rare occasions where additional costs are requiring reimbursement (ie, dumpster costs, odor neutralizing etc) these costs would be deducted from the gross sales and we would communicate thoroughly if anything is necessary.

Q: We had a liquidator come through already and purchase several select items. Can we still have a sale?

Maybe. Often times a liquidator or family has picked over a house or "cherrypicked" leaving little value to attract buyers for the more everyday or large furniture items to sell. There may still be enough for a sale but we will advise you whether the property still has enough value to support the labor of a sale.

Q: There is so much within the house and outbuildings- how would we even have a sale?

A: We have experienced many "overflowing" properties where someone might have gotten carried away in their collecting- we will discuss strategies to accommodate this type of sale with potentially pre-selling items and/or multiple sale weekends to tackle areas separately if necessary.

Q: We have gold coins, jewelry, guns, vehicles, guns etc that need to be sold for the estate but we have a jeweler/pawn store/liquidator/dealer who has offered to help with that. Can you do the rest?

Maybe. When we consult we are determining whether there is enough value to offset the labor involved -attempting to save you the cost of a clean-out. A clean out is when there is little to no value left on a property and a company is hired to clear it for listing or new tenants. This is costly and often heartbreaking. Many times auctioning valuable items offsets the costs of labor to enable us to clear the site without having the client having to come out of pocket. Also we are able to often match your items with our extensive list of buyers who will pay more than the average jeweler etc. 

On gold coins and vehicles with a title we have a sliding scale depending on valuation that is less than our standard commission rate. Once the contract is signed no items should be removed from the estate or the commission rate would still apply from the fair market value of the item(s).

 COMMISSION RATES ARE DISCUSSED IN PERSON ONLY.

Q: How do you advertise the sale?

A: We have an extensive email list we provide the sale link to, we will post the sale to Estatesales.net and our social media platforms.

Q: Will you tell me how much items sold for?

A: We provide a spreadsheet of everything that sold in the auction and any of the commom household items that sold at pickup would be included in the "MISC" category. We provide that within 21 business days of the completion of the auction.

Q: What about all the photos or family memory items? 

A: Our team is trained to carefully separate and set aside family pictures and items that may be memorabilia. We designate an area and all the items are left for family members to pick up after the sale or in some cases shipped.

Q:We have a business to liquidate or storage unit to clear is the process any different? 

We offer customized services depending on the type of liquidation we are facilitating. We are able to provide business liquidations as well. Please reach out for more info with pictures.

Q: Why should we choose your company?

A: Our team has experience with many different types of sales from loaded workshops, to packed houses to vast collections requiring community partners to evaluate and assisting research to maximize your proceeds. We care about our clients and we still have contact with many as they become like family friends and refer others to us knowing we will provide the same level of care and compassion. There may be times when pre-selling items to our vast network of community buyers will free up space. We now offer an online auction platform which eliminates the entire public walking all through your property. Only confirmed buyers are given the address and we have worked within many gated communities or overflowing properties where a traditional sale would be too challenging. 

Q: What happens with any items leftover that didn't sell?

A: We have a variety of solutions as every situation is different but for the most part there are 3 main options:

• Auction- if there are items that still have value they could be consigned into the next auction carefully marked with your initials. With our wide pool of buyers some were simply out of town and couldn't arrange pickup during the window of time.

• Donation-one of our community partners will arrive to pick up items for donation. 

• Left in Place-very rarely one of our clients will request everything not sold is left in place. This is not always a desirable scenario for example if there is a deadline with a closing date or tenant move-in but we will honor our clients wishes if they prefer this option.