FAQ
Q: Our family member is still living and transitioning to assisted living/retirement community- can we still have an estate sale?
A: YES! There are many reasons people would have an estate sale and many of them are going through a life transition that fortunately hasn't involved death but we will readily help in many different circumstances- some are divorcing, relocating, downsizing, emptying shop/storage buildings on property for renovations. The list goes on and on...
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, biohazard furniture removal, dumpster costs with excessive cleanup etc) these costs would be deducted from the gross sales total and we would communicate thoroughly if anything is necessary beforehand.
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 and may even do multiple sale weekends to tackle areas separately if necessary.
Q: How do you advertise the sale?
A: We have an extensive email list of over 1000 contacts we will provide the link to, we will post the sale to Estatesales.net and provide you with a link that is to be shared across social media as well as our own.
Q: Will you tell me how much items sold for?
A: We provide a spreadsheet of anything over $25 that sold and anything under that amount would be included in the "MISC" category. We provide that within 7-10 business days of the completion of the sale. This allows the sale proceeds to transmit to the banking institution and to give time to provide the final accounting paperwork.
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. If there are particular items that you want us to keep an eye out for give us the description and we will do our best to find it.
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. Our integrity is everything and if items are recovered that hold great value or money might be stashed away- be reassured that our team regularly encounters this and we communicate the valuables and hand over any currency. There may be times when pre-selling items to our vast network of community buyers will get you the most "bang for your buck" as we have lists of preferred buyers regularly searching for certain types of items. We will advise you when this is applicable and better than gambling higher dollar items in a sale.
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- one of our auction partners comes with trucks to take the items preferred for processing. A separate truck will take the rest of the items for either donation or disposal.
Donation-one of our community partners or other donation entity will arrive to pick up items for donation. Please note some donation companies are quite overwhelmed and may be scheduled out weeks to have an available truck to provide pickup. Also some companies will only pick up certain types of items and leave the rest.
Left in Place-very rarely one of our clients will request everything not sold is left in place. Some decide to do a further garage sale or to have neighbors pick through before carting off the rest for donation. 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.