mlktwins Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) I am cleaning out my dad's house now that we have moved what he wants to his apartment. Getting the house ready to sell, which needs a little work, and I want it cleaned out before contractors are over there. I have contacted my first estate sale person and I have a free consultation with her next Wednesday. I will be contacting 2 more for comparison, but need to get the ball rolling. She says she sets everything up, holds the sale (2-3 days), and will take 30% from what she sells. She says she does not take an inventory beforehand, but keeps a log of everything she sells and cuts us a check for 70% of that. She can take what is left to donate or sell on-line, but she says that will be pennies on the $ and that is why I'm not selling things myself. She may think it isn't enough stuff to hold a sale, but I need to know that too so I can move on to Plan B (whatever that is -- LOL). How does this compare with your experience? Any specific questions I should ask at our consult? I think I like that she isn't charging a flat fee (or $ limit) and that if she is getting 30% of what she sells, that is incentive for her to do a good job to make worth her while. Update: Well, I met with the first estate sale person yesterday. It is just 30% her/70% dad and no flat fee. She said there is enough for a 2 day sale. Her team comes in starting the Monday before the sale to set everything up. I looked at all the places she advertises and her reviews. All very good. Her pictures on-line are good. The stuff is arranged very nicely. I will meet her at the house after to get dad's check, see what's left, and decide what to do with the leftovers. Her next available slot is the 2nd weekend of April so that is about the latest we can do to get the house ready to sell. I would sign with her now if she had a slot available even one week earlier. But...I may have to just deal with her availability. I contacted another company (just through email) and they are 40% them/60% dad with the same set up as above. I have contacted one more person that was recommended to me. I'm waiting for a response. His company has been in business a long time, but his pictures look messy, stuff not dusted, etc. I'm not sure if the pictures were taken just to advertise before the sale (some are a few weeks out), but it will all be staged nicely for the sale. We will see. Edited February 28, 2019 by mlktwins update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 For me, having never done this, I would be leery of the fact she's not doing an inventory, you won't be present during the sale, and she takes all the remaining goods to donate/sell when the sale is over. It seems very much "honor system" that the check she gives you at the end is actually 70% of what sold. I would want to be present and do an inventory together before hand, I would want a list ahead of time of what prices she's set for things (how can she price things if she doesn't inventory first?) (and if she's pricing each item, why not inventory it at that time?) (even if categories, like shirts - $5 each, she could note how many shirts, how many books, etc...). I would then want a final list at the end of the sale with what sold, what didn't, at what prices, and an inventory (that I would want to be present for) of what all remains so I could check for discrepancies. Do the "sold" prices match the list prices that were set? Do they differ by a reasonable amount? I would want to agree with her ahead of time as to negotiations/how they'd be handled, at least on any big items. Then I'd want to decide at that point, do I then let her take all the remaining stuff, or some or none. I get that the reason for doing an Estate Sale is so you don't have to put in the effort, and if you're attitude is "whatever we can get is better than nothing" then the above scenario seems fine, especially if it's mostly just regular stuff. But if you want/need to get the most out of it as possible....I'd want a little more accountability, personally. The above scenario seems like she could easily cut you a check for whatever amount, then walk away with everything left over and potentially sell it for more. Like, she could hold back items she thinks were/are worth more, or not report the sale of said items to you and claim they didn't sell and pocket the full amount for them, stuff like that. If you aren't interested in full on inventories, etc., like I described, I'd at least go through and note any big ticket items and consider selling them on your own &/or making sure they get properly dealt with. But, again, I've not actually done this yet, so I could be way off base or asking/wanting something that doesn't really exist in the Estate Sale industry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) I'd want an inventory. A relative's girlfriend was completely ripped off by an estate sale place that didn't make one. They said there wasn't enough for a sale alone and were storing her items to be combined with other people's stuff. Then, they sold her big ticket items prior to the official sale and pocketed the money without recording it. They did also have a flat fee, which meant the lady ended up owing them for selling (and stealing) her stuff. Tread very carefully. Edited February 19, 2019 by klmama typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 dmil's experience is like the OP. Most people do not have enough valuable things to make it worth the work of an inventory. Things at estate sales are priced to move and the very few things that have value are usually kept by the family or reserved for a later auction by the estate company. Read reviews and talk to people. You can find out a lot from people who have moved into assisted living. If the goal is to maximize the cash, you might be able to do it on your own, but it will take weeks of work and hiring dumpsters or junk haulers. If you need the house cleared out, hire it out. There is SO much junk and worthless things in houses where people have lived for 25 years or longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) Thank you to all who responded! It is just me and DH (mostly me as he works full time) handling all of this. Dad's medical stuff, setting up his new apartment, I now have to do his financial stuff and taxes, get his house cleaned out, fixed up and sold. All me : ( !!! So...I cannot possibly sell everything myself and I cannot keep track of who has purchased what, getting it packed and shipped, etc. I have twin soon to be 9th graders and I need this done. My dad wants this done too and he has turned everything over to me. He cannot deal with it - gets very overwhelmed easily now. At least he is local so it is easier for me to do. He has golf clubs (4 sets -- don't ask), furniture, lots of antique knick-knacks my mom collected (think tea cups and figurines), new bedding in bags, my piano, tools, outside work stuff, canoe. Lots of old electronics (think cassette walkman -- LOL). I am keeping some things aside (he has Toby mugs that seem to be worth a little more) to maybe sell on my own. I am not deciding anything this week, but need to see what I am in for or if there is even enough to sell. I can be there for set-up and during the sale. I am just overwhelmed and can't be the one doing the setting up and actual selling. I will check around with other residents at his place. The sale would be done at my dad's house - he has already moved. She would leave whatever isn't sold for me to take care of, which is what I would want her to do. I am sending my sister pictures so she can pick what she wants to keep and I can get it to her this summer. Lots to think about! And...I have two 92 year old in-laws (local) that are still in there house of 50+ years. Will be doing this all over again sooner than later! At least there is a sister, brother, and sister in law that might help with their stuff. klmama, I am so sorry to hear about your friend's experience. I think you may have mentioned this in another thread and that was why I liked that this lady didn't charge a flat fee. P.S. Does anyone know where I can sell an antique camera and equipment? It may be worth a few hundred $$$. Edited February 23, 2019 by mlktwins Edited for poor grammar and spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 In my area they approach it several ways. If it is an ordinary person's stuff, no inventory and they handle it on a percentage basis. If there are some truly valuable things (like a lot of antique furniture), they inventory the valuable things and include them in the sale contract. Or if it's mostly high end stuff, they actually publish a catalog on the professional's website and advertise that. I had an uncle who was a hoarder. We had people come in to look at his stuff when he passed away, and we ended up having to hire a cleanout company. There was almost nothing of value. I got the pictures and some family momentos, and the rest went out. I feel for you. I'm trying to downsize while working, going to school, and looking for better work, and I understand how people accumulate stuff. When we moved last year, I couldn't believe how much junk we own, but there was little time to go through it before it was boxed up. So it's in the extra room and the garage. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 What are the other options ? Do some take it out of the house to sell? His house is cleared of the stuff he wants. The rest is at his house and he doens’t live there. I just assumed... Or are you asking about her leaving the stuff that doesn’t sell? This is only the 1st person I’ve talked with to see how they operate. Trying to figure out what my options are and figure out what questions to ask 😃. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 Oh my!!! Big emoji strikes again LOL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 1 minute ago, WendyAndMilo said: I would recommend taking out everything that you and family members want prior to the sale, then allowing her to take care of the rest. Our estate person did the sale, then arranged for Goodwill and junk haulers to come get the rest and she left the house in pristine condition, ready for selling. I just think it’s much much less stressful that way and then you aren’t wasting time hanging around the house while the junk people do their stuff and you don’t have extra phone calls and appointments to make. YMMV of course. This. Worth every penny. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Dont' have real experience with an estate sale, but have been indirectly involved in cleaning out my grandmother's house after her death in November. One thing if you are doing an estate sale with an outside person and there are items of greater value, give an expected price to the estate seller and let them know that certain parts of the collection may be more valuable. A person walking in to do the sale and does not know old records, for example, may say just $1 each and be happy to be rid of them, while some of the records might be worth much more in value; same with books for first editions, hard to find copies, etc. This probably is more true the more niche the area is: I have no knowledge of ceramic angels and would say $2 each, but it was not the correct amount when we did a little digging on the particular figurines. I don't know if estate sales people do this already (I would think yes?) but if she isn't taking inventory then I'm more inclined to believe that more valuable items may go unnoticed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I sell antiques/vintage items and attend a lot of estate sales and have friends in the industry I don’t know how most could do an accurate inventory. If there are enough items for an estate sale, there is generally a lot of stuff! Like boxes of old magazine, books, tools, etc. It is also hard for family to say what might sell. Using two items OP mentioned - walkmans are actually collectible right now, while Toby mugs are a dime a dozen at many second hand stores right now. Magazines from the the ‘60s and ‘70s are collectible, while newer ones aren’t. But people buy odd things at estate sales. Some people go to buy things like household cleaning items for cheap, so - yeah, there is a market for that. Some people go to look for new bedding, while another person (like me) would be looking for, say, old tea towels. A good estate sale will attract both type of shoppers. You cant plan on getting top dollar for everything. Yes, some items will sell for a good price while others will practically be given away. Think, everything balances out in the end. An estate sale is about convenience for the family. A quick way to clear out a house. There are several large franchise estate sale companies that have good reputations. Look at estatesales.net. For households with large collections - like above mentioned records or books where some might be highly collectible or first edition - a good company will sort through and pull some out to price higher. Just yesterday, I was at a sale with thousands of great books. Maybe 100 were pulled out and priced individually while the rest were $2 hardback and $1 paperback. Yes, they are likely to miss a few treasures, but again - getting top dollar for everything isn’t the goal of an estate sale. Most people in the business have an eye for certain categories, like ceramics or books, and can tell with a quick glance what items may be worth more. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberia Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 When my dad (88) moved to our city, he left everything except what we could pack in one vehicle. It was up to me to clear out his condo of everything, then clean it. TV's and current electronics can sell, but people just won't pay much for decent but out of date furniture and treasures (junk). If I had done an estate sale, I would have had to fly to his city and set up the sale, then clean the place myself. It became more cost effective to have an estate clearance company come in and take everything away (we had already cleared out things we wanted and important paperwork.) The company paid us for the few pieces that were re-sellable, then they cleared and cleaned the apartment, sending some stuff to GoodWill and some to the dump. This was honestly the best route for us based on our desire to be DONE with everything in his former city. We ended up paying a couple hundred dollars. It was so worth it. I could have sold some of the stuff on craigslist, but the overall benefit would have not been worth the time, effort, or expense. Good luck with your sale. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) We've BTDT with an excellent experience for my in-law's Estate Sale in the suburbs of a larger city. 2500 sq ft nice home, which they had lived in for 50 years. Not hoarders. Yes, our ESLady had to preview the house to decide if there was enough stuff for the Sale. Yes, she took 30% of the gross sales, with a minimum of $1500. Yes, she & her staff took beautiful photos of all of the better items (300 photos) and posted them on their website, for a preview to buyers. Yes, I then saved all those photos digitally, so we have a wonderful record of what was sold. Yes, once they had priced an item, we would have to BUY it if we wanted to keep it. I was able to bring some of our personal belongings to add them to the Sale. She did not want us to be in the house on the day of the Sale (due to the emotions evoked), but it would have been easy to come before/after. Also, I warned all the neighbors about the traffic with mailed postcards (some came to the sale). Day 1 everything was full price. At 3pm, she accepted lower bids. Day 2 was half price. Our ESLady was known for tastefully displaying everything, & with 20+ years experience, had good pricing knowledge. And yes, some things are sold for more/less money than you expected. And yes, some cleanup crew came & got what little was left (in the garage) the next few days. We grossed $12K+ and netted $8K+. We needed to quickly empty the house & this was a wonderful, wonderful solution. In hindsight, it was a relatively smooth experience. We have highly recommended this Estate Sale Lady, & will use her next year for my folks' downsizing move. Edited February 24, 2019 by Beth S 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) Thanks everyone! I'll report back after our Wednesday meeting. We don't have any old books (1st edition type things) or albums. It will be interesting to see what she thinks is worth something. I am currently sending my sister pictures of "stuff" so she can pick what she wants. To be honest, I grieved over everything when my mom died in 2001. While I love my dad, she is the one that made the house a home. It looked good, smelled good, she was in it :-). She was my best friend. My dad made it smell like golf, sunscreen, bug spray. Did not keep up with the stuff. Stained the carpet, ruined some of the furniture. He finally let me hire someone to clean, but that wasn't the same as how my mom did it. But...he didn't want to downsize. I am numb from the unexpected turn of events that required dealing with his health and getting him packed and moved in 3 months when, before that, he wasn't going anywhere and told me he would just wait it out and let it be my problem to deal with it later. So...I am dealing with it later and I have no emotions for any of this stuff anymore. I just want it done. I have taken a few things that were special to me of my mom's. My dad's special stuff moved with him to his new apartment so I will deal with that when the time comes. He made my sister and I split up her jewelry within the 1st year of her death and we went through her clothes as well. So...fun times! Edited February 25, 2019 by mlktwins Edited for poor grammar and missing words -- LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 On 2/24/2019 at 1:38 AM, mlktwins said: P.S. Does anyone know where I can sell an antique camera and equipment? It may be worth a few hundred $$$. Others may have ideas on this, but have you checked pricing on eBay? I'm in the midst of clearing out our home (taking about 6 months to do it though) since we're moving into a smaller place over the summer, and this seemed like a good time to get rid of stuff. I've been selling lots of antique mailable items (so, not furniture) on eBay with good success. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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