Are you thinking of holding an estate sale? There are plenty of reasons people choose to go the estate sale route, like retirement, downsizing to a smaller living arrangement, moving overseas, or the death of a loved one. Having an estate sale is one of the least stressful and substantially lucrative ways to turn a house full of belongings into cash in a relatively short amount of time.
The average estate sale grosses over $20,000 and buyers for every product imaginable are at them every day.
Besides the obvious benefits of hiring an estate sale company for your personal property, there are additional benefits that you may not have considered. Why would you? It’s not like the average person hosts many estate sales in their lifetime. Oftentimes, it’s a task best left to the professionals, like the Estate Pros, to ensure that your sale goes off without a hitch and you get a fair price for your belongings.
Estate Sale Professionals
Estate sale professionals make liquidating an entire house’s worth of belongings easy!
Estate Pros has helped thousands of people in the Michigan area hold successful estate sales, and our team is extremely knowledgeable about the process and how to get the best return on the sale of your personal property. Estate sale professionals have their fingers on the pulse of the market and can tell you exactly what will sell well, what won’t, and what you can expect to realize from your estate sale – all in an organized manner.
Benefits To Hiring an Estate Sale Company in Michigan:
- Dramatically frees up your time and energy for handling life’s other tasks
- Receive expert pricing guidance in a broad range of categories
- Price items appropriately to receive the best possible return but not so high that it scares off potential buyers
- Individual tags, marketing materials, display tables and display shelves are provided
- Security during the sale
- Marketing the sale through proper channels
- Items will be displayed in their best light
- Organized and careful bookkeeping
- Providing resources for donating or disposing of items that do not sell at the sale (donations can give you valuable tax benefits as well)
- Permitting requirements handled correctly
What Do Estate Sale Companies Do?
Estate Sale companies help people appraise and liquidate their belongings in a swift, sweeping motion. The sale itself usually lasts two to three days, while the prep time takes longer. An estate sale professional will come to your house and advise you on what will sell well, what won’t, what you should donate, keep or dispose of.
They will also take care of:
- Drawing larger crowds with aggressive and proven marketing campaigns
- Obtaining proper permitting, as many cities, counties and townships in Michigan require permits for holding an estate sale at a residence
- Expert appraisal by highly experienced and trained professionals at companies like Estate Pros that are accurate for a broad range of items from classic automobiles, motorcycles, antique furniture, art, jewelry and more
- Cataloging and tagging each item with a short description and price
- Providing courteous service and respect for your privacy (estate sales are typically held in a private home, so you want to be sure that the people you let in are trustworthy)
How To Hire An Estate Sale Company
There are significant benefits to hiring an estate sale company, and if you think it’s a service you could use, schedule a free consultation with Estate Pros and we can walk you through the process and all that an estate sale entails. Oftentimes, having an estate sale is the closing of a chapter in one’s life, and we know the emotional burden it can bring. We have handled thousands of successful estate sales for our clients who appreciate the ease of the process and the financial return on their personal property. If you decide to move forward with using Estate Pros for your estate sale, we will give you an organized list filled with helpful information and discuss the preparation process with you down to the finest details. When the sale is scheduled, our team will take all of the necessary steps to ensure that it runs smoothly and wraps up in a tidy manner.
Cost to Hire An Estate Sale Company
Estate sale companies typically take a commission. The commission ranges from 30% to 40%, with certain factors either raising or lowering the cost. Oftentimes, you can negotiate a lower commission for higher-priced items like automobiles. Homes with a lot of decluttering, cleaning, or many things that will need to be disposed of can raise the commission percentage. For the vast majority of people, the benefits to hiring an estate sale company make it well worth the cost.
Many people underestimate the labor and time it takes to go through an entire house full of belongings.
Additionally, the sentimental significance of the things that you may come across may prompt lengthy trips down memory lane, which can slow down the process. Having a professional around helps keep you on track and the process moving right along. The cost that an estate sale company covers includes incidental costs that you might not take into account. Including, but not limited to:
Supplies: Folding tables, shelving units, boxes, containers, price tags, stickers or pricing guns. Floor protection is always a good idea and shoe covers will help keep the carpet clean. You’ll also need to purchase advertising signs to place along the street and in your driveway.
Advertising: While there are a lot of places to advertise your estate sale for free, such as Craigslist, Nextdoor, social media and whatnot, it can be well worth it to shell out a few bucks for advertising on an estate sale industry website such as estatesales.net and estatesale.com. The benefit of advertising this way is that you will reach customers who are directly interested in shopping at estate sales.
Labor: Besides the intensive labor of preparation, holding an estate sale requires many eyes to be in the room answering questions, collecting money, and keeping an eye on your belongings to avoid any five-finger discounts.
Permits: Each city has different rules and requirements for holding an estate sale at a private residence. Make sure you contact the appropriate office and arrange for all permitting ahead of the sale. Trust us, the last thing you want on the day off is some grouchy neighbor complaining to the city and having your sale shut down ahead of schedule.
Hire A Professional Estate Sale Company
Estate Pros makes selling your belongings easy. Our licensed appraisers and auctioneers have over 15 years of experience and know the ins and outs of estate sales like the back of their hands. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to see how we can help you turn your house full of stuff into cash!