Estate Liquidations

What Do Estate Liquidators Do?

Estate liquidators, like the Estate Pros, bring together and manage all the various parts of an estate sale and oversee all of the operations of the estate liquidation. Our qualified professionals have the industry expertise necessary to manage each step of the process which typically includes the presale, sale-day, and post-sale tasks.

Pre-Sale Tasks

During the presale, the estate liquidator carefully organizes, sorts and appraises the furnishings and other household items for sale. In some cases, items may include valuable antiques or family heirlooms that require a trained eye to appraise and price them correctly. When pricing estate sale items, the estate liquidator often performs Google photo and lens searches and researches eBay or other online auction “sold” listings. The estate liquidator may contact local specialists or auction houses about fine art and rare items. Professional estate liquidators, like the Estate Pros, try to price each sale item. People often call estate sales “tag sales” or “moving sales” because almost everything across the estate sale has a price tag. Presale duties of the estate liquidator also include organizing, setting up, and staging the estate sale items for sale with the goal of attractively displaying the home’s contents before opening the doors to potential shoppers. The estate liquidator also advertises the sale as a part of the liquidation process as they hope to promote a good turnout. As part of the advertising campaign, the estate sale company will likely list the sale on their social channels, major estate sale industry websites, and will also send email notifications to their subscribers. In some circumstances, they may even place newspaper classified ads. Prominent street signs are also set up to attract adventurous shoppers.

Sale-Day Tasks

On sale days, the estate sale liquidator monitors all aspects of the event, including handling sales transactions and customer service duties, managing traffic throughout the premises, and overseeing an onsite staff of sales associates and security personnel.

The estate sale liquidation staff answers shoppers’ questions about sale items and assists in transacting actual sales. When customers are ready to pay for their items, staff members will direct them to the cashier to handle payment. The cashier records each transaction, whether cash, credit cards, or digital payments, and answers any last-minute purchase questions. If necessary, staff will assist shoppers with moving items out to their vehicles as well.

Post-Sale Tasks

It’s rare to sell every item during an estate sale. As part of an estate liquidator’s duties, they disposition any remaining items. After closing the estate sale, the homeowner usually decides what to keep, dispose of, or donate to charity. The estate sale company typically coordinates this process. The estate liquidator may also allow for next-day pickup when handling large, paid-for “sold” items. Staff members may need to ship paid-for items to other locations.

From here, the estate sale liquidators or a hired cleaning service will clean the home and prepare it for transition to the new owner. The contractually agreed upon estate sale service fee or commission percentage will be deducted from the proceeds to pay the estate sale company, then the homeowner gets the remaining funds. The company also draws a transaction report detailing sold inventory. That’s it, you’re done!

Estate Liquidation Companies

Estate liquidators or home liquidators bring together all the moving parts of an estate sale. A professional estate liquidation company has all of the expertise necessary to efficiently manage all of an estate sale’s tasks. Estate sales are far more difficult to manage than garage sales. People contact estate liquidators for a number of reasons but most often because of the home liquidator’s expertise. Estate liquidators have the industry knowledge to properly execute and manage the details of these complicated sales. Estate sale liquidators can appraise and price a varied collection of items. The home liquidator will also stage and display your items throughout the house in a way to intrigue shoppers and persuade them to make a purchase. A professional estate liquidator will provide the extra support necessary to ensure your estate sale is successful, including providing additional sales associates, security, and moving teams to assist in the safe completion of your estate liquidation. The home liquidator will advertise your sale in various media outlets and often are able to reach a multitude of shoppers from their professional networks. This enables them to sell a large volume of items very quickly. During the estate sale, the estate liquidator addresses all issues that may arise. After the sale concludes, they issue payment and transaction reports, arrange for pickup of sold items, and may ship other items to the purchasers. Finally, the estate liquidator ensures that all unsold items are removed from the home either via donation or junk removal.