HOW MUCH DO ESTATE SALE COMPANIES CHARGE?

Call 248-266-9817Free Consultation

Hiring a professional estate sale company may seem like a daunting task. It’s not something most people are knowledgeable about, making it hard to know what to expect. Common questions we get are: What do estate sale companies do? How much should you be paying an estate sale company for their services? How much do estate sale companies charge?

When researching estate sale companies, educate yourself on how their estate sale fees are structured and investigate what services they offer. This can assist you in making a smarter, more-informed decision, especially when it comes to maximizing your profits from your estate sale.

characteristics-of-an-estate-sale

How Do Estate Sale Companies Work?

Most estate sale companies have one main objective: liquidate everything in your home. Estate sale companies want to earn the largest possible amount of money through the sale of the estate’s items in a short period of time.

The estate liquidation industry has evolved over the years. Some estate sale companies have different specialties, while others build their business models around a particular way to liquidate.  Hybrid estate sale companies have also started to emerge.

Below are the five types of estate liquidation companies you will most likely encounter:

  • Traditional estate sale companies conduct onsite liquidations where customers can walk through a house and buy items.
  • Estate auction houses bring entire estates (or specific pieces from an estate) to an offsite location to auction them off. Some auction houses specialize in high-end liquidations, featuring items like high-end fine art and luxury furniture, etc. Mid-range liquidations frequently include cars, guns, etc.
  • Estate auctioneers liquidate estates onsite at the home. They are similar to the traditional estate sales in their offerings, but the merchandise is auctioned off rather than priced individually.
  • Hybrid estate sale companies conduct both auctions (usually online) and estate sales depending on the type of estate, what’s included in the estate, and the client’s specific needs.
  • Estate sale companies with an auction house partner will conduct traditional estate sales but use an auction house for certain big-ticket items like priceless pieces of art, high-end furniture, etc.

Estate sale companies will try to sell as many of your items as they can for the best price possible. Traditional estate sales usually last one to three days, and prices are determined by the estate sale company. Most estate sales are often discounted as the sale progresses. At an estate auction typically only lasts one day and the prices are determined by the buyers through the bidding process.

Regardless of format, what happens when you hire an estate sale is pretty much the same across the board. Estate sale companies will:

  1. Stage and price the sale, either by taking the items offsite and displaying them in their showroom or by setting up tables in your home. Depending on the condition of the home and how much there is to sell, this can be a time-consuming job. The items must be unearthed, evaluated, inventoried, and priced.
  2. The estate sale company will also advertise the sale and put up the necessary signage. Management of the sale and post-sale cleanup will follow. Most companies will also arrange the donation of unsold items and complete a trash removal if requested.

Estate Sale Cost

Most estate sale companies operate on a commission basis. Money is made as items sell. Gross incomes vary from sale to sale, but the average estate sale grosses over $18,000. Keep in mind, estate sale revenue has many variables that affect it.

In addition to commission, some companies include other estate sale fees such as trash hauling and advertising.

Hiring the estate sale company with the lowest estate sale commission rate might not mean you’ll be getting the most money in the end. A seasoned estate sale company could have a 50% commission rate but they offer years of practice, know-how, an established customer base, and relationships with brokers and auction houses, which could mean more money for your estate items. You may also consider an estate sale company with a lower commission rate such as 25% – but a lower estate sale commission rate may mean you’re working with a less-experienced company.

3-How-are-Appraisals-Determined

You might also want to ask the estate sale company what they expect the sale to gross. However, you must consider some margin of error as many variables can affect the outcome of a sale, from the merchandise to the weather.

So how much does it cost to hold an estate sale? As mentioned, there are many variables – it depends on who you hire, what you’re selling, how many people attend the sale, how you are advertising your estate sale, the parking situation in your neighborhood, etc. How much your estate sale will make and the commission the estate sale company makes are difficult to predict. Finding the best estate sale company for you and your situation is the most important consideration. Ultimately you should choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

How Much Do Estate Sale Companies Make?

Most estate sale companies work on a commission and charge you a percentage of the estate sale’s gross profits. Estate sale commission rates may vary for each different estate sale and may even vary depending on where you live. As an example, a company might charge you an estate sale commission rate of 35%. So if the estate sale grosses $10,000, you’ll owe them $3,500.

Some estate sale companies may have optional services they provide at additional estate sale fees, such as trash removal, post-sale cleanup, etc. When you are getting quotes from potential estate sale companies, ask about these additional estate sale fees. Ask how these fees are calculated and ask what they normally amount to for the average estate sale. This will give you an idea of how much you might have to pay.

When determining how much the estate sale company is going to charge, they generally draw from one of three different approaches:

  1. Set percentage: The estate sale company determines a set the percentage of gross sales for their estate sale services and that’s what they take for every sale, regardless of size, complexity, etc.
  2. Sliding scale: The estate sale company determines their percentage based on the total gross sales. For example, the higher the sale grosses, the lower your percentage may be. Here is an example of how an estate sale company might structure their sliding scale:
    • Estate Sale Gross Total Percentages
    • $5,000 to $10,000: 50% estate sale commission rate
    • $10,001 to $15,000: 45% estate sale commission rate
    • $15,001 to $20,000: 40% estate sale commission rate
    • $20,001 to $30,000: 35% estate sale commission rate
    • Over $30,001: 30% estate sale commission rate
  3. In-person estate sale evaluation: Perhaps the most common method of determining estate sale company fees. In order to understand this approach, you’ll want to know what the estate sale company is looking for during the walk-through. Most a
ESTATE-SALE-COST

The amount of work required is determined by how many hours the estate sale company thinks they’ll need to put into your sale. Including set up, pricing, running of the sale and post-sale duties such as donation, trash removal, clean up, etc. This can all effect how much estate sale companies charge If you are liquidating the estate of a hoarder, the company will need to put in a lot more hours and work sorting, pricing, and staging the home. These sales also often require more days. Conversely, you may be liquidating a home that’s already staged and ready so it just needs to be priced. This takes significantly less time. The more work required to prepare for the sale, the more you are going to be charged in estate sale fees.

In addition, the estate sale company will need to consider what the estate is worth. If an estate sale company comes into your home and finds fine art, a collection of jewelry, designer furniture, large power tools, etc., they are going to want to manage your estate sale knowing it will be very profitable. Because of that, they may actually offer you a lower estate sale commission rate in order to win your business and outbid other estate companies. This, too, can effect how much estate sale companies charge. If they see a lot of damaged furniture, old clothing, etc., they are going to charge you a higher estate sale percentage; the lower value items mean they’ll be making less money for the same amount of work.

Go With The Estate Pros!!!

The Estate Pros are consistently amongst the top estate sale companies in America as ranked and recognized by EstateSales.net, EstateSale.com and others. We specialize in working with families and individuals who in need residential liquidation, donation, clean out and personal property appraisal services.

The Estate Pros are an estate sale authority with hundreds of years of combined experience among our ownership and staff. Our owners, sale teams, and support staff are held to the highest standards. This includes professionalism and experiential service, treating each of our clients and shoppers with the utmost care, compassion and respect.

The Estate Pros are meticulous at attention to detail as we handle every aspect of your estate sale from start to finish. Our experts will work with you from the initial free consultation to the complete execution of your event and everything in between.

You don’t need to lift a finger. We will take care of everything for you!

Thinking about hiring an Estate Sale Company? Contact the Estate Pros!!!

Contact the Estate Pros!!!

Call 248-266-9817Free Consultation

What Our Clients are Saying

Excellent
4.9
Jonathan and his team managed to amaze me a second time- actually Part 2 of my move. Anyone that knows me well, knows that Linda’s basement is the place to shop and I usually manage to come through🤣- meaning I have a lot of stuff. The weight off my shoulders was immense🤗
Response from the owner: Thanks Amelia & Linda! It was a pleasure to serve as your Shelby Township Michigan estate liquidation company!
All around best service! Professional, easy and everything arrived in the same shape that it was originally was in. Easy to book and contact. Text reminders of upcoming service was great. They wrapped the couches in plastic, dressers were covered in moving blankets. All I had to do was tell what room the items go in and that is it. 100% recommend!
Response from the owner: Thanks Cassie! It was a pleasure to serve as your Farmington Hills Michigan local moving company!
Jonathan and his team were absolutely fantastic. It’s a tough thing to clear out your parents home but they made it so much more manageable! They were kind, respectful, and took care of everything top to bottom. I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you Jonathan!
Response from the owner: Thanks Mike! It was a pleasure to serve as your Huntington Woods Michigan estate liquidation company!
What a blessing to have this group of professionals Help with a home clean out!
Response from the owner: Thanks Cary! It was a pleasure to serve as your Bloomfield Hills Michigan estate liquidation company!
Johnathon was the consummate professional. His crew was great and did more than required just to make things easier for us. I would recommend Estate Pros without hesitation and if I ever have to do this again I wouldn’t consider using any other company.
Response from the owner: Thanks Joe! It was a pleasure to serve as your Rochester Hills Michigan estate liquidation company!
Estate Pros did a great job when we only had one week to vacate the property. Didn't have time for an estate sale and had to donate most of the furniture, but their professional appraisal was more than enough to make up for the loss. They cleaned out everything and left the house spotless for the next owners to move in. The company is very efficient with high integrity.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sanford! It was a pleasure to serve as your Dearborn Heights Michigan estate liquidation company!
Estate Pros did a wonderful job! Jonathan was wonderful to work with and always responsive to any questions I had about the process. Estate Pros made the stressful process of liquidation manageable.
Response from the owner: Thanks Elizabeth! It was a pleasure to serve as your Brighton Michigan estate liquidation company!
Great communication both before and during the cleanout. Team was courteous, thorough but efficient. House was left empty and clean.
Response from the owner: Thanks Jody! It was a pleasure to serve as your Oxford estate liquidation company!
Response from the owner: Thanks Angela! It was a pleasure to serve as your Davisburg estate liquidation company!
Jonathan and his team of movers did an awesome job helping me downsize to a condominium. They were accommodating and very helpful in my time of stress. They were also very kind. Loved working with them😍
Response from the owner: Thanks Linda! It’s been such a pleasure to be your Shelby Township estate liquidation and moving company!
Jonathan and crew exemplified an exceptional professionalism. Punctual, courteous, supportive, efficient, attentive, skilled and organized. Highly recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks Elijah!
Great experience from pickup to clean up. I will recommend to friends.
Response from the owner: Thanks Vern!
Place looked amazing when they were done! Staff were very professional and personable. Overall a great customer experience!
Response from the owner: Thanks Dave!
Overall wonderful experience! Jonathan was a pleasure to work with, very helpful! He assured me that it would go smoothly and it did
Response from the owner: Thanks Barbara!
We hired Estate Pros for moving, estate donation and clean-up. The staff at Estate Pros were always prompt, polite and considerate. All items were wrapped for moving, carefully pack, unpacked and placed per our request. The donation and cleanup was a breeze. Estates Pros made the whole moving and downsizing process go smoothly! Thank you.
Response from the owner: Thanks Mike!
The entire team acted very swiftly and were very professional. Highly recommend them.
Response from the owner: Thanks Ramesh!
Jonathan was a pleasure to work with. He came up with a solution to help my clients get their house cleaned out so they could sell quickly. It was amazing to see his team of professionals working so efficiently. As a real estate agent, it is so valuable to have Estate Pros as a resource to help my clients transition to the next stage in their life. I highly recommend Estate Pros!
Response from the owner: Thanks Danette!
Response from the owner: Thanks Sue!
My brother was a pack rat. He had 8 months to remove or declutter his house and didn’t. He hired Estate Pros and they cleared out the house ( 9 truckloads). They did an excellent job, hardworking ,polite and helpful. I highly recommend this company.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sharon!
Fantastic company! Professional and very helpful at clearing out the house.
Response from the owner: Thanks Aimee!
js_loader

Southeast Michigan Estate Sale Service Area

The Estate Pros have been proudly serving Oakland, Macomb and parts of Livingston, Genesee, Lapeer & Wayne counties for the past 15 years. No matter what your situation calls for, the Estate Pros are here to help!

ServiceMap_White_Green_wBordersArtboard_1

Upcoming Estate Sales

img_0410

BLOOMFIELD HILLS MICHIGAN ESTATE SALE

To Be Announced
Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48301
December 21, 2024
view the sale

Estate Sale Resources

Estate Sales vs Garage Sales
March 22, 2022

Estate Sales vs Garage Sales

Estate Sales vs Garage sales, two sales generally at home hosted for very different reasons. Estate Sales, Tag Sales and Moving Sales, are all commonly interchangeable terms used to describe the liquidation of personal property. However, there are definitely distinct differences between…

Read More
How to Find Estate Sales
March 22, 2022

How to Find Estate Sales

How to find and Estate Sale? The popularity of estate… Read More
How to Prepare for an Estate Sale
March 22, 2022

How to Prepare for an Estate Sale

Having a well thought out plan is important to having… Read More
Estate Sales vs Estate Auctions
March 22, 2022

Estate Sales vs Estate Auctions

Estate Sales vs Estate Auctions, what’s the difference? Which option… Read More
Why Have an Estate Sale?
March 22, 2022

Why Have an Estate Sale?

Why do most people have an estate sale? In short,… Read More