HOW TO ADVERTISE AN ESTATE SALE

In order to have a successful estate sale, you have to know the best way to advertise for it.

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If you want to get a lot of shoppers and foot traffic, you should use multiple channels to advertise your estate sale. Using estate sale websites such as EstateSales.net and EstateSale.com is a good start. Also, consider social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Posting street signs with arrows directing drivers to the home at major local intersections and in your neighborhood will also be key in getting shoppers to the estate sale. In this article we will show you how to hire an estate sale company correctly. So you know you are working with someone you can trust.

Your estate sale advertisements should include the date, time, address and simple directions to the home. When you advertise the estate sale on estate sale websites, high-quality photos and descriptions are a must to give potential shoppers the ability to browse the sale items in advance. While some ads list prices, most estate sales wait for the day of the sale to reveal how much items cost.

How To Have and Advertise An Estate Sale On Your Own

There is a lot to consider when holding a successful estate sale:

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1. Inventory List

Canvas your home and make lists of everything you plan on selling and including in the estate sale. You may also want to create a list of items you won’t be selling as well – just to stay organized. You can even go a step further and categorize everything by room, item’s condition, etc. This will help when you start to research prices and determine where things will be set up and staged during the estate sale.

2. Clean and Repair

Most of what you sell will be “as-is,” but a quick polish or some super glue can take some items from “unsellable” to “worth a couple of bucks.”

3. Price As Much As Possible

Knowing what you have and pricing it accordingly is very important in having a successful estate sale. You can start by going online and looking at sold listings on sites like eBay and LiveAuctioneers. This will offer an idea of the fair market value. Google Lens/Photo is also a great resource. Just keep in mind, like garage sale shoppers, estate sale shoppers are looking for a deal.  If you’re considering two reasonable price points, it’s not a bad idea to mark your item at the higher of the two prices. You’ll see that whatever the price, most people will try to negotiate you down. See what the average proceeds are for an estate sale in our guide.

Clearly mark each estate sale item with a price tag or sticker. If you have multiples of an item or like-priced smaller items, you can group them together for bulk sale. You can also display everything together on a table, shelf, in a box, etc., with a sign such as “All Stuffed Animals – $1 Each.” This insures you get the most for your items.

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4. Manage Foot Traffic

Traffic flow is an important consideration. You want shoppers to browse each room at their own pace without any crowding or bottlenecks forming. Try to keep items to the perimeter or center of each room, allowing people to move around freely. Don’t clutter display tables or shelves with too many items; shoppers should be able to glance over your things and move on if they’re not interested. You also want enough room for a few people to stand and consider items without holding everyone else up.

5. Make Sure To Identify and Mark “Off-Limit” Items

You may have several items that you’re not interested in selling; it is important to clearly mark these items. Place a large “Not For Sale” sign on any items you don’t want people to try and purchase. Sometimes this isn’t even enough to deter people from trying to buy items. If possible, put all off-limit items in one or two rooms, and keep those closed off from shoppers to avoid any issues.

6. Have Security

Unfortunately, like in many other retail environments, you must consider theft and misconduct at your estate sale. Don’t leave an entrance or exit open and unattended. You should maintain a single entrance and exit for the sale, not multiple. This will control traffic flow and mitigate the opportunity for theft by allowing you to monitor everyone who comes and goes. Be sure to secure off-limits areas and have someone available to enforce those restrictions.

Close, lock and tape off doors to rooms you don’t want people entering. Keep your cash in a secure lock box under constant supervision. High-value small items, like jewelry, are best kept in constant site at the cashier’s table.

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7. Pictures Tell The Story

When advertising an estate sale, great advertising pictures are critical. Take pictures of the items most likely to interest people to help drive traffic to your sale. Big-ticket items like furniture, appliances, collectibles, antiques, comic books and sports memorabilia always garner interest. Make sure your photos are clear, well-lit and visually appealing.

8. Advertising Is Everything!

How will people know about your estate sale and all the available items? Simple, you have to advertise the heck out of it!

Here is how to Advertise an Estate Sale

Estate sale advertisements take many forms, but most successful estate sales typically include the following methods:

  • Post your estate sale listing to all of the major estate sale industry websites, including EstateSales.net and EstateSale.com.
  • Create posts for social media platforms and community apps like Facebook, Instagram, Craigslist, and NextDoor.
  • Advertise in town, city and village papers a week before your sale, as well as on any online classifieds for your area.
  • Post signs with big, legible letters specifying the dates, times and the address of the sale at nearby intersections a few days ahead of time. Clear, visible arrow markers placed at intervals between the signs and the sale can help people find you. (Make sure to check local ordinances and homeowner association regulations before placing signs.)
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9. You’re Going To Need Help Advertising Your Estate Sale

It takes a village! From cashing people out to loading big items into customers’ vehicles, it’s best to have lots of helpers to keep you from being pulled in too many directions the day of the estate sale. Offer to pay them in cash, food and beverages, etc., and maybe even throw a party at the end while everyone pitches in to clean up. Go Estate Pros is an excellent alternative to friends and family when you are thinking about how to advertise an estate sale.

10. What To Do With Leftovers

Even the most successful estate sales will have leftovers. It’s inevitable. You may want to contact local charities and donation centers ahead of time to find out what their policies are on large donations and pick-ups. If you have a lot of unsold items, you may be able to arrange a truck to pick them up at the end of the sale, or you can assign someone to take them to a drop-off location. Never leave large piles of garbage or recycling on your curb without calling your town’s waste management provider first for permission so that you don’t incur a fine. You may even need to consider a junk removal company.

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Where To List & Advertise Estate Sales

Posting your estate sale listing on estate sale finder sites and publications will drive traffic to your sale. You can advertise for free on social media, Craigslist, NextDoor App, etc. If you’d like to spend a few bucks, you can even spring for some ads on estate sale industry websites such as  EstateSales.net and EstateSale.com. These sites are tailored specifically to individuals looking to shop at Estate Sales. It may cost you $100 or so to list on each of these sites, but it’s well worth it as they are highly targeted to individuals looking for Estate Sales.

Hire An Estate Sale Company

Doing all of the above on your own is certainly feasible, but if you’re pressed for time or planning and logistics are not your passion, you may find it worth your while to pay for professional help. An estate sale can be a highly emotional experience for people, but it’s important to remain unsentimental in the face of your shoppers. Especially if you are helping to sell a deceased loved one’s possessions, as you may have no idea what these items were originally purchased for or what they’re truly worth. Hiring a professional estate sale company like the Estate Pros can make your life much easier, as we specialize in advertising, planning, organizing and operating estate sales.

Go with the Estate Pros!!!

The Estate Pros are consistently ranked amongst the top estate sale companies in America as recognized by EstateSales.net, EstateSale.com and others. We specialize in assisting families and individuals who are in need of residential liquidation, donation, clean out and personal property appraisal services. The Estate Pros are an estate-sale industry authority with hundreds of years of combined experience between our ownership and staff. Our owners, sale teams, and support staff are held to the highest standards of professionalism and experiential service. We treat each of our clients and shoppers with the utmost care, compassion and respect, and educate them on what an estate sale is and how to successfully host one. The Estate Pros pay meticulous attention to detail for advertising your estate sale as we handle every aspect of the estate sale process 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 take care of everything for you!

Wanting to learn more about how to hire an estate sale company? Contact the Estate Pros!!!

Overwhelmed? Thinking about hiring an Estate Sale Company?

Contact the Estate Pros!!!

Call 248-266-9817Free Consultation

The Estate Pros are the most professional estate sale company in the area, serving homes like yours all across southeast Michigan. We are consistently ranked amongst the top estate sale companies in America, recognized by EstateSale.com and other industry authorities.

We pay meticulous attention to every detail as we handle each aspect of the estate sale process from start, advertising, 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; the Estate Pros will take care of everything for you!

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!
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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!

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Upcoming Estate Sales

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS MICHIGAN ESTATE SALE

To Be Announced
Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48301
December 21, 2024
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