Should I call an estate sale company after I try to have a sale myself?

The short answer is NO.

Well I am sure you all want to know the why so I will tell you.

I understand trying to handle liquidating your personal property yourself. But having an estate sale is not a DIY type of job. You would not tackle building your house, right?

It will save you money, right? My question is, how much is your time worth? How much do you know about advertising personal property? How much do you know about the market? Do you know what is selling and what you might want to give away?

First, it will save you money. Maybe, it depends on how much your time is worth.

Second, do you know how to advertise your items. Well most people will say Craiglist or Facebook. Ok those are two avenues but there are more ways that get out to the people interested in estate sales.

Third, what do you know about the market. There are items that are selling and items that are not in our industry. You might price something really cheap or you might have items overpriced. Also are you willing to haggle with people about your items that you hold dear.

So, what if you are reading this and say well we already had a sale but we still have items left and need a company to get rid of the rest. Then call a clean out company and pay to have everything hauled off.

Estate sale companies accept taking sales based on the quality and quantity of items in the home. If you have already had a sale then you have probably sold the good and unusual items that would entice an estate sale company to take your sale. The items that are left have already been picked over by a set of buyers. Why would those buyers come back to the sale in a couple weeks? You are wanting an estate sale company to come in and sell the leftovers. That does not set the company up for success and puts them at a disadvantage. Sometimes you have to let the experts do the jobs they are experienced in performing.

The first call you need to make when needing to liquidate personal property is an estate sale company. They will help guide you on the steps needed to take to liquidate those items. Most estate sale companies are reputable and will let you know honestly what needs to be done.

We pride ourselves in taking the stress off of our clients. We offer full service estate sale services. This covers from start to finish services and leaves the home completely empty and ready for the next stage. We understand that the process can be stressful but we really try to help with that.

If you have any questions regarding estate sales please give us a call. 404-509-2699

Take Care. Until next time.

My parents have Antique furniture, what is it worth?

A large part of what we do is manage our clients expectations and prepare them for the results of the sale. Every home has a different collection of items unique to the people that lived there. The largest part of an estate sale is the furniture in the home. Unfortunately the furniture does not bring the highest proceeds to a sale. 

The furniture market is very soft right now. What that means is, furniture does not have the value that it once had in the market place say 5-10 years ago. This is the same for antique and vintage furniture. The only type of furniture that is holding some value is Mid-Century Modern furniture. This era of furniture is from 1945 - 1965 but has been pushed into the 1970's. Not all MCM furniture is created equal. It is a certain style and look of MCM furniture that is popular today. 

A Danish Teak Dining room table from the 1970's will bring more money than a 1950's Drexel Dining room table. Darker furniture is not popular in today's age. Buyers are looking for light modern furniture for their homes. 

Another factor to take into consideration is furniture stores. When Rooms to Go sells a whole room of furniture for $699 and they deliver. How can we compete with that price point? Unless buyers appreciate older vintage furniture, it is a hard sell. And even if it is appreciated buyers are not paying reasonable prices. 

Think about this, there are 50-75 estate sales going on every weekend year round. Each estate sale is competing for buyers to come to the sale. We typically always have great turn out at our sales but buyers tend to buy on 50% off day. If the items are priced high they will not sell even for half off. 

We have to be super reasonable in pricing the furniture because at the end of the sale we do not want a house full of furniture left and wondering what to do with it. I am not saying that all furniture is not worth anything. Sure there are pieces that will bring thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Right now those pieces are few and far between at this point. So in conclusion be realistic in what you expect for the antique furniture you have for sale. Don't get discouraged thinking that you will not have enough to have a sale performed by a estate sale company. 

Let us come out and meet with you for a free consultation. At that time we can determine there is enough to do the sale. If you have any questions please contact Kelly Honey with A Honey Hole Estate Sales at 404-509-2699. We can answer any question you might have regarding your sale.