Who comes to estate sales?

The answer to this question was different 10 years ago. Since then we have had a recession and hard economic times.

Years ago having an estate sale was selling to the end user. You would have the antique dealer or various reseller come out but mostly it was people who wanted a good deal for items they were purchasing for themselves.

Now the bulk of buyers are resellers. The buyers have booths at antique malls, flea markets or sell on eBay. So now the estate sale is the wholesale avenue for the middle man. This fact has hurt the market because the estate liquidator cannot maximize what the items should sell for in the open market place.

The people who know about estate sales are a limited. I am not sure why purchasing from an estate sale is not main stream. Maybe advertising for estate sales are not mainstream to the majority of people who do not know about them.

Since the majority of buyers are purchasing to resell then the items for sale has to be priced accordingly. If not the sale will not be successful and the house will be full of items. It does not accomplish the goals of removing all the items from the house.

Estate sales can and are still profitable but the expectation has to be managed due to the type of buyers attending the sales today.

We have other ways to sell items that help our estate sales. We are using new strategies to help our clients liquidate personal property. So we do have other ways to help our clients.

If you are in need of liquidating an estate please consider giving us a call. We offer free consultations to visit with you and discuss the best plan for your situation.

You can reach me at 404-509-2699 or by email, kelly@honeyhole.co

Thank you for reading.

Until next time.

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.

You get what you pay for

Just recently I had a client ask me why I had a higher percentage than some of the other companies and why was I deserving of the higher rate. I explained to him our process and was confident in our services. 

There are other companies that will charge a lower percentage to get the sale. That does not always equate to a better over all sale for the client. If a company is charging a lower percentage they might be cutting corners in some key areas. Those areas might be advertising, set up, research and how they treat your home. 

So what is included in the percentage we charge? 

We have a million dollar insurance policy for our business. We pay to advertise our business and sales on the largest estate sale websites. There are employees that we have during our sales. We do days of research to make sure the prices we are charging are fair market value and have comparable sold sales to show our buyers what those items have sold for in the last 30 days in other avenues. It also educates us on the items you have in your home to help us get familiar with your collections. We stage the house to look very nice during our sales. We bring in shelves and tables to display all items for sale. Buyers cannot buy what they cannot find. 

All of these services have a time and cost that come with it. Buyers want items to be presentable and will spend more money when things look like they are taken care of. We work with a buyer's mindset because that is what is needed to have a successful sale. 

So in conclusion try not to base your decision on percentage alone. Factor in what all the estate company is offering to you. Ask questions and get them to tell a detailed plan for your sale. 

If you are needing to liquidate any personal property for yourself or a loved one please consider giving us a call. You can reach me at 404-509-2699 or kelly@honeyhole.co. 

Overwhelmed and Stressed out!!! Who can help me?

We come across this all the time.

When a family member passes away, senior care assistance needed, or downsizing the stress level can be great. The worry of how you will get rid of all your families personal property is a daunting task. You have a life you are living with a family to take care of. Your siblings are out of state and  not able to help. You are questioning what to donate, boxing up items and throwing things away. Then you come in one day and the house is in complete disarray. 

That is when an Estate Sale Company can help. I tell all my clients that we take all the stress out of the process. We provide services that take care of staging, pricing, determinations, holding the sale, advertising, clean out services and we also can clean the house. We help our clients from start to finish and tailor our services to what our client needs and want. 

We at A Honey Hole Estate Sales can help relive the stress of liquidating personal property. All it takes is making a phone call to set up an consultation to discuss our services and how we can help. 

Call Kelly Honey at 404-509-2699

Email: kelly@honeyhole.co