If you’re moving, downsizing, or settling the estate of someone who has passed away, chances are you will need to dispose of some significant personal property. However, attempting to sell everything yourself can be an overwhelming task. Many people turn to estate sales companies to help them deal with unwanted personal property.
An estate sales professional can help keep your worries to a minimum. Here are 10 reasons to consider hiring an estate sale specialist.
1. An Estate Sale Saves Time
Estate liquidation can be an incredibly time-consuming process, especially if you’re the one planning it. Unless you can take significant time off work, you may not have the free hours to manage the sale yourself.
In many cases, estate owners and administrators are under pressure to sell their property as quickly as possible. If your home sold faster than expected or you’re moving to another state soon, it probably makes sense to hire an estate sales agent to take care of everything.
2. You May Save Money in the End
Most estate sale companies charge a lower commission than consignment stores. Auction houses may charge an even lower commission from the seller, but they also charge a percentage to the buyer (the “buyer’s premium”), which means buyers will bid lower if they take that commission into account.
Attempting to sell your property yourself may take far more time than you think. It’s difficult for one-time estate sale holders to find buyers and do all the research that goes into a successful estate sale. Between lost sales and potential extra bills, taxes, or other additional costs, doing it yourself may be far more expensive than hiring an estate sales agent.
Overall, an estate sale specialist is often the most cost-effective option.
3. You Don’t Have to Worry
Regardless of why you’re having an estate sale, you probably have enough problems to think about without trying to figure out how to get rid of every odd item in your house. Do you know which items are collectible? Do you know how to get the best value for your silverware? Do you know how to find someone who will appreciate those perfectly good tools that can’t be found in stores anymore? An estate sales company can take on those problems — and then some.
Let someone with plenty of experience and knowledge in the area figure out the best way to handle all the odds and ends in your estate. Fewer things for you to worry about!
4. Estate Sales Specialists Can Attract a Crowd
Not everyone is an estate sale advertising expert. Even if you know a bit about marketing, that doesn’t mean you have experience seeking out the hardcore estate sale shoppers you need to attend your sale — and this might not be the time to experiment. It’s a shame to lose sales just because you’re not one of the rare few with the expertise and influence to attract an estate sale crowd.
Some people who try to hold their own estate sales set up accounts with major advertising websites like estatesales.net, estatesale.com, or estatesales.org. However, it’s often quite expensive to advertise on your own and a challenge to navigate.
An estate sales professional already has the connections and knowledge you need to find buyers for your property. They will have their own email list with proven buyers to attract a crowd. After years of working on estates like yours, they will know exactly how to get the word out and attract the kinds of customers you need.
5. You’ll Reduce Your Emotional Labor
An estate sale usually involves a lot of emotions, especially if you have a personal connection to the property involved. Are you ready to hear strangers making comments about your decorative style or see strangers pawing through your grandmother’s beloved dishes? Probably not, especially if the sale is following any sort of loss.
By hiring an estate sale agent, you can avoid the emotional impact of strangers’ comments and uncaring behavior.
6. A Professional Will Deal with Hagglers
In any estate sale, you’re bound to come across hagglers — a lot of hagglers. Someone will look at your $100 lamp and ask you to sell it to them for $2. A couple of minutes later, someone will ask if you’ll sell them a piece of jewelry for $0.05 because it’s ugly and they really just want one of the beads. You may think you’re okay dealing with a little haggling, but are you up to dealing with it all day?
An estate sales professional has the experience to deal with hagglers and get you more for your items. Save yourself the stress and let a pro interface with buyers for you.
7. You Can Avoid Logistical Inconvenience
Logistically, estate sales are usually the most convenient way to sell your personal property. You don’t need to cart everything away or deal with renting trucks and moving boxes. If something doesn’t sell, you don’t have to go back and pick it up.
8. Estate Sales Professionals Know all the Tricks People Try
While most people are honest enough, there are some who would be happy to walk away from an estate sale with a piece of jewelry they didn’t pay for. The average person doesn’t know what to watch for and might not notice something is missing until they survey what’s left at the end of the day.
Estate sales professionals have seen it all. Someone with several years of experience in estate sale services will know exactly what to watch for and help you safeguard your most valuable property.
9. You Have Better Things to Do
Many people don’t have time to deal with all the planning and effort that goes along with an estate sale. You probably have work to do, chores to finish, and better things to do with your friends and family on the weekends.
An estate sales agent can take the task off your hands so you can get on with your life.
10. A Professional Can Get Much Better Pricing
Estate sale agents know how to evaluate personal property to accurately determine its worth. They can ensure your personal property isn’t under- or overvalued so you have a successful estate sale. The average person may not know what an antique vase is worth, but a professional with years of experience researching personal property will.
An amateur may price an item too low and get less revenue than they would have otherwise, or they might overprice an item and find that no one will buy it. A professional can determine the value accurately and find the optimum price that isn’t so high as to dissuade buyers.
An appraiser’s expertise can help you get higher prices than someone outside the field would get. Hiring an estate sales company will save you money in the end because the professionals will know how to get you the price your items are worth.
Estate Sales in Seattle
Fruitcocktail Collectables offers over 20 years of experience helping clients from around the Pacific Northwest with estate sales. We are comprised of trusted Seattle appraisers who are well trained to recognize design and lost treasures.
We are accredited by the International Society of Appraisers and also assist with appraisal services. Contact us today for a free consultation on your prospective estate sale, appraisal, or consignment items.