We ran an article last week about Unexpected Treasures. Judy Johnson is in the business of Home Estate Sales and Liquidation. For those of you that may not know exactly what a home estate sale is or how an estate sale works here are a few tips and questions to help you better understand and how to prepare for your own estate sale for your home (provided by Judy Johnson of Unexpected Treasures).
What is an Estate Sale?
– An estate sales is a public or private sale of the contents of a home, held inside the house itself.
What do you need to prepare ahead of time to have an Estate Sale?
– If you are hiring an Estate Sale expert such as Unexpected Treasures your only job – albeit a challenging one – is to decide what you want to keep and removed it from the house before she sale. Leave everything else behind.
Can you do an Estate Sale on your own?
– You can do an estate sale yourself but the advantage to hiring a professional is you get their vast knowledge about appraisals and what is valuable and what is not. What will sell and what you should get rid of ahead of time. You also get their mailing list of collectors and dealers that attend these events regularly. You stand a much better chance of selling everything and getting the best price the larger your audience.
What is considered valuable for an Estate Sale?
– Values of the items constantly change depending on what local buyers are willing to pay for something at any given time. In addition to fine art and antiques, collectors and buyers are looking for almost everything that is in good condition. Some of the more popular purchases are sterling silver, costume jewelry, tools, kitchen items, linens, books military and scouting things, fishing, golf gear, furniture and garden items. There are often other items which are not as obvious such as postcards and other paper items, mid-century decor from the 1930’s to 1970’s, dolls and toys.
Who attends Estate Sales?
– Buyers at Estate Sales include local collectors, antique dealers, residents in the area and people who enjoy looking at treasures.
What is the most important thing to keep in mind when preparing for an Estate Sale?
– Do not throw anything away! One person’s junk is another persons treasure. Let the person handling the estate sale evaluate everything before you throw anything out.
If you are considering an estate sale for yourself, parent or other family member that may be needing assistance consider hiring a professional such as Unexpected Treasures. For more tips on estate sales an liquidation check out estate sale tips.