Estate Sales
How estate sales work, when to sell versus donate, and how to prepare a family home.
Overview
When it is time to clear out a longtime family home, after a downsize, a move to a facility, or the loss of a parent, an estate sale is often the most efficient way to handle a household's worth of belongings. A professional estate sale company prices, stages, advertises, and runs the sale, typically taking a percentage of proceeds. The value they add is not just labor; it is knowing what things are actually worth, so genuinely valuable items are not sold for pennies and clutter does not stall the process. Before hiring, get clear terms in writing: commission rate, what happens to unsold items, and how proceeds are accounted for. For emotionally significant items, decide with family what is being kept before the sale is staged.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an estate sale company charge?
Most work on commission as a percentage of gross sales, and the rate moves with the market, the value of the inventory, and how much labor the sale requires. Get written proposals from at least two companies and compare not just the percentage but what it actually covers, especially advertising, staffing, and post-sale cleanout.
Estate sale, auction, or donation?
Estate sales suit homes with substantial and varied contents. Auctions often do better for a small number of genuinely valuable pieces such as art, jewelry, or collectibles. Donation plus a cleanout service is usually the most efficient path when the contents are mostly everyday goods. Many families end up using some combination of all three.
Should we get an appraisal first?
For suspected high-value items, yes, and get it from someone independent of whoever will be selling them. Fine art, jewelry, firearms, and certain collectibles are the usual candidates. A liquidator pricing items they will also earn commission on has a built-in conflict, which is not automatically a problem but is a good reason to verify separately.
What should we do before the company arrives?
Remove anything that is not for sale, including personal documents, prescriptions, firearms, and keepsakes, and physically take them out of the house rather than just labeling them. Do not throw anything else out first. Liquidators routinely find value in things families were about to haul to the curb.