Selling Fine Antiques and Junk...    And Everything In-between

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Can I do my own Estate Sale?

Absolutely, everyone is capable of doing their own Estate Sale, but not everyone is capable of doing it well. So, if you decide to do your own, do your research! To often, people will overprice items because of their sentimental value and they don't sell much, or they way underprice them and give most everything away. I have been to a few of these sales and can't help but think, as I am getting great deals on things, these people should have hired a professional and made so much more money in a fraction of their time and effort.

Another thing to consider, is how overwhelming of a process this can be, very long, arduous, and draining.  Even if you hire it out, at the end of the day this can be a very emotional Event.

2. What do you charge to come and look at my Estate?

No Charge. We try to look at every Estate we can and will give you options on what we feel will work best for you. There are some good Estate Sale Companies out there and it is definitely in your best interest to find one that you can trust and work well with. Be aware that as you are interviewing us, we are also interviewing you. My time is limited and while I would like to be the largest Estate Sale Company in Utah, it just doesn’t work for us. We accept both large, and smaller Estates depending on our time schedule.

3. What is the cost of Conducting an Estate Sale?

There are no up-front or out of pocket fees. Organizing and conducting an Estate Sale can be quite labor intensive, sorting, pricing and running the sale.  Generally, we charge 40% to run a sale, up to 50% for smaller sales. We cover the cost of all materials needed and advertising. For the time energy and effort and the higher prices we can generate, we earn our money. The price varies for other services available. Online Auctions are 45%. we charge a 10% buyers premium to cover the cost of the Hibid auction fees.

4.  What should I do to get ready for the Sale?

Not a thing! While I realize it is human nature to want to clean the place before showing someone, please, don't! Vacuum and straighten if you must, I would even say its 0K to throw away some trash, but the problem is what you think is garbage... Yes, is another man's treasure. There is nothing worse than pulling up to meet with someone and seeing a dumpster in the driveway. We recently did a sale that was cleaned by the family and there were bags of garbage piled in the garage. Of the 30 or so large bags only a few were actually trash, we went through the rest and most of what had been determined to be “garbage,” was sold at our sale.

5.  What is the average set up time?

Generally two to three weeks, longer for a larger Estates.  Set up time can vary largely depending on the overall size of the Estate and the amount of belongings there. A rare piece of furniture or porcelain will take longer to appraise and price than common household items.

A couple of times the house has either been sold or it sold soon after we got started. Lets just say it is amazing what we have been able to accomplish on such short notice.

6.  I don’t have antiques or expensive items. Can we still have an Estate Sale?

Antiques are nice and there is a small crowd who only shops for them. However the vast majority of people are looking to buy useful items that makes their life more pleasant. Newlyweds looking for items to start a new life, parents who buy for their children, College students come looking for useful items. People often find things that reminds them of their younger years or items they actually had as a child. Maybe they are looking for just the right thing to decorate their house or office. People come for various reasons and it is rewarding to us when they find that perfect item they didn't even know they had to have, until they saw it at our Estate Sale.

There is a nice couple who frequents our sales that only buy practical things. I jokingly told them I wasn’t going to let them come again unless they bought something fun and frivolous, they held up their purchase, bath towels and long underwear and said with a big smile, “But this is fun!”
       

If it is determined you don’t have enough items for us to sell, we can suggest other methods which will better suit your needs.

7.  Which is better, an Estate Sale or an Online Auction?
 There is a time and a place for both. I have done Auctions because the client prefers them, the HOA won't allow an Estate Sale, or the area is just not conducive to having large amounts of people there. While an Auction has the potential of realizing a higher price than if we set the price, on the flip side, it can also go really cheap if only one or two people are interested in that particular item, even if it is valuable. Yet there are people who love them, so that is something for you to consider. We are not locked into selling everything at the Estate Sale and have many times put certain items to bid on eBay if there is a chance it will bring a better price than what I think we could get at our sale. For certain items we can set a minimum bid so we don’t have to sell it cheap. We have also done Estate Sale followed by an Action when we felt it would be beneficial. 

8.  What do you do with the remaining items after a sale?
         

There are numerous options. Depending on what you want to do and what is left over. It can be donated to a Charity of your choice or cleaned up by a company that removes all items and leaves your house broom clean. Some homes with such a sheer amount of stuff that needs to be hauled away, and you know who you are, will have pay to have it removed.

9.  What areas will you go to do your sales?

We have done sales throughout Weber, Davis, Morgan, Box Elder, Summit and Salt Lake Counties as well as Idaho. We are also looking into possibilities of conducting Estate sales in Washington County in the winter months, but in reality, if the Estate is good enough, we will go anywhere!

*** We have done all sizes and types of Estate Sales. High end sales in Park City and Olympus Cove, to your Unbelievable Hoarder homes!  Mainstream Homes to Huge Farm Sales. When I say we sell everything from Fine Antiques to Junk... and Everthing In-between, I mean it!

*** For the right Estate we are willing to go anywhere!